At Ducati, we were supposed to fear this big novelty among the many already announced for this 2023 MotoGP season, and it is the arrival of the single sensor for unified control of tire pressure. A device capable of changing many things about the performance of motorcycles on the track. Knowing that all the teams take a lot of liberties on the subject, while remaining within the standards of safety with which we do not compromise, to bring everyone into line, by means of a unique device which will finally give reliable elements to demand sanctions is a parameter that the protagonists will have to integrate. Except that they don't believe this scenario for a single second. And we say it openly at Ducati.
Tire pressure on MotoGP was a subject quickly discussed during this 2022 season before being just as quickly evacuated. And for good reason: the theme is sensitive, and all the more open to controversy since the instruments for measuring said pressure were not until now uniform. The results could therefore not properly serve as a basis for any claim. Because MotoGP tires must have a regulatory pressure which is a real headache to maintain when a machine is in the aerodynamic turbulence of the one in front of it. So, in the teams, we start from a base and we imagine the evolution of the pressure in the race to be in the nails at the finish... Knowing that the Europeans will always be more daring than the Japanese in these estimates. But in 2023, it will be a different story, and that promises a great rat race...
« It wouldn't surprise me if nothing was done. » we hear at Ducati
With this unique sensor, the organizer finally displays its firm intention to ensure that MotoGP participants respect the tire working pressure range provided by Michelin . Which also means a scale of sanctions. MotoGP technical director Corrado Cecchinelli explained on the subject that in “ 2023 we will have a unified system capable of securely measuring pressure in real time ».
All the ingredients are therefore there to take control of a situation that we talked about a lot behind the scenes, including the preconceived idea that we really liked to play with the limit at Ducati… Enough to calm the firepower of the Desmosedici? In fact, we seem very calm in the Borgo Panigale clan, and for a reason that does not put the organizers in the spotlight. We thus read from Marco Rigamonti, formerly the chief engineer ofEnea Bastianini within the factory team Ducati these comments about moto.it : " the situation is not yet clear : there will be no sensor in the first two races. And we still don't know what sanction will be imposed if an anomaly is detected: it wouldn't surprise me if nothing was done... ". All that for this ? The credibility and determination of officials are clearly called into question here.
