In Mandalika, chrome rims were fitted to the Yamahas of Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli. Aside from the questionable aesthetic side, these have been designed to limit heat, for the benefit of temperature, maintaining tire pressure and the resulting durability. Indeed, to be at the forefront, every detail counts, as the competition is tough in MotoGP.
During the last Grand Prix in Mandalika, we noticed a novelty already seen in Lusail: the official Yamahas of Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli were equipped with silver colored rims. At first glance this might seem like a cosmetic modification, intended to promote new colors, but in reality it was chrome plating, a chemical process designed to achieve targeted benefits.
There's a reason behind this, which is more technical than you might think: bare, unpainted magnesium conducts heat better than when covered with a coat of paint. As for chrome plating, it allows this heat to be evacuated even better, by repelling the effects of the sun. It is therefore not a last minute replacement, the objective being to try to keep the temperature of the front tires at a lower level to limit excessive wear and decline in racing performance.
If in Qatar the rims fitted to the M1 were dull gray – just like those used by Pecco Bagnaia at CoTA last year – in Indonesia they sparkled: the solution guarantees advantages in terms of temperature accumulated by the wheels, that is to say by the rim-tyre assembly. In fact, black absorbs and retains sunlight, and therefore heat. Shiny surfaces, on the other hand, repel it, even more effectively than white.
Only the rear rim of the Yamaha prototypes was chrome-plated: less heat on the rim means a lower temperature in and around the tires which, therefore, maintain the preset pressure, without any loss. At the front, the Yamahas did not suffer any pressure problems despite the extreme heat, so black rims were preferred.
But that's not all: when we look at the machining of the rim, we notice many small recesses, called millings. They serve to lighten the part – albeit slightly – also providing gyroscopic and aerodynamic benefits. When we say that every detail counts at this level…
