Despite the discomfort of a painful ankle injury Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller has bravely qualified 19th for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

Miller carved more than two seconds off his Friday FP1 time to post a best lap of 1'40.968 after further overnight treatment to his right ankle.

The Australian rider is still rebuilding his confidence after being forced to miss the previous race in Texas and is now solely focussed on finishing the 27-lap race at Jerez.

After set-up changes to his Honda RC213V Miller was more comfortable in qualifying in dealing with the unique challenge of the 4.42km Jerez Circuit. 

MotoGP rookie Rabat continued his impressive improvement but struggled with too much wheelie in posting his qualifying time of 1'41.039, also two seconds faster than FP1.  

But the committed Spaniard is far from satisfied and looking for a further step forward before his home fans.

Sunday's 27-lap race is the fourth round of the MotoGP Championship and the first in Europe following the opening flyaway sequence in Qatar, Argentina  and America.

Jack Miller: 19th – 1'40.968
“We made a step with the bike today although for sure my ankle is still not 100%. I still have a lot of work to do both with the set-up and the healing process. I am not happy to be P19 but in my condition it is a step forward and we made some positive changes to the bike today. The race will be interesting especially in understanding the performance of the Michelin tyres over the race distance at this track. The key point for me is to stay on and ride a smart race.”

Tito Rabat: 21st – 1'41.039
“It has been a difficult weekend as a MotoGP rookie at this very technical track but I have been able to improve in every session. My main issue is too much wheelie and maybe I have to change my riding style and the way I open the gas to help with this. I just want to do a good race here tomorrow.” 

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Both riders are improving in each session but it is a difficult moment for both Tito as a rookie and Jack with his injury.   Tito's main issue is under acceleration out of the tight corners and apart from the handicap of his injury Jack is also struggling with similar issues.  It is not an easy time for the team and now it is crucial that both riders can perform at their best and complete the race.”