For Joan Mir, Pecco Bagnaia and Valentino Rossi, this Aragon Grand Prix begins with the disappointment of the last race at Silverstone always in mind. A disappointment fueled by a corrosive frustration coming from their Michelin tires which collapsed prematurely, leaving them helpless against their opponents on the track. The fact that Quartararo's challengers in the title race, Mir and Bagnaia, were impacted without the Frenchman having to suffer the slightest problem caused discussion. Explanations were requested by the victims from the single manufacturer who apparently responded to them. The subject is sensitive but Rossi brought his revelation to it which reignites the debates…
Michelin was not forgotten during the arms vigil of this Aragon Grand Prix. The resentment of certain pilots towards the sole manufacturer of the MotoGP was still alive since the events experienced in the race Silverstone. However, bagnaia et Mir were able to interact with the men of Clermont-Ferrand, which allowed them to form a new opinion.
The Ducati official bagnaia thus clarified: “ I had the opportunity to speak with Michelin and Ducati also had a confrontation with them. What I can say is that Michelin recognized the fact that I had a non-performing rear tire and these are things that can happen. The important thing is that this doesn't happen again. Since the last race they have other data to make evaluations, although it is difficult to understand if a tire is good or not before entering the track ". The Italian seems to want to turn the page since he concluded: “ the first thing you do once on the track is to push, of course it's not just about concentrating on the tires ».
For the reigning World Champion Joan mir, the tone is colder: “ of course something strange happened in the race, I don't think it's the fault of the settings or the bike. I just hope this doesn't happen again. This type of problem affects the entire weekend but also the championship. I'll try to stay focused ».
Mir: “ if there is only one case, ok but when it repeats, it becomes difficult to keep quiete "
Then he was called back to the official Suzuki that being too critical of the single manufacturer carried the risk of attracting the latter's wrath. In this sense, the boss of LCR Honda who is Cecchinello recalled that it had already happened to him to “ receive a warning from Michelin when someone says something bad about the tires », remembering the period Crutchlow…A presumed law of silence which has strained Joan mir : " it’s part of this job. Usually it's not about the fact that we can't talk about things, it's more about I think Michelin did everything they could to handle the situation as best they could ».
He adds : " the truth is that in the last races, not only for me but also for the other drivers, Something happened. If there is only one case, ok but when it repeats itself, it becomes difficult to keep quiet. I still think they did their best to give us the best tires possible ».
Rossi: “ Next year Michelin will change the tires a little, but it will be too late for me«
Valentino Rossi also had a problem with his tires Michelin at Silverstone. He also returned to this bad series, and he took the opportunity to make a revelation: “ In Pecco's case his situation was stranger, as he was fast all weekend except in the race. My problem dates back to recent years. I suffered a lot with the tires, they are too soft for me. At Silverstone I should have ridden on the hard, but it was too cold and it wouldn't have worked so I had to ride on the medium. And I started having problems after a few laps, but I didn't say anything to Michelin because we are the ones who have to find a solution. It looks like next year they will change the tires a bit, but it will be too late for me ».
Michelin will therefore change his tires according to the Doctor. Still, in the paddock, we recognize that this type of event can happen with the tires. Moreover, the previous single manufacturer that was Bridgestone had also had its moments, and this is what recalls Livio Suppo : " I think Michelin is doing a great job, the lap times are improving and the tires they are wearing are working well. My feeling is that, like any production activity, there is a quality control problem, not all tires perform perfectly in the same way ».
Livio Suppo: “it is impossible for the tires to always be perfectly the same”
« Michelin may have a bit of this problem. To reduce these cases, less efficient tires would have to be manufactured, with a wider range of use. If a tire went from maximum potential to 80%, for example, I think it would be more difficult to have gaps. But then the drivers would complain because there is less grip " to analyse suppo.
The latter finishes. “ There are cases that must be carefully analyzed. Pecco, for example, at Silverstone complained of very poor grip at the rear, but he also changed the front compared to testing. Perhaps, precisely because these tires are as efficient as they are sensitive, the change in setting and grip at the front caused problems at the rear. There are so many variables, however I remember that it also happened with Bridgestone that a tire that was theoretically identical to another would not work as well. But I wouldn't say that the championship is distorted by this. But I think it's impossible for the tires to always be perfectly the sames ”.
