New challenges and ever more versatile tires for cutting-edge motorcycles
• The MICHELIN Power Slick, launched in 2024 with new rubber compounds, are back in force for the 2025 championship.
• With 22 races on five continents, the 2025 calendar includes two new circuits: Brno (Czech Republic) and Balaton Park (Hungary). Michelin has already analyzed these two tracks in the simulator in order to offer its partners the most suitable tires.
• Michelin works to preserve the environment and natural resources. In less than ten years, the Auvergne manufacturer has halved the number of available rubber specifications and limited the number of tires used in racing while increasing the performance level of its tires.
The MICHELIN Power Slick 2025 tire range
The new generation range that appeared last season will continue to provide its performance and versatility throughout the 2025 championship. It features tires whose compounds were developed iteratively, with the help of the riders, over the course of several test sessions. These new generation tires have helped break many records, some of which were several years old. To support the racing bikes at their best, Michelin Motorsport engineers worked with different objectives between the front and rear wheels.
Front tire: In order to respond to an ever-increasing level of stress on the front wheel, Michelin has increased the rigidity of the rubbers. In some cases, the compounds previously classified as Medium have been renamed Soft, and an identical approach has been undertaken between Hard and Medium. These rubbers are the result of a new "mixing" method, and will be tasked with seeking new records in 2025.
Rear tire: Here too, Michelin has used new technologies, which are increasingly innovative both in terms of components and the technique of "mixing" materials. The aim was to obtain greater consistency in performance and to reduce the phenomenon of wear over the laps. This is exactly what happened, regardless of the profile (wearing or not) of the circuit.
“The 2024 championship has demonstrated that our new tires have fully met the expectations of all the teams,” says Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin's two-wheel competition. "Thanks to the consistency and exceptional versatility of our tires, riders have achieved unprecedented performance. For 2025, while motorcycles will only evolve marginally, we have decided to focus on technological stability. This continuity offers our partners the opportunity to rely on proven foundations, allowing them to refine their developments to seek out the last tenths of a second on the track. With this strategy, we are approaching the 2025 season with both confidence and the humility that characterizes our approach.
Michelin lowers its number of specifications and increases the level of competitiveness
As in all motorsport disciplines in which it is involved, Michelin develops technological and logistical solutions in a spirit of efficiency and environmental protection. The measures taken since 2023 in terms of reducing the number of tires authorized per race weekend are maintained for 2025. Fewer tires used means fewer raw materials to source and use, less logistics, less assembly and disassembly, but also less recycling. " highlighted Piero Taramasso. " But what is less visible is our ability to reduce the number of rubber specifications used. Because if we bring a maximum of three rubbers classified as Soft, Medium and Hard to each race, they are chosen from a portfolio of specifications that has reached several dozen proposals in some years. In less than ten years, we have managed to halve the number of "specs" by keeping only the most versatile, which allows us to have a much lower stock of tires at the end of the season. It also means less use of raw materials, which is in line with our environmental preservation objectives. In addition, we see season after season that our tires help to strengthen the notion of competition and take a further step towards more sustainable and responsible motor sports. »
What the regulations say about the number of rubbers and tires
For both the front and rear wheels, Michelin will offer three treads – Soft, Medium and Hard – drawn from a catalogue of different compounds depending on the configuration of the circuits and the weather data. The three selected specifications will be available for the front wheel, and two of them (Soft-Medium) for the rear. Each driver will have 15 front tyres (5 of each tread) and 12 rear tyres (7 of the softest and 5 of the hardest). As for the rain tyres, the allocation is still 6 front tyres and 7 for the rear, in two specifications (Soft and Medium). Each driver will be able to use a total of 10 front tyres and 12 rear tyres during the three days of track activity at each Grand Prix.
If the rear tires are in the vast majority of cases asymmetrical, in other words that they carry two rubbers more or less reinforced depending on the number of right or left turns, the front tires are on the other hand almost always symmetrical. There are only three exceptions in the season, at the Sachsenring (Germany), Phillip Island (Australia) and Valencia (Spain) circuits. In this case, their tread is made up of 2/3 1/3 of two distinct rubbers.
The 2025 championship seen by Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin's two-wheel competition
"For the new circuits of the season, Brno and Balaton (see calendar), We had a digital approach, on a simulator. We do not have the possibility to go and drive there and the asphalt also has to be replaced on the Brno track. Also, to be sure to choose the right tires for these two races, we ran our simulators to draw up a profile of the tires that will be most suitable. This is delicate work and we will be as close as possible to our partners. We also need to support the teams with the greatest listening and the best pedagogy because the championship is recording an unprecedented total of 13 changes within the teams, and will welcome three new drivers. This is a major transfer window, which will require time to adapt. Finally, if the season promises to be as exciting as ever, it presents some logistical challenges since the calendar is not only very full and it includes 7 "back-to-backs", in other words two races that follow one another with only one week between them. If a transition like the one between Portugal and Spain remains relatively simple to manage, others, like the move from Australia to Malaysia, require much more advanced anticipation. These logistical challenges, however, are part of the charm and intensity of the championship, and we are now eager for the proceedings to begin."
