Since the Malaysian circuit was completely resurfaced last year by the Italian company Studio Dromo, water drainage problems emerged, which caused a lot of torment for the MotoGP teams during the last three days of testing. So much so that several of them are wondering if the tests planned for next week with the permanent drivers will really be useful.
The problem does not come from drainage, which consists of evacuating the water at the edge of the track, but from the infiltration of water through the asphalt. For this purpose, a special layer was made, in case the Malaysian heat was not enough to evaporate the water spread on the tarmac. “ We worked from data from the last ten years, because you always have to consider the limits of possible conditions, explained Jarno Zaffelli, the boss of Dromo. Track temperature was always between 40 and 60°, with humidity between 50 and 100% ". But during the last Grand Prix, the air temperature never exceeded 35° and problems appeared. “ Beneath the asphalt is located an aggregate with empty pockets into which rain descends ».
It seems that this layer, made by a local company, poses a problem. The water stays on the track for a very long time, sometimes hours after the rain has stopped. “ With things the way they are, it becomes pointless to travel all the way to Malaysia to test, esteemed Gigi Dall'Igna with gpone. Driving with rain tires in dry weather on a wet track is practically useless. We might as well test elsewhere ».
To make everything better, here is the expected time for the three days of official tests, from Monday to next Wednesday:
