Image: Supplied.

Australia’s Jack Miller convincingly made his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing debut at Portimao, concluding the weekend with a P7 finish and labelling tyre conservation as ‘really good’ following the opening round of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship.

The number 43 topped practice on Friday and was right in contention for a podium finish in Saturday’s sprint race, ultimately taking the chequered flag in P4.

Equipped with the hard front, medium rear option in Sunday afternoon’s GP, Miller featured in a multi-rider battle for fourth position and banked an important nine-points from the outing to add to his total from the sprint.

“I was pushing a lot towards the end and into unknown territory with the tyes,” Miller recalled after Sunday’s race. “The bike was really stable but I made a small mistake with my gearing and it was hectic there. I was trying everything I could to make the pass and get it done but it was impossible.

“We learnt a lot about our strengths and weaknesses today. The tyre conservation was really good as was the feedback I was getting from the bike throughout the duration. I’m happy with where we are and I know we can work to be stronger. We are having fun building this project.”

Following the opening round of the season, Miller is fifth in the MotoGP World Championship on 15 points, as the series moves to Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina, for round two this weekend.