This is a dominant fact which emerges from the comments of the drivers at the end of the last Grand Prix contested in Barcelona: it was extremely difficult for them to manage the grip of their tires on a track surveyed at the end of September at temperatures lower than those of June. However, it was at this time that this meeting was to take place in the calendar of the world before. From there, the questions about Michelin begin…
The unique MotoGP manufacturer that is Michelin led to Barcelona last weekend the tire allocation decided when this visit to Catalonia was still planned for June. The pandemic, the confinement, the fear of a white season then finally a revisited championship then gave rise to this next world.
But why with the same allocation? Alex Marquez explained it clearly: from Austria, Michelin had proposed to change the situation and thus adapt to the new era. But the pilots KTM vetoed them, thus forcing everyone to go to Montmélo with the tires we know.
Or even a policy KTM which influences that of Michelin , this is something that has already been observed in other circumstances. Thus by fabio quartararo about Brno, a race won by Brad Binder on the RC16. This time it is Aleix Espargaro, official Aprilia, which makes the connection.
The RSV4 driver was one of the few to choose the medium before: “ I almost fell several times, like my brother Pol. There were accidents in all three categories because the grip, despite the new tire, is not the best. Of course, the low temperatures didn't help. We should check with Michelin what happened to the front tires, because all teams except KTM seem to have problems ».
The Aprilia is not very warm for cold slopes
It remains that with the falls of Pol Espargaro and Miguel Oliveira, the least we can say is that KTM did not derive any benefit from his choices, if indeed they took place in that way. Brad Binder finished eleventh, just ahead Aleix Espargaró, which also comes back to more down-to-earth considerations: “lLow temperatures have always worked against the Aprilia RS-GP, as in Assen and in Germany. In Noale they will have to work on the adjustment and balance of the bike ».
The World Championship takes a week of rest before returning to the track at Mans, where there will be a small number of fans in the stands. “ Basically, I like the Le Mans track, but at the moment it's not easy for me. I'm fighting for bad results, but I'm happy that I was able to finish this last race after the accident at Misano 2. Now I want to improve from track to track and ride at the front " concluded Aleix Espargarò.
MotoGP Barcelona J3: classification
