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The Red Bull KTM rider made one of the best starts of the 11-lap encounter, jumping from the middle of Row 4 to run sixth in the opening corners.
He had lost that spot to Marc Marquez by the end of the standing lap, precipitating a short battle with the six-time world champion after which Miller had plummeted to 10th by the end of Lap 2.
He was unable to outbrake GasGas stablemate Pedro Acosta at the other end of the Lusail circuit’s main straight and eventually finished a distant 10th, despite inheriting a position when Fabio Di Giannantonio crashed on Lap 3.
“Not a bad first day, not a great one,” said the Australian.
“We gained some info. The start was good and the bike also but I knew it would be a bit tricky at the end with the soft front tyre but I’m happy enough with the job.
“We have an issue to sort and understand why we were passed a few times.
“The track conditions were changing a lot today but, with the medium tyre, things should be good for tomorrow.”
Miller, who had to come through Qualifying 1, missed out on the final points-paying position by almost six seconds.
KTM team-mate Brad Binder, on the other hand, scored nine of them for finishing second, 0.548s behind Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin.
Acosta got home in eighth while Augusto Fernandez finished 18th on the other Red Bull GasGas Tech3 entry.
