Due to lack of time, we don't talk about it often enough, but every Saturday there is an interesting press conference organized by Michelin to take stock of the pneumatic aspect of the upcoming Grand Prix.
Example this evening with Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager, who gives some keys for tomorrow's race: “I don't think the problem here is tire wear. We came at the end of August to do tests and long runs and the tire wear was under control. She wasn't raised. According to the data from yesterday and today, and from what we have seen, there is no high tire wear. So for me, it will not be the key to the race. But, for example, you will have to manage the tires because of the temperature. The track temperature will be very high. Today we were around 42 or 43° and it will be the same tomorrow. When you have a very high track temperature and you start the race with a very heavy bike because of the fuel, if you attack a lot or if you are in the peloton, you can very easily overheat your front tire. And at the same time, the rear, if you accelerate very hard or if your Traction Control is not well adjusted. You can overheat the front or you can overheat the rear. For me this will be the key to the race, because when you overheat you lose grip. It’s physical and mechanical. The key will therefore be not to attack too much, but not because of wear, but to try not to overheat the tires. Most of the time when drivers say they have to manage their tires, 80% of people think it's because of wear and tear, so as not to destroy their tires and cause performance to plummet. But it's not just that: it could be because of the temperature and that's what happened in Misano. It was very hot and we had very high temperatures, so the performance was not the best. Another reason for tire management can also be handling. It can change turn after turn. Because when you leave, you have a lot of fuel and you have a certain distribution of weight between the front and the rear. And the more you ride, the more weight you lose, and the motorcycle behaves differently. The pilot must then adapt to this and compensate, so he must manage. When we say that we have to manage the tires, it is not only the tires, but also the bike, the handling, and the performance in general.”
Dovizioso said yesterday that this year he had to manage his tires differently, that they were degrading more. Are you OK with that ?
“On some circuits, yes, on other circuits, no. What we did, compared to last year, is that we used a softer rubber, and it's normal that with a softer rubber you lose grip more quickly and the tire becomes degrades faster. This feeling is therefore normal because we have chosen to be more tender. If we had gone on the harder side the tires would have been more consistent but we made this choice because last year, on many occasions, no one was using the hard ones. We also wanted to improve performance. But this is only the case on certain circuits and not everywhere. That's one reason, and another reason is that the bikes have changed since last year. They are no longer the same bikes and the tires are softer. The track conditions are also different compared to last year. For example in Brno and here, if we compare with last year, these are completely different conditions. So when you take all that into account, it's normal that the behavior of the tire is not the same as last year. But not because we completely changed the tire: the structure is exactly the same, the profile is exactly the same, all the front tires are exactly the same and we only changed a few compounds at the rear.”
It seems that tire degradation is different for each driver. Some are big, others small, some intervene quickly, others not…
" Yes. This is because there are different motorcycles with different features, different Traction Control settings and different riding styles. If you take someone like Lorenzo or Zarco, for sure, the degradation of the back will come much later than that of Marc or Cal. The latter are more aggressive so they stress their tires more, and will therefore deteriorate sooner. So for me, it’s normal.”
Do you think all types of tires will be used in tomorrow's race?
" I think so. Up front, yes, some will use soft, some will use medium and some will use hard. I'm almost 100% sure of that. And for the back… too. Because after today and FP4, we have collected additional data, and the soft tire will certainly provide additional grip for around ten laps. And if you have a good bike and good settings, and good Traction Control, you can manage until the end. Wear and tear is not a problem. With the hard, as you could see, they had very good times. Its performance is a little lower, compared to the soft, but its stability is much better. They feel more comfortable because the motorcycle remains very stable. And the medium is a compromise. Some drivers have tried it and they will be in the minority. Maybe only 2 or 3, while the majority will use soft or hard ones.”
We will continue this transcription next week with the answer to the question everyone is asking: “Are the Yamahas in difficulty because of unsuitability for Michelin tires? »
To be continued…
