It is customary to say that it is the manufacturer who truly makes the king in MotoGP and it is true that a pudding poorly digested by a motorcycle can put out of the game a rider who had, until then, all the advantages of a potential champion. So what decides Michelin is watched very closely and its policy revealed for this season is already debated even before the first laps of a Grand Prix of the Qatar who will launch hostilities. While they will be dueling on the track, Márquez et Dovizioso oppose each other on this sensitive subject. Has the war of nerves already started?
During the press conference, there was a subject that caused a spike in tension between Marc Márquez et Andrea Dovizioso. The cause ? This decision by Michelin to freeze its products after the Qatar Grand Prix for the rest of the season. The allocation will be seven different tires for the front and between eleven and twelve for the rear. Products which will be identical for the nineteen meetings of the year.
A deal that annoyed Marc Márquez : " I'm not happy with that, and I don't agree because a season can depend on a tire and the ones we have are an unknown for all the circuits on the calendar. We will have no idea how they will behave when arriving on a track. We need more flexibility, as we have room to maneuver within the team when we try things and we can go back. We should have this possibility with the tires ».
An idea that is not shared by everyone. Starting with his rival from last year who will still be in the duel this season, Andrea Dovizioso : " in a sense, you will have to be lucky to come across a tire that goes well with your riding style and that fits well with your motorcycle. But it is also positive because you will have stability which will allow you to work more on your motorcycle. It's always a question of balance: there are good things and bad things. And with this Michelin policy, we can better understand what needs to be done to the bike to make it better. ».
Andrea Dovizioso would he excel more in the work of development than Marc Márquez ? Answer this weekend!
