Jack Miller found himself going blow-to-blow with a large battle pack on the edge of the top 10.

Australia’s leading Moto3 contender Jack Miller was frustrated by an eventual result of 10th at Mugello after starting from a strong fourth place on the grid.

The Caretta Technology Honda got away from the line well and was battling with the lead trio into the first turn before getting swamped by a flurry of riders.

It was in the initial stages that the opposing KTM chassis’ made their greatest gains, with Miller slipping into a busy battle pack fighting for at least seven places.

“I had a great start, fourth into turn one and pushing for the front, but I got stuck behind Alex Marquez, and he has a really strange style,” said Miller.

“He stops in the middle of the corner and then powers it out, where with the Honda you need to carry a lot of flowing corner speed. Once he gets on the gas with the KTM, that’s where the difference is.”

While the leaders worked together to build a gap, Miller remained wedged within a train of riders who preferred to scrap vigorously than to plot a path forwards.

“In the group, some of the passes were stupid,” he continued. “We could have pulled together to catch the group in front of us instead of slowing each other up. That’s racing – but there was only one Honda in front of me.”

Mugello marks Miller’s third finish within the top 10 this season, and he currently sits 12th on the points table. He is currently the third Honda on the standings in a class dominated by KTMs.