Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller has described Aragon’s 12th round of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship as a ‘long old race’, the Australian classified 15th after being handed down a post-race penalty.

The out-of-contract Queenslander missed Q2 after qualifying in P15 before struggling to make significant gains in Saturday’s Sprint race, where he ultimately crossed the line in 13th position.

Miller seemingly unlocked improvements overnight as he found himself battling for a top 10 spot in Sunday’s 23-lap encounter, overcoming a lack of rear-end grip to initially be classified P10, only to be relegated to 15th for a tyre pressure infringement.

“[A] long old race,” Miller declared. “Different track conditions again and I tried my best – [it was] hard to handle the rear tyre but I got into my rhythm. There were quite a few limitations, but I was able to bring it home.

“A decent weekend because we showed signs of pace throughout – no mistakes in the race, but I struggled to go with the boys in front of me. We’ll keep plugging away – I felt we could have had a bit more today. I just got nipped by [Alex] Rins on the back straight and I was doing all I could to hold onto ninth, but I didn’t get the drive and it wasn’t to be.”

The 29-year-old’s challenging 2024 campaign sees him ranked 14th in the championship standings with 48 points to his name, while his future in MotoGP still remains uncertain. The next stop on the calendar is scheduled for 6-8 September in Misano, Italy.