Pramac Ducati has announced that they have signed Jack Miller for the 2018 MotoGP season. The Australian will ride a Desmosedici, alongside Danilo Petrucci next year. Miller’s contract is directly with Ducati, however, rather than Pramac.
The move had been rumored for some time, and had been expected to be announced last week at Brno. But last week, Miller was still waiting for details of the package his current Marc VDS team could offer.
Marc VDS Racing, in turn, was waiting for confirmation from HRC of exactly what equipment they would be supplying, and more importantly, which personnel would be available.
Reportedly, Miller was keen to keep his current team together, but as his crew chief and much of the crew were employed by HRC rather than Marc VDS, he was dependent on what Honda wanted to do.
When no information was forthcoming from HRC, Miller accepted the offer from Ducati, which had been on the table for several weeks. Miller will ride a Desmosedici GP17 at Pramac.
Miller’s move to Pramac raises several questions elsewhere. First of all, his departure from Marc VDS leaves an open seat at the team. Secondly, his arrival at Pramac leaves Scott Redding looking for a seat.
It is tempting to put two and two together, and see Redding return to the team with which he had so much success in Moto2, but that is by no means a foregone conclusion. Marc VDS is said to have a long list of potential candidates to fill the seat, though obviously Redding remains a possibility.
Other names in contention include Stefan Bradl, but it is believed the German would not be a popular choice for the team. Marc VDS is also looking at other riders in Moto2, but the most obvious candidates to make the move up to MotoGP are already signed up, either in Moto2 or MotoGP.
Photo: © 2017 Steve English – All Rights Reserved
This article was originally published on MotoMatters, and is republished here on Asphalt & Rubber with permission by the author.
