Jack Miller is again fighting for his future in MotoGP after Yamaha signed two-time World Superbikes champion Toprak Razgatlioglu to join Pramac in the 2026 season.
The Australian saved his skin for another year last September when Yamaha signed Miller to a one-year contract to join Pramac, having convinced the Tuscan team to drop Ducati and be their new satellite outfit. But the 30-year-old is back in the same boat as his deal ticks down.
Miller is the only rider in the Yamaha camp without a contract for the 2026 MotoGP season, when Razgatlioglu will now debut in the series with Pramac. So, the Queensland native may have to hope Miguel Oliveira fails to hit a performance clause in his works Yamaha contract.
Yamaha’s ‘goal’ is to decide Pramac’s 2026 rider line-up over the next three MotoGP races in 2025
Yamaha can release Oliveira from his contract for 2026 if he is the worst-performing rider on the YZR-M1 by the 2025 summer break. But AS now reports that Yamaha’s ‘goal’ is to decide Pramac’s 2026 line-up before the Czech Grand Prix on July 20, which leads into the break.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Jack Miller from net worth to wife
So, ‘time is running out’ for Miller and Oliveira to prove their worth to Yamaha with MotoGP set to return to the Automotodrom Brno after five years following rounds at Mugello, Assen and the Sachsenring. Miller and Oliveira, then, may only have three races to save their seat.
Oliveira believed he had until the summer to convince Yamaha that the 30-year-old merited being Razgatlioglu’s teammate at Pramac in 2026. But the Iwata outfit have brought forward their deadline, with the Portuguese yet to impress since he returned from injury at Le Mans.
Miguel Oliveira needs a massive improvement to deny Jack Miller a 2026 Pramac Yamaha seat
Oliveira dislocated a sternoclavicular ligament in his left shoulder when he was taken out of the Sprint Race at the 2025 Argentina Grand Prix by Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer. He also had to skip the following three races in America, Qatar and Spain before returning in France.
However, retiring from the French Grand Prix, before finishing the British Grand Prix in 16th place and the Aragon Grand Prix in P15 leaves Oliveira just 23rd in the riders’ championship. He only has three points so far this year, having also finished the Thailand Grand Prix in P14.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Miller, then, could stand a good chance of retaining his seat on the MotoGP grid next season after Yamaha signed Razgatlioglu to join Pramac in 2026. The Australian has 31 points and is 16th in the standings thanks to his P5 in the Americas Grand Prix and his P7 in the British GP.
But Miller even faces a threat from the Moto2 grid to stay at Pramac, as Yamaha could fight Aprilia to sign Manuel Gonzalez. The 22-year-old leads the 2025 Moto2 standings, has three wins in the first eight races and Trackhouse gave Gonzalez his debut MotoGP test at Aragon.