A racing format that has proven its effectiveness
The regulatory changes initiated at the beginning of 2023 are still relevant and have demonstrated their positive impact on the spectacle on the track as well as on the fluidity of the race weekend. At each Grand Prix, the action begins on Friday morning, with a 45-minute Free Practice session. Then another slot, simply called Practice and this time lasting one hour, allows the 10 fastest drivers to go directly into the second phase of qualifying (Q2) scheduled for the following day. On Saturday morning, after Free Practice 2 (a 30-minute session in which all drivers participate), those who have not qualified directly for Q2 compete for 15 minutes in Q1. Two of them are then selected to form a contingent of 12 drivers for the final phase of qualifying (also 15 minutes), which allows the starting grid to be seen. This is followed by two races, the first called Tissot Sprint, lasting about 20 minutes on Saturday afternoon, then the Grand Prix (calibrated over double the number of laps) on Sunday. These two races generally take place at 15:00 p.m. for the first, at 14:00 p.m. for the second, local time.
« After two seasons in this format, we are fully aware of the success of this system and the interest generated by the public. "Indicates Piero Taramasso. « Dorna Sports, which organises the championship, wanted a show and we got one thanks to the determination of the riders, but also to the performance of the bikes, made possible in part by the consistency of our tyres. The short format of the Sprint races on Saturday encourages the riders to give their all, regularly getting close to the times achieved in qualifying. This makes for a captivating show, which generates a lot of emotion among the fans but also within the teams. But if the Sprint race represents an important issue for the championship, it also dictates a form of caution among the riders who have to ensure the Grand Prix the following day. For our part, this allows us to demonstrate the versatility and long-term performance of our tyres, which are there both when it comes to chaining together "full attack" laps and when it comes to managing a Grand Prix twice as long."
The 2025 MotoGP calendar: 22 races, 18 countries, 5 continents
The MotoGP World Championship will travel to all major regions of the world in 2025: the United States, South America, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and of course Europe. It includes two new tracks: Brno (Czech Republic) and Balaton Park (Hungary). For these two circuits, Michelin will provide an additional rubber specification, as required by the regulations.
After the Sepang and Buriram pre-season tests in February, Thailand will make history by becoming the first Southeast Asian country to host the opening round of the championship in 25 years (and a first for Thailand). In the changes to the dates of existing races, we note that Silverstone (UK) is brought forward from August to May, and that Portugal moves from March to November. The Catalan Grand Prix, which had slipped from June to September in 2023 and which took place in May 2024 (then at the end of the season to replace Valencia, then devastated by bad weather), returns in early September. Aragon is also brought forward from September to June. After a very dense start to the championship with 11 races, or precisely half of the Grand Prix scheduled, a short break will take place between mid-July and mid-August, then four European races will be followed by 4 rounds in Asia and Oceania, before returning to Europe for two races in November, in the south of Portugal then in Valencia. It's a very dense program, which will certainly keep fans on the edge of their seats!
| DATES | COUNTRIES | CIRCUIT |
| February 28 to March 2 | Thailand | Buriram |
| 14 at 16 March | Argentina | Rio Hondo Hot Springs |
| 28 at 30 March | United States | Austin |
| 11 to 13 April | Qatar | losail |
| 25 to 27 April | Spain | Jerez |
| 9 to 11 may | France | Le Mans |
| 23 to 25 may | England | Silverstone |
| 6 to 8 June | Spain | Aragon |
| 20 to 22 June | Italy | Mugello |
| 27 to 29 June | Netherlands | Assen |
| 11 to 13 July | Germany | Sachsenring |
| 18 to 20 July | Czech Republic | Brno |
| 15 at August 17 | Austria | Spielberg |
| 22 at August 24 | Hungary | Balaton |
| 5 7 in September | Spain | Barcelona |
| 12 14 in September | Italy (San Marino) | Misano |
| 26 28 in September | Japan | Motegi |
| 3 5 in October | Indonesia | Mandalika |
| 17 19 in October | Australia | Philip Island |
| 24 26 in October | Malaysia | Sepang |
| 7th and the 9th of November | Portugal | Portimao |
| 14th and the 16th of November | Spain | Valencia |
Michelin’s 2025 MotoGP partners – 11 teams and 22 riders
| Team | Pilotes |
| DucatiLenovoTeam | Francesco Bagnaia (Italy)
Marc Marquez (Spain) |
| Monster EnergyYamaha | Fabio Quartararo (Fra)
Alex Rins (Spain) |
| Aprilia Racing Team | Jorge Martin (Spain)
Marco Bezzecchi (Italy) |
| Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | Brad Binder (RSA)
Pedro Acosta (Spain) |
| Honda HRC | Luca Marini (Italy)
Joan Mir (Spain) |
| Prima Pramac Team | Jack Miller (Aust)
Miguel Oliveira (By) |
| Gresini Racing MotoGP | Alex Marquez (Spain)
Fermin Aldeguer (Spain) |
| Pertamina Enduro VR46 MotoGP Team | Franco Morbidelli (Italy)
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Italy) |
| Honda LRC | Johan Zarco (Fra)
Somkiat Chantra (Tha) |
| Red Bull GasGas Tech3 | Maverick Vinales (Spain)
Enea Bastianini (Spain) |
| Trackhouse Racing | Raul Fernandez (Spain)
Ai Ogura (Jpn) |
