Michelin Motorsport Manager Piero Taramasso detailed the tire pressure rule during an interview at Jerez 2025, highlighting its importance for safety and performance in MotoGP. A look that will have implications for this weekend's French Grand Prix.
The manager of Michelin in MotoGP, Piero Taramasso, lifted the veil on one of the most sensitive and little-known dimensions of the paddock: tire pressure management, now governed by strict regulations for reasons of securityBut this framework still leaves room for many areas of interpretation and adaptation.
« I can't confirm this 100%, but all teams should have a device to signal tire pressure anomalies. ", Explain TaramassoThis system indicates whether the pressure is too low or too high, and how many revolutions the driver has been out of range.
Why is this data so crucial? Because pressure varies greatly depending on the context: If you are alone in front, the pressure drops; if you are behind other motorcycles, it increases " he specifies. It is precisely this phenomenon that has trapped Maverick Vinales in Qatar, where he started with too low a pressure and was never able to reach the ideal zone: " he couldn't get it up and back to the beach »
Michelin imposes a minimum pressure of 1,8 bar, with an optimal range between 1,9 and 2,0 bar. Taramasso warns: “ if you ride with lower pressures, the tire flexes more than expected and you risk break the structure. The same risk exists if the pressure is too high. » And it can go quickly: « By high pressure, I mean 2,3 or 2,4 bars. At this level, performance drops, and the risk of breakage increases »
Piero Taramasso: “ we are all at the limit, the tires but also the engines, the fuel consumption, the aerodynamics »
Each motorcycle and each rider therefore has its own starting pressure, generally understood between 1,65 and 1,72 bar, so that during the race the pressure naturally rises within the regulatory range.
Faced with these risks, some are calling for a minimum starting pressure to be imposed. But Taramasso strongly opposes it: " If we did that, we would risk having pilots with too high pressure. " Because it all depends on the riding style and the machine: " There are riders who brake harder, others less. There are motorcycles that have more load at the front, others at the rear.. »
To validate this data, Michelin retests the tires after the races, by running them on the machine: “ we can clearly see the tires that were out of reach: they break after a few turns. » And to conclude: « We are at the limit. Not just us, but also the engines, fuel consumption, aerodynamics… everything is pushed to the extreme. You can't "play" with these things. »
In this context, tire pressure management is not just a technical parameter: it is a strategic, safety and decisive issue for each race. MotoGP.
