MotoGP, Michelin: “The new asphalt in Qatar? Everything needs to be redone, or almost redone."

The Michelin technicians know the Losail circuit like the back of their hands, but everything changed this year because the track has been completely resurfaced. Since they were unable to organize tests before the Grand Prix, all that remains now is to wait until tomorrow to find out how the new asphalt will perform. The regulations, in this, come to the rescue by allowing an additional tire option for both the front and rear.

“The new asphalt means that everything needs to be redone, or almost redone, in terms of tire choice and bike set-up,” Piero Taramasso, Micheli’s head of racing, explained. “Since we don’t know anything about this new asphalt, in accordance with the technical regulations, we’ve provided an additional tire specification. Therefore, the MotoGP riders will have the opportunity to have four front tire options instead of three, and three rear tires instead of the usual two. Also, the ground temperature drops after sunset, from 45°C to less than 20°C, in a rather short period of time for the night race at the Qatar GP and in Losail, which is in the middle of the desert. We’ll work in the opposite way than what we normally do. The riders will start by using the hardest compounds, then refine their choices by using softer options, in order to find the best one.”

“On our part, we’ll need to understand as quickly as possible what wear and thermal conditions will be generated by this new track, so that we can best advise them on the choice of tire for each situation,” Taramasso continued. “Another critical point to consider is the sand brought onto the track by the wind, which increases abrasiveness. Given our experience on the Losail circuit, we’re not entering completely unknown territory, and we’re confident in the tires we’ll be bringing, but these changes will certainly raise some questions, which we're eager to answer.”