Romagna is the land of the sun, but this weekend could give some surprises to the MotoGP riders. The weather is uncertain for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix, which this weekend will also greet the conclusion of Andrea Dovizioso’s career, but this seems to worry less than in the past, when the bottom of the Misano track was very slippery in rainy weather.
Today the surface offers better grip and for this reason there is peace of mind at Michelin in view of the second Italian round of the season, which will also be followed by a two-day test in which the French company will also bring a juicy novelty to the track. optical 2023, when the sprint races of the premier class will make their debut. Manager Piero Taramasso told us about all this, but also how the tires performed in the last race in Austria.
“The Misano asphalt was redone in 2020 and last year we saw that it offered good grip, so we expect the same situation for this weekend, both in the dry and in the wet. two races at Misano were done at the end of the season, so we are racing at another time of the year, but we have almost entirely confirmed last year’s allocation, “Taramasso told Motorsport.com.
Specifically, what solutions will you bring to Romagna?
“At the front we confirmed the three symmetrical solutions we had brought in 2021, when the riders’ choices were oriented between medium and hard. At the rear, on the other hand, there are three asymmetrical tires, with the hard and medium being the same. last year, while we stiffened the soft slightly, because it was already too soft with the track temperature which was around 24 degrees. This year we expect it to be higher and for this reason we decided to go a bit stiffer , also because the choices were already divided between soft and medium “.
The higher temperatures could help in the penultimate corner, the first to the left after a sequence of right corners, where they had lost the front in several last year, including Pecco Bagnaia when he was in command …
“That is a delicate point of the circuit and certainly the higher temperatures will help. But this year the bikes are also more aggressive on the front, it is easily visible in the data, so that too is helping to bring the front tires up to temperature. faster”.
Michelin tires
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Next week, Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be two days of collective testing. Will you introduce any news?
“Taking advantage of the fact that Misano is a stressful track for the front tire, we will propose a new compound that, if it gives positive feedback, we could introduce it as early as next season. The characteristic of this front compound is that it offers the grip of an average, but also the support and stability of a hard compound. This is a solution that can be useful for those riders who sometimes hesitate to mount the hard compound or who may have a bit of difficulty in getting it up to temperature. Therefore, it may be suitable to bikes or riding styles that are less aggressive on the front. Also, I think it could be a good option for the Sprint Race that will debut in next year’s format, because the feeling of a medium and the stiffness of a hard can be the right compromise for a 10-12 lap race “.
In this regard, during the conference that announced them, the president of the IRTA Hervé Poncharal said he was certain that the introduction of the Sprint Race will not lead to a change in the allocation of tires. Can you confirm it?
“Yes, we will be able to do the weekend without problems. For 2023 there was already an agreement with Dorna, FIM and IRTA to reduce the rear specifications to two, with seven soft and five medium. I believe that seven soft are enough for complete the new tender program “.
Does something change for you with this new format or does everything remain the same?
“I would say that it does not change much, because we will not change the allocation both in terms of the quality and quantity of the tires. On the contrary, I think it is something positive, because the Sprint Race will increase the visibility on Saturday, with more people. on the circuit and better TV ratings. The other aspect is that on Friday we will have two one-hour sessions and this will allow us to do long runs that can bring a tire to the race distance, or at least very close, to be able to evaluate it. better the decay and wear. Before it was impossible to do it, because there were only 45 minutes available, also you had to do the time attacks, so it was unthinkable to run 10-12 laps. Next year I think that it will happen often “.
Does FP3, which becomes the equivalent of the current FP4, risk being a somewhat “useless” session, given that it will be held with temperatures on paper that are very different from those of the two races?
“I think it will still be useful for those riders who still have some doubts or who have to make some changes after FP2. The temperatures will be different from those of the races, but it is always better to lap and accumulate data and experience”.
Jack Miller, Ducati Team, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Dorna
Two weeks ago the Austrian GP was held with a renewed design for the Red Bull Ring. The Ducatis continued to make the difference and it was Pecco Bagnaia who won, what kind of information did you bring home?
“The novelty was the debut of the layout with the chicane. Obviously we had prepared ourselves with simulations, but it is only after the race that we can draw conclusions. From the point of view of the tires it was not penalizing. On the contrary, it helped a little. , especially in terms of warming up the left side of the tires. It was also a bit less stressful for the right side. Even in the race everything went well, because all three were brought to the front in the race. specifications, while at the rear they were all divided between the medium and the soft. Then in the race we saw that the behavior of the tires, logically, was different: the soft ones had a degradation after the half of the race, while the rear average and the hard front have proved to be a bit more stable and consistent. But if you choose the soft it is clear that you can’t do an attacking race from start to finish, it’s a tire that will have to be managed at some point. did B agnaia, who took a good lead at the beginning and then managed the soft front well in the final, going on to win the race “.
Assuming you didn’t have any real references with this layout until Friday, was the race pace better, worse or how did you expect it?
“Let’s say how we expected it, maybe a bit faster. It must be said that on Sunday the conditions were better, because it was warmer than on Friday and Saturday, so this changed the references a bit. Many riders then changed the choice at the last moment on the grid. Taking all these factors into account, I think the pace we had on Sunday was good. “
The pilots all seemed quite satisfied. Perhaps right Aleix Espargaro underlined the difficulties of adapting the Aprilia to the rear carcass from high temperatures …
“There have been no major complaints, although it is normal that there may be some comments from the pilots. The carcass we bring to Austria, and which we will also have in Thailand, is a bit stiffer, so it requires some fine tuning. particular and there may be that there are some bikes that suffer more than others to adapt. Zarco also complained about the pressure and temperature of the front tire that have risen, but he did not do it maliciously. The explanation was simple: in Austria uses larger brake discs, which generate higher temperatures, and several have used them little over the weekend before putting them into the race. pressures and temperatures were a bit higher than usual. Finally, Brad Binder said he had some vibrations on the front, but at the end of the race we saw that he had lost the balance weights. no part of the game, but there is always a logical and technical explanation “.
This weekend there will also be the double final appointment for the MotoE, then we will enter the Ducati era which will begin next year …
“Once the season is over, we will analyze all the data and then we will see what to do for next year, also because the bike will be different. Ducati is already testing the current tires, so we have some indications in this regard too. But when we have the information of all the races we will take stock to decide the 2023 strategy. Basically, the basis should remain that of this year and we only have to decide whether to increase the percentage of sustainable materials or not “.
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