Chicho Lorenzo returned to the Indonesian Grand Prix in his show on the YouTube channel 'Motogepeando'. With Manuel Pecino he notably debated the controversy started by Honda against Michelin via Alberto Puig furious at having had to make do with an allocation known since 2018 while his RC213V only born in 2022 is very different from its predecessor. An anger that could continue this weekend in Argentina because Michelin will offer tires dating back to the last experience on the Termas de Rio Hondo track, i.e. in 2019...
Honda appears as the big loser of the second round of the championship MotoGP which took place on the brand new Mandalika track. A circuit that had to be partly resurfaced and which was sure to bake under the hot local sun. Moreover, on Thursday, the temperature on the track was 60°... The sole manufacturer had taken all these parameters into account, he had also informed all the protagonists that the tires tested during the tests in February would be replaced by proven rubbers. dating from 2018. A message received by Honda as by the others. But not assimilated…
A situation which led to the sad results that we know. According to the qualifications of the Indonesian Grand Prix, the Honda brand regretted its worst overall result since 1981. Marc Marquez, still valid, was the least poorly ranked at 14th place. And we know the rest. Which therefore led to the charge ofAlberto Puig against Michelin.
From his office, boy lorenzo wants to analyze this controversy with a little more height. He says : " Michelin's decision was based on safety. Only and exclusively security. They had the technology to make these tires in a very short time. It's a very radical decision to resort to a tire from years ago. But there weren't many other solutions. I think they did the right thing ».
It finds : " these tires were used in the dry, in Thailand during the Grand Prix. They got to the end, they held on, that was the main reason why Michelin brought them. There weren't many other solutions, this is a solution you have on hand for extreme cases ».
Chicho Lorenzo reports that this weekend in Argentina, Michelin will bring 2019 tires
« People here talk like it was a premeditated decision to annoy some pilots, like it's a conspiracy » adds the father of the five-time title winner Jorge, now retired. “ I believe that Michelin brought together all the manufacturers to tell them “Gentlemen, we have this problem. What do we do ? How can we solve this problem?' I think they did the right thing ". Regulatory, before the first Grand Prix of the year, Michelin must give all manufacturers a list with all the tires they are going to use for the whole season. However, there are plots such as Mandalika where there is no previous data to work with…
« Since it went well for some and it went badly for others, this is where the controversies arise " precise Chicho Lorenzo. " They are accused but Michelin must produce a Grand Prix that makes everyone happy, and with tires reaching the end of the race, which is not easy at all. ", he added. “There were no bad decisions there. With all the experience they have, they made the best decision in the world. Afterwards, as some did well and others did badly…».
The strategy of Michelin for Argentina will be similar: bringing new tires and the same ones with which they competed in the 2019 Grand Prix… “ Then we will see that the only variable is the state of the asphalt, we will see if during these two years its grip has varied. In principle, it was already good asphalt back then. The truth is that the Argentinian circuit surprised me, it is at the level of the best, nothing can be reproached to them. We assume that they already know the company that did the asphalt, and we assume that the new asphalt will be of equal or better quality than the one we already had ", concluded boy lorenzo on Motosan. On tire allocation in Argentina, Michelin commented : " this year we will have a similar allocation to that used in 2019, but the tires will have some evolutions in terms of carcass and compounds to withstand difficult track conditions."
