Miller felt "wanted and needed" in Ducati switch

Jack Miller says the fact he felt "wanted and needed" by the Ducati stable played a major role in his decision to move to the Pramac squad for the 2018 MotoGP season.

Jack Miller, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS

After three seasons as a Honda rider, and two at the Marc VDS team, Miller will join Danilo Petrucci next season at Pramac, replacing the Aprilia-bound Scott Redding on a year-old Desmosedici GP17.

The Australian also had the chance to remain within the Honda stable for a fourth season, albeit not as a factory-supported rider, but felt the time had come in his fledgling premier class career for a change of scenery.

"I’ve been three years in the same spot, and I was looking for something different," Miller told Motorsport.com.

"There’s no hard feelings. I rode for them at Suzuka [in the 8 Hours], I had the opportunity to stay with them. But I felt I needed a little bit of a change.

"I felt I was wanted there [at Pramac] and that they really would like to see me on their bike. That also was another factor to weigh up, that I’m going to a place where they want me.

"This sport is such a gruelling game, everyone wants the top guys – and when you’re wanted even though you’re not one of the top guys it’s definitely nice."

The 22-year-old said that the strong performances of the three riders already on the GP17 - Petrucci and factory Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo - was another factor that encouraged him to switch camps.

"That was another selling point for me, that three guys were running very well on that bike," he added. "That made me lean towards Ducati."

Miller made it clear he was not put off a move to Pramac by Redding's struggles to match his teammate on an inferior specification bike this season, highlighting his own strong past performances on mediocre machinery.

"It depends how you approach the situation," Miller said. "If you look at it in a negative mindset, you don’t think the bike’s gonna work, the game’s over before it’s even started.

"In Moto3 I was on a Honda with no horsepower whatsoever, and I fought for the podium nearly every race that season [2013] and finished top Honda in the championship. I was constantly the first non-KTM over the line.

"I knew the bike was slow, but you just have to get on with it. It depends which way you look at the situation, if you look at it as a problem or as an opportunity."