Jack Miller overcomes fairing issue in MotoGP Thailand

Jack Miller fights through fairing trouble to finish as top M1 rider in Buriram.

Jack Miller of Australia and Prima Pramac Yamaha, Raul Fernandez of Spain and Trackhouse Racing, Marco Bezzecchi of Italy and Aprilia Racing, Joan Mir of Spain and Honda HRC Castrol, and Johann Zarco of France and LCR Honda take a corner during the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix at Buriram International Circuit on March 2, 2025, in Buriram, Thailand. Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP

By Randy Ahmad and Adila Ghina

Jack Miller endured a challenging MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix, battling through a loose fairing to secure the best Yamaha finish on his Pramac debut. The Australian rider, eager to make up for his Sprint race crash, initially settled into sixth place in the main race before an unexpected mechanical issue complicated his performance.

Miller, who was pushing to stay with the front group, encountered the problem on lap eight of 26 when one of the clips securing his fairing came loose. The sudden aerodynamic imbalance affected his cornering ability, forcing him to adjust his riding style to compensate.

“I had a little issue with the fairing, which is when I lost touch with the front group,” Miller explained. “One of the clips popped out, and the whole fairing started coming loose. Aero is crucial these days, and I was struggling with turning and carrying corner speed, especially in what was my strongest sector, Turns 4 and 5.”

Miller battles heat and discomfort in tough Buriram race

The loose fairing not only impacted Miller’s bike performance but also exposed him to extreme heat. With hot air being redirected toward his body instead of venting out the back, the Australian endured burns on his legs and inner arms while trying to maintain control of his Yamaha.

“I was cooking because all the hot air was being directed straight at me, instead of out the back of the bike. It made a hot race even hotter,” he said.

Miller even had to physically hold the fairing in place at high speeds to prevent it from worsening.

“Yeah, just from trying to hold the fairing in place on the straight,” he revealed. “When you’d get up to high speed, it would pop out even more. I was getting nervous that doing 330 kilometers an hour down the back straight, it was going to ‘auto deploy.’ So I was trying to hold it together as much as I could!”

Despite the discomfort, Miller remained determined to finish the race. However, the fairing issue caused occasional off-track moments, as he struggled with his knee catching on the loose panel while navigating Turn 4.

Miller secures valuable points for Pramac Yamaha

Despite the difficulties, Miller pushed through to secure a points finish, crossing the line just behind Fabio Di Giannantonio. His attempt to overtake the VR46 Ducati rider was thwarted when his soft rear tyre lost grip with half a lap remaining.

"I was on Diggia, trying to chase him down, and I was driving out of corners really well until the last lap, exit of corner 7,” Miller explained. “I was throwing caution to the wind on the tyre consumption by that stage.

“You know you’re nearly home, but basically, she cracked through to what I guess would be close to the base rubber and [makes screeching noise] started spinning. I said, ‘oh well, at least we made it.’ We tried our best.”

Pramac Yamaha team director Gino Borsoi acknowledged Miller’s resilience, noting that without the fairing issue, his race could have been even stronger.

"It's a real shame that Jack had that issue with the fairing; otherwise, his result could have been significantly better,” Borsoi said. “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.”

Looking ahead to new challenges

After completing two days of testing and a tough race weekend in Buriram, Miller is now eager to test his Yamaha at different circuits.

“Looking forward to Argentina, Texas, and Qatar, I think we can have a good crack at all three of them,” he said.

His teammate, Miguel Oliveira, finished 14th in his first grand prix for Yamaha, while Monster Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins ended the race in 15th and 17th, respectively.

With Ducati securing another victory, Aprilia finishing fifth, Honda in seventh, and KTM in eighth, Yamaha left Thailand still playing catch-up in the constructors’ standings. As the season progresses, Miller and his team will be looking to close the gap and improve their competitiveness.

More from MotoGP coverage

• Joan Mir crashes out of the Thai Grand Prix, citing severe bike overheating issues.
• Pedro Acosta questions KTM’s tyre unloading issues after Buriram setback.
• Francesco Bagnaia believes Marc Marquez had pace in reserve and could have won comfortably.