So close, yet just out of reach. Jack Miller and the Prima Pramac Yamaha team were among the key players from the very first minutes of free practice at the Spanish GP — the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship. A crash at Turn 9 in the final minutes of Practice, however, denied the Australian what looked like a possible spot in Q2. At the time, Miller was on a flying lap with a second soft tire and was on the way to improve his time.
At a circuit like Jerez — where agility in direction changes and corner speed matter more than outright engine power — the Yamaha YZR-M1 is proving to be highly competitive, as also shown by Fabio Quartararo's strong performance. After the struggles in Qatar, where Miller also dealt with physical issues, he bounced back at a track where he’s previously taken both victory and podium finishes. His competitiveness was on full display today. Miller ultimately finished 13th with a best time of 1’36”854, just over two-tenths off the top ten cut-off for Q2. He’ll now head into Q1 with a realistic shot at claiming one of the two available spots for Q2, before turning his focus to the Sprint Race, which kicks off at 3 PM local time.
Augusto Fernandez, making his third consecutive appearance as a stand-in for the injured Miguel Oliveira, continued his steady progression. After a difficult morning session focused on setup work, the Spanish Official Yamaha MotoGP Test Rider found his rhythm. Although he ended the day in 20th with a time of 1’37”219, he was just over two-tenths from the points-paying positions—a testament to both his improvements and the tight competitiveness of the field.
So close, yet just out of reach. Jack Miller and the Prima Pramac Yamaha team were among the key players from the very first minutes of free practice at the Spanish GP — the fifth round of the MotoGP World Championship. A crash at Turn 9 in the final minutes of Practice, however, denied the Australian what looked like a possible spot in Q2. At the time, Miller was on a flying lap with a second soft tire and was on the way to improve his time.
At a circuit like Jerez — where agility in direction changes and corner speed matter more than outright engine power — the Yamaha YZR-M1 is proving to be highly competitive, as also shown by Fabio Quartararo's strong performance. After the struggles in Qatar, where Miller also dealt with physical issues, he bounced back at a track where he’s previously taken both victory and podium finishes. His competitiveness was on full display today. Miller ultimately finished 13th with a best time of 1’36”854, just over two-tenths off the top ten cut-off for Q2. He’ll now head into Q1 with a realistic shot at claiming one of the two available spots for Q2, before turning his focus to the Sprint Race, which kicks off at 3 PM local time.
Augusto Fernandez, making his third consecutive appearance as a stand-in for the injured Miguel Oliveira, continued his steady progression. After a difficult morning session focused on setup work, the Spanish Official Yamaha MotoGP Test Rider found his rhythm. Although he ended the day in 20th with a time of 1’37”219, he was just over two-tenths from the points-paying positions—a testament to both his improvements and the tight competitiveness of the field.
Spanish GP MotoGP Schedule:
Saturday: 10.10 Free Practice 2, 10.50 Qualifying, 15.00 Sprint Race (12 laps).
Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up, 14.00 Race (25 laps)