If the minimum tire pressure control protocol had not been applied in Austria due to weather conditions, and if we had not had the slightest echo of it at Silverstone, this is not the case on the circuit of Barcelona–Catalunya where Maverick Vinales had the sad privilege of inaugurating the list of cautions following the Catalan Grand Prix.
The official press release indicates without great precision that “you have been detected driving with tire pressures lower than the parameters recommended by the official supplier. For this reason, the panel of MotoGP stewards is giving you an official warning.”
In accordance with the regulations, this first infraction of the season only generates an official warning. Informed of this fact during the press conference held at the end of the Grand Prix, Maverick Vinales took this with humor...
Maverick, you are the first to break the tire pressure rule.
" Yes really ? Ah, the sensor is not OK. (laughs). »
I guess you didn't know it during the race, but is that just a consequence of the type of race you had? And how do you deal with that up front, having to put the pressure down to start?
“No, but you can see it didn't help because in the end my front tire was destroyed. But the rules are the rules, so I received a warning, we will play football on another circuit. I mean, it doesn't matter. It's not serious. The important thing is to ensure safety and that is what counts. And it's strange because my dashboard was fine, so maybe it has something to do with the sensor, I don't know. We will see. But it's always good to be the first (laughs). »
Obviously, we understand better the condition of our front tire after the race…
Results of the Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com