Ducati Lenovo’s Jack Miller had a difficult day at Termas de Rio Hondo after qualifying 11th for Sunday’s Argentina GP.

The drama didn’t end there, however, after post-session sanctions saw the Australian hit with a three-place grid drop. Leaving him lining up in 14th of the 25-lap race, behind teammate Pecco Bagnaia - who also suffered across Super Saturday.

Miller’s crime? ‘Riding slow on the line and disturbing another rider at the entry of turn seven’ during the second qualifying session. The rider in question was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, with the duo seeming to continue their on track squabbles from Indonesia.

“When you have someone in this kind of corner, when you arrive in fourth gear really fast and you have someone, not in the middle but basically the racing line, is disturbing,” Quartararo explained. “So, for me it’s not fair when you’re racing like that and that’s it.

“For me, I’m not complaining but you know even what’s happened in FP2 with Pecco and all the bikes, [The second Ducati man was seen becoming more and more frustrated by the touring riders around him, before hitting the gas, then the brakes off-line down the main straight to try to avoid being used as a tow. He did, however, avoid punishment despite being called to the stewards] is about safety and I think that we need to be fair in these moments.

“You’re trained to go the fastest as possible and at the end, he was not really in the middle but he is disturbing.

“That’s the only thing I was angry because, for me the first lap was the best opportunity and I get disturbed on my first lap. If it was on my third lap, maybe I don’t get that angry. But is like that, we cannot change nothing and in any case, I think that the second row was more or less our position,” he admitted.

“Up until my second time attack attempt in qualifying, the day had been positive,’ Miller explained as the dust settled. “But then, as soon as I started my second lap on the soft tyre, I lost the front and crashed. I went back in, changed my suit and went out on the second bike, but obviously, after the crash, the feeling with the bike wasn’t the same, and I couldn’t push as hard as I had before.

“Unfortunately, I was penalised at the end of qualifying and lost another three positions on the grid. Was a little bit of a mistake on my part. As I said I changed leathers and was just trying to get the knees in the correct spot, elbows in the correct spot and yeah, I was just honestly struggling to try and get myself comfortable.

“I thought it was Binder, I checked at the exit of turn six. I thought it was Binder because we exit pit lane together but as I saw going into the next corner it was Fabio. So I apologise to him.

“Tomorrow it will not be easy to recover from the fifth row. I know I have a good pace, but it will be important to get a good start to make up ground right away.”