MotoGP | Taramasso: “Less grip in Lusail compared to the tests after the WEC race”

Finally here we are. After a long winter, the moment of truth has also arrived for the protagonists of MotoGP, that of the first race of the season. The Qatar Grand Prix, however, will not only be an important event for the teams and drivers, but also for Michelin, which enters its ninth season as the sole supplier of tires to the premier class. And we start from a race which, despite many references, is never simple, because Lusail is a track that has undergone great evolution and even the night race always contains unknowns, as the manager of the French company, Piero, explained to us. Taramasso.

“Having done the race at the end of 2023 and the tests a couple of weeks ago should help us, because we have several indications. As regards our 2024 range, the compounds have the same centering but we have changed the technology a little to offer more consistency Also given the test results, some drivers say they also feel a little more grip, so it seems that we have gone in the right direction in terms of performance and feeling”, Taramasso told Motorsport.com.

What type of solutions did you decide to bring for the front?
“We are offering three symmetrical tyres, the soft, the medium and the hard. The medium is the one that seems most suitable, because it is the one that worked best during the tests, but also during the weekend last November. Therefore, they will probably use the one both for the Sprint and for the long race”.

And what about the rear?
“We have two solutions: the soft, which is asymmetrical and has a slightly harder right shoulder, and the medium, which is symmetrical. The latter is the one that was used last year in both the Sprint and the race long. The riders had chosen it because it offered good grip, but also had constant performance.”

So in your opinion should we expect similar choices this weekend too?
“We will have to understand whether we can do the Sprint with the soft, but that will be decided at the last moment based on the conditions, because last year and during the tests the degradation was a bit excessive, but we know that in Qatar the The track evolves very quickly and every time we go it's always a bit of a surprise: the amount of sand on the track can vary, then we start working in the heat and end up with lower temperatures, so it's always a unknown and often in Qatar there are surprises that sometimes you can't even explain.”

This year there is also an additional unknown, because last year there was the FIA ​​WEC race which may have changed the conditions after the drivers had said they were very satisfied with the grip found in the tests…
“Unfortunately, I fear that it may have changed them for the worse, especially when there is a race with so many cars, doing so many laps and with so many different types of tyres. It's a condition that could last for the whole weekend, although certainly on Friday it will be the worst day: if the wind has also brought some sand onto the track, I think there will be little grip and also a bit of graining on the front tyre, because this is quite typical of Lusail. Then usually the track evolves over the course of the weekend, but I don't know if we will be able to rediscover the excellent level of grip that there was during the tests. However, the indications we have had from the WEC are positive, because the drivers who used Michelin tires were happy with the grip of the track and the times were good. Some cars were able to do three stints in a row with the same set, completing more than 100 laps, so let's see what happens, because it's a really difficult circuit to anticipate.”

Pressures have been a hot topic in recent months, but over the winter you decided to accommodate the teams by lowering the front minimum value from 1.88 to 1.80 bar. You had already told us that in this way you expect to see no more sanctions or at least to see fewer of them…
“With this lowering we have given it a good margin to prevent the pressure from reaching 2.2-2.3 bar in the event of overheating, so it will be easy to respect the value and offer a good feeling to the riders. But then it must be said that on many circuits you have no interest in lapping with too low a pressure and Qatar is one of these, because you race at night and the temperature is relatively cool, so you have no advantages in doing so. The tracks where the target is the minimum are those like Buriram, Sepang and Mandalika, where you have to deal with hellish temperatures and you have a tendency to heat up the front tire a lot. Like all settings, however, it's always a question of finding a compromise.”

What expectations do you have for this first weekend of 2024?
“We are always very excited when we get to the first race of the season, but the thing that struck me in both the Sepang and Qatar tests was to see that there are so many riders who are really motivated and convinced that they can do well: I think obviously to Bagnaia, who is the world champion, but also to Martin, to Bastianini, who seems to me to have found himself, to Marc Marquez. But I also saw those from Yamaha and Honda eager to start again, so I think there will be a good battle I believe there are at least a dozen riders who can be there fighting for the podium.”