Silly season: Miller linked with KTM switch

The pre-2023 MotoGP™ silly season is shaping up to be one of the craziest on record, with plenty of big names coming off-contract, and highly sought-after seats becoming available. Jack Miller is no stranger to contract chatter, but there appears to be a twist in the tale as far as his future is concerned. Sky Sport Italia reports that he will be on the move to KTM at the end of the year.

Miller’s current home is, of course, the Ducati Lenovo Team. However, with Francesco Bagnaia already locked into another two-year deal, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) waiting in the wings for a seat at the Bologna factory’s official team, and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) putting in performances that are hard to overlook, it seems likely that the Australian will have to find somewhere else to go next season.

Until now, it had been suggested that he would return to Pramac, where he spent three years before getting the endorsement of a promotion to the factory Ducati outfit. Miller himself even said after the Grand Prix of the Americas that he “wouldn’t care” if he went back there, because it is a squad which enjoys parity with the official team in terms of the equipment it receives.

But, as Sky Sport Italia notes, there is a significant figure at KTM who worked with the three-time MotoGP™ race winner at Pramac. Francesco Guidotti was installed as Team Manager at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ahead of the 2022 season, making the shock switch from Pramac to replace Mike Leitner. Is a reunion on the cards?

Perhaps, but what is far from certain is exactly which team Miller would ride for, assuming he does sign a contract with the Austrian manufacturer. Brad Binder is already locked in for next year but his factory team-mate Miguel Oliveira has not quite sealed a new contract just yet. He is close to doing so but, if the Portuguese rider were to move on, he would be replaced by ‘Jackass’.

If not, then Tech3 KTM Factory Racing would be the destination, setting up an all-Aussie rider pairing at the satellite team. Sky Sport Italia is tipping that Raul Fernandez will leave at the end of the season but 2021 Moto2™ World Champion Remy Gardner is likely to renew and stay in the orange family.

All of this comes after Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti recently told Sky Sport Italia that “the futures of Bastianini and Martin will be clear in June.” Bastianini did his cause no trouble with a victory in the SHARK Grand Prix de France, but Miller should also be a prized signing after finishing second to the Italian at Le Mans.