Jack Miller has revealed KTM told him ‘don’t talk to anybody’ in MotoGP ‘because we want to keep you in the family’ before being informed he would not be staying.
The 29-year-old’s future with KTM has hung in the balance for much of the 2024 season, with it widely expected that Pedro Acosta would be taking his place at the factory team in 2025 before the move was officially announced at the start of the month.
But remaining within the KTM fold – having joined from Ducati last year – was still possible with Tech3, and ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix Miller says he was told the Austrian marque wanted to keep hold of him.
“I was surprised, because last I heard was ‘don’t bother talking to anybody because we want to keep you in the family’ and then you get a phone call three hours before the press release gets launched saying that you’re not getting a contract,” Miller said at Assen on Thursday.
“So, yeah, I was surprised. To say the least. But it is what it is. But as I said to them, I didn’t come to this project to be in and out in two years.
“I left probably the most competitive bike on the grid to come over here and try and bring my knowledge.
“And I feel like last year, what we were able to bring already to improve the bike to a certain level was a big addition.”
Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: KTM Images
KTM ultimately decided to refresh its Tech3 line-up with two outsiders in Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and Ducati’s Enea Bastianini, leaving Miller and Augusto Fernandez without rides currently for 2025.
Miller says he has options on the table, with links to Gresini Ducati – which will retain Alex Marquez in 2025 – and Honda emerging in recent weeks, while strong relations with Pramac could make him a target for its Yamaha switch next year.
What’s clear in Miller’s mind, though, is that what he does next is not going to be dictated by his family life and has not weighed up the possibility of becoming a test rider.
“At the moment, it’s all been talk,” he said. “So, it’s about weighing up what I want, what the project has to offer in terms of obviously going to a Ducati is very, very interesting because I know the bike very well, I know the structure very well.
“I have no doubts I can get back on that bike and be inside the top five almost instantly. But a lot of things are changing in MotoGP come ’27, and working on a project and looking…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Autosport.com – MotoGP – Stories…