Jack Miller Finishes 11th, Miguel Oliveira 14th in Thai GP, Securing First Points for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP2025-03-06 16:53The 2025 MotoGP season opener in Thailand marked the beginning of a new era for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, with Jack Miller finishing 11th and Miguel Oliveira 14th, securing the team‘s first points in its partnership with Yamaha. Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP GRAND PRIX OF THAILAND RACE Buriram (Thailand) 11th JACK MILLER 39'59"559 / 26 LAPS 14th MIGUEL OLIVEIRA 40'03"341 / 26 LAPS After the disappointment of the Sprint Race, where Miller crashed midway through while in contention for crucial points, today's main goal in the Thailand GP was clear: capitalize on his strong 4th-place start, secure valuable points, and gather crucial data to assist Yamaha‘s engineers in improving the YZR-M1. Jack made a perfect start, battling in the early laps with impressive rookie Ai Ogura and Franco Morbidelli, settling into sixth place. He held the position comfortably for more than half the race, but from lap 8 he suffered a problem with his fairing, which by the end of the race forced him to reduce his pace and race a purely defensive race. As a result, Jack lost several positions in the closing laps, ultimately crossing the line just outside the Top 10 in 11th place. Miguel Oliveira faced a much tougher challenge. On the day of his 100th premier-class start, he had to fight his way up from 17th on the grid. Enduring the intense heat of Buriram (36°C air temperature, 50°C track temperature) and the extreme conditions caused by the surrounding bikes, Miguel pushed through a grueling race. In the final laps, he managed to climb to 14th place, ensuring that both Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP riders finished as the top Yamaha representatives of the day. The team now shifts focus to the next round in Argentina, aiming for further progress in this exciting new chapter with Yamaha. GINO BORSOI Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP "It's a real shame that Jack had that issue with the fairing; otherwise, his result could have been significantly better. However, while everything was running smoothly, he showed he was very competitive, maintaining a great pace that allowed him to stay close to the front. That‘s a highly positive takeaway. Miguel also had a good race, though his performance was obviously affected by a less-than-ideal starting position. In the scorching heat and stuck in the middle of the pack, it wasn‘t easy to climb into the points, but he managed to do it. Perhaps his tyre choice, which was different from Jack‘s, influenced his performance a bit, but there‘s no certainty about that. Overall, it was still a positive weekend for us. We did a great job, and finishing this first race of the season with both riders in the points is a well-deserved result." JACK MILLER Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider "Overall it was a good day for me. I felt pretty decent, but I had a small issue with the fairing around lap 8, which caused me to lose touch with the front group. Unfortunately, one of the clips popped out, and the whole fairing started coming loose. As you know, aerodynamics are crucial these days, and I started struggling with turning and carrying corner speed—especially in what was my strongest sector, Turns 4 and 5. On top of that, I was cooking out there because all the air was being directed straight at me. It made the race even hotter, and I actually burned my inner arms trying to hold the fairing in place on the straights. But I managed to make it to the finish line. In the end, I lost a few positions because of that, but I kept it together and brought home some points. Overall, it was a positive weekend. We‘re focused on building a solid foundation, and we‘ll keep working hard.” MIGUEL OLIVEIRA Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider "I was expecting a very long and tough race, and that‘s exactly what we got. It was incredibly hot for all of us. It was a race about managing the tires—we probably could have chosen a different spec, but I tried to manage them from the start. I really struggled with front grip, couldn‘t turn the bike properly, and was running wide in every corner when I still had good rear grip. Then, as the rear tire started dropping lap by lap, it became all about managing it as best as I could. In the end, I felt a little better, managed to recover some positions, and got into the points. Considering where I started, it‘s an acceptable result. Plus, we gathered some important data. From the tests, I knew our job was to close the gap to the leaders. Now, with more testing days, four bikes, and shared data, I believe we have everything we need to make that step. That remains our only focus right now." Source: Ya Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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