Like every evening at the end of a day of Grand Prix, Michelin releases some information on the behavior of its tires which equip all MotoGPs. This is all the more important on the Catalunya-Barcelona circuit as almost all the drivers complained of a general lack of grip on the asphalt...
This obviously does not concern the machine John Zarco who, after analysis, does not suffer from any grip problem...
Technical notes on MotoGP tires from Friday in Catalonia:
Dry and hot weather all day with track temperatures of 30°C in the morning, rising to 54°C in the afternoon.
As expected, we found that the Barcelona track had a very low level of grip due to the very particular qualities of the asphalt. As temperature and humidity increase, adhesion tends to decrease even more.
During FP1, the tires used initially were the Soft front and Medium rear combinations. However, due to the conditions, the front quickly reached the limit on its right side and began to move accordingly. The rear was spinning quite a bit, and the track's lack of grip was felt both in terms of traction and lateral grip in the corners. At the end of the session, some riders tested the Medium front, which was much better as it provided more support and stability.
Given the higher temperatures during FP2, the drivers tested the Hard front and the Hard rear. The front end was not very popular as it was considered too harsh. The hard rear required two warm-up laps and then consistency was good, but its overall potential was lower than other rear options. The Medium front remains the optimal solution and continues to work well in the conditions encountered this afternoon. The Medium rear currently offers the best grip/consistency compromise, and will certainly be a candidate for Sunday's race.
The Soft rear worked very well for timer attacks thanks to its added grip, but the performance potential started to wane quite early in these difficult conditions.
FP1/FP2 result of the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit:
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
