MotoGP told its riders at the Indonesian Grand Prix that missing promotional events during a race weekend would carry a €5,000 fine. The requirement covers activities such as the Hero Walk autograph session. Jack Miller has endorsed the principle that the rule must apply across the grid, even as riders criticise the growing pressure of race weekends ahead of the 2027 changes.

Miller’s position is straightforward: when the riders are expected to travel together to an appearance, one of them should not be able to leave while the others fulfil the obligation. Anyone required to attend should be there, he argued, and no rider should regard himself as exempt from the rules. The Australian then added a financial condition. If promotional appearances and other commercial duties continue to increase, riders should receive more pay for taking them on.

The dispute follows Marc Marquez’s absence from a pre-race karting appearance in Japan. A stunt double took his place because Marquez chose to ice an injured shoulder after spending an additional 10 minutes on the motorcycle during an extended warm-up. He argued that his championship fight and his physical priorities as an athlete had to come first. Marquez subsequently won the Japanese Grand Prix.

Miller has previously served as a MotoGP ambassador and defended the championship when riders criticised it, but he draws a firm line between racing and the activity around it. In his view, the riders on their motorcycles are the actual show. On the 2027 format, he said that, as he understood it, manufacturers wanted more main races, less time on track and less mileage.

His comments carry extra weight because Miller is expected to leave MotoGP for WorldSBK in 2027. He has described that championship as having half the number of rounds and placing less demand on riders’ time. The argument therefore extends beyond one fine: it asks how much promotional work can be added before it begins to compete with the racing that remains MotoGP’s central product.