Jack Miller takes issue with Marc Marquez: 'Nobody is above the rules'
Miller doesn't think any rider should get special treatment (Credit: Apex Agency)
Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
Jack Miller has taken his often outspoken approach to MotoGP and turned it on Marc Marquez.
The Australian Pramac rider is loved by many for his honesty and forthright communication, but perhaps not by Marquez this week.
Nine-time champion Marquez has been at the centre of debate around MotoGP’s new punishments for not attending media events.
His younger brother Alex revealed that drivers are now being fined €5000 for failing to show up to certain promotional events, including the ‘Hero Walk’, greeting fans before entering the paddock.
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When Marquez skipped the MotoGP karting race
However, before that revelation came out, Marc Marquez had already made headlines for skipping an event at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Ahead of the race at Motegi, the 22 riders lined up on the grid for a go-kart race.
Yet it soon became clear that there were, in fact, 21, as the driver of Marquez’s kart arrived wearing a helmet and wouldn’t remove it when his fellow riders challenged him.
The scenes made a nice social media clip, but when Marquez again complained about the lengthy podium procedure next time out at the Indonesian Grand Prix, Miller deemed it time to hit back.
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Marquez has been outspoken against a number of new rules(Credit: Apex Agency)
Miller questions why Marquez was allowed to miss Motegi event
Speaking to DAZN, he commented: “Why can he leave the karting race while the rest of us have to stay?
“If you're supposed to be there, you have to be there; I don't think you can just decide on your own that you're not going to go.
"What makes someone so special that they can leave while the rest of us have to stay?
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"If we all leave, we'll look like idiots. Nobody is above the rules.”
"What makes someone so special that they can leave while the rest of us have to stay?"- Jack Miller
Miller’s position comes at a time when Marquez is facing a tough PR battle.
The 33-year-old is by far the sport’s most high-profile figure, and he’s also criticised next year’s addition of an extra qualifying session.
In Indonesia, there was another scene of public dissent after he won the sprint race, where he sat on the podium and doused himself in water, opting against greeting fans.
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He then headed straight back to his garage rather than taking a cart back with the other podium finishers.
Marquez explains why he left Indonesia podium celebrations early
The Spaniard later explained: “It’s inhumane to be there after a sprint, still in my racing suit… the podium, sure, great for the photo, but not for tomorrow’s performance.
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“So I skipped the golf cart and went to change and freshen up. That’s just how it is.
“We are elite athletes, and just as a motorcycle needs the best performance to reach its full potential, a rider, an athlete, does the same. Everyone looks out for their own interests.”
Marquez isn’t alone in thinking he should protect himself either, with his Ducati teammate for 2027, Pedro Acosta, backing his stance.
Marquez has support from brother Alex and Acosta (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
Pedro Acosta defends Marquez over growing rider demands
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The KTM rider said: “I don’t agree with this. In a situation like this, the championship doesn’t know how the rider is doing.
“For example, I agree that Marc Marquez didn’t go to the kart race, because he’s playing for something much bigger.
“I understand that sometimes you arrive at an event and leave quickly, I understand that people get angry, but if someone has crashed and has to choose between recovering or signing photos, they’re going to recover.
“I understand that we have to do more things, because in general we’re all going through a bit, but they have to understand everyone’s situation. We have to find a middle ground.
“They can’t take points away from you in the overall standings or grid positions for not going to an event, that’s nonsense.”
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