It was a warm atmosphere that prevailed on the side of Grand Prix of Catalonia MotoGP version. And the sun is not the only cause. There is also the performance of the Michelin tires which, combined with the number of falls recorded during the test sessions, creates some tension. And other unpleasant remarks. Take the case of Jack Miller which launches an idea: what if we decided on a race where we could change tires?
Every day is enough for Barcelona. Friday was the new chicane which was at the center of the debates which ended up eliminating it from the Montmélo route. Today, Saturday, it is the case of Michelin tires which is in the hot seat. There were quite a few falls during this second day of the Catalan Grand Prix and their inflation followed the rising temperature curve. The prize goes in the specialty to Marc Marquez who fell four times. Meanwhile, the Yamahas were nowhere.
So how can we explain these events? Jack Miller has his idea. And she is well settled: “ I'm waiting for a meeting with Michelin. I mean with Bridgestone we only used asymmetrics at Sachsenring and Phillip Island, as well as at Valencia. The thing with these tires is that braking phases are difficult because the two compounds end up imperfectly mixed in the middle of the tire. Stability suffers ».
He continues on speedweek : “ in Germany and Australia, the asymmetrical ones can be explained but Michelin brings us these damn tires every weekend. And it just doesn't work. Four falls occurred on the left side. This is the side that is too soft. It's terrible ».
The meeting with the bibendum therefore promises. But the Sunday race which will be a 25-lap battle in the heatwave too… “ I imagine some drivers are thinking about doing a race with a tire change. For what ? Because tire efficiency drops dramatically. And that concerns both the front and the rear. After five or six laps, the degradation is already there ».
« Some have graining problems, especially at the front. We're fine, and it's true that it's not really a dangerous factor. But the performance of the tires leaves something to be desired. And there are competitors who are worse than us ". Given the established hierarchy where he is fifteenth, we can say that the Marc VDS rider has, this evening, a little thought for the Yamaha riders…
#CatalanGP J.2: MotoGP Chronos
| 1 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 1'43.870 | ||
| 2 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 1'44.201 | 0.331 | 0.331 |
| 3 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'44.220 | 0.350 | 0.019 |
| 4 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 1'44.320 | 0.450 | 0.100 |
| 5 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'44.348 | 0.478 | 0.028 |
| 6 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | 1'44.381 | 0.511 | 0.033 |
| 7 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'44.451 | 0.581 | 0.070 |
| 8 | 94 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha | 1'44.600 | 0.730 | 0.149 |
| 9 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'44.620 | 0.750 | 0.020 |
| 10 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 1'44.740 | 0.870 | 0.120 |
| 11 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Ducati | 1'44.852 | 0.982 | 0.112 |
| 12 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1'44.928 | 1.058 | 0.076 |
| Q1 Results: | ||||||
| Q2 | 94 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha | 1'44.239 | ||
| Q2 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'44.621 | 0.382 | 0.382 |
| 13 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'44.661 | 0.422 | 0.040 |
| 14 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 1'44.681 | 0.442 | 0.020 |
| 15 | 43 | Jack Miller | Honda | 1'44.829 | 0.590 | 0.148 |
| 16 | 76 | Loris BAZ | Ducati | 1'44.919 | 0.680 | 0.090 |
| 17 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'45.162 | 0.923 | 0.243 |
| 18 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'45.641 | 1.402 | 0.479 |
| 19 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Honda | 1'45.741 | 1.502 | 0.100 |
| 20 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 1'45.887 | 1.648 | 0.146 |
| 21 | 22 | Sam LOWES | Aprilia | 1'48.803 | 4.564 | 2.916 |
| 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | ||||
| 50 | Sylvain GUINTOLI | Suzuki |
