Jack Miller finished last in the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang after a severe loss of rear grip undermined the Pramac Yamaha’s race. He had moved up to 15th during the middle phase, holding the final points-paying position. That progress disappeared once the wheelspin became more pronounced and the bike’s pace fell away.

Miller was passed by Pecco Bagnaia, Iker Lecuona and Maverick Vinales as his lap time worsened from 2m 0.9s to 2m 6.4s. For context, the fastest Moto2 lap on Sunday was 2m 4.4s. Tyre wear contributed to the decline, while Miller described the conditions as among the most difficult he had faced. Turn 1 offered almost no grip on each lap, making the race a matter of managing the problem rather than attacking the riders ahead.

Miller tried to contain the damage by modifying his riding and changing the engine maps. The measures were not enough to restore the pace, and he said that he had become essentially a “sitting duck” late in the race. He also highlighted the sharp difference in grip between the track surface and the kerbs, which he tried to use when possible. Factory Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins came home 11th and 12th respectively. Augusto Fernandez, replacing Miller’s injured teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu, crashed on lap two. Yamaha has announced that it will miss the next MotoGP round in Qatar because of company-wide travel restrictions. Miller’s remaining MotoGP appearances before his switch to WorldSBK are scheduled for the Portimao and Valencia rounds.