The Red Bull Ring is now an old acquaintance of MotoGP, given that it is a track that has been part of the calendar since 2016. This time, however, it will present a slightly different look for the riders of the premier class, because the Austrian plant has responded to the need to guarantee higher safety standards after the many dangerous accidents, but fortunately without serious consequences for the pilots, which we have witnessed in recent years.
As there was no way to test before the race weekend, the new chicane represents an unknown factor for everyone, including Michelin, which supplies the tires to the entire grid. The head of the French company, Piero Taramasso, however, explained to us that in reality the new esse esse may not be the only factor that will affect the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
“The peculiarity of this weekend is that the track has been modified, with the inclusion of a chicane between turn 1 and turn 3. From the simulation data, however, the track is only slightly slower, we are talking about 3-4 seconds per lap, and it should put a bit more pressure on the tire on the left side, leaving everything practically unchanged on the right side. However, we are talking about a difference that is not huge, “Taramasso told Motorsport.com.
So, have you made any changes to the allocation since 2021?
“We stayed on the same type of tire that we wore last year, so three symmetrical front and three asymmetrical rear with the harder compound on the right side. As always in Austria, however, we use the high temperature construction at the rear. we also bring to Thailand, which is necessary with a type of circuit like this, which requires a lot of time on the straight and therefore a risk of the tire overheating “.
Red Bull Ring chicane
Photo by: Uncredited
Do you expect pilots to be able to make different choices than in the past with this new layout?
“Last year the choices were divided between medium and hard at the front, while at the rear the runoff was between soft and medium. We will see this year, however, because the forecasts speak of fairly low temperatures. in addition there is a real risk of rain on all three days “.
Rain is always a big unknown, but probably even more so in Austria …
“We take the standard allocation from wet, even if this is a fairly critical track in case of rain, because there are some violent braking and rather long straights, plus there are many changes in slope that can lead to the formation of rivulets or dips. puddles along the route. When it rains it is a track that usually tends to be uneven, with certain areas wetter than others. It is not easy to manage the tires in these conditions, because they can overheat on the driest parts, losing something in terms of grip when you get to where it’s wetter. Wet weather can be a nice trap in Austria. “
Let’s step back a couple of weeks and take stock of the Silverstone race, which was probably one of the most exciting of this season …
“The race at Silverstone was a good, spectacular race. There were many overtakes and good comebacks. But in general it was a positive weekend, also favored by good weather conditions: it was always dry and the temperatures were stable. . In terms of tires, on the front we had medium and soft which performed well, while at the rear the choice was between medium and hard. Most of the riders opted to race with the medium in front. and the hard behind and, in terms of pure performance, the times have been very good. All records have been beaten: the best pole, the fastest lap in the race and also the duration of the race “.
I have a feeling there is a but …
“The tires were performing and in general quite constant, even if in the race there was a drop on the rear. This was never evident until the Warm-Up. Both the medium and the hard did not suggest a situation like this. like from the data we saw on Friday and Saturday. “
What could have generated this situation in your opinion?
“The track was a bit warmer than the previous days, plus the riders set a very fast pace. I think these are the two most plausible factors.”
Michelin tire
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
One of those who accused him the most is Quartararo, who was among those who mounted the average …
“After the race he said that he didn’t expect such a significant drop in the medium tire. That in hindsight he would have chosen the hard tire, which he hadn’t tried over the weekend. But I agree with him that, based on to the data collected on Friday and Saturday, it was difficult to hypothesize this decline “.
But wasn’t it a mistake not to even try it hard and just focus on the media?
“Now it’s easy to say that it was a mistake, but I had participated in the discussions with Fabio and with Yamaha and the reason why he didn’t try it is that he felt at ease with the media, moreover he hadn’t experienced any drops in test, so he didn’t feel the need to go on a tire that offered more stiffness. Then it must be said that he tried it last year, but he didn’t like it, so already from the 2021 data it didn’t seem like the best solution for them. This is why they decided to focus on working on the average and it is a strategy that seemed right during the weekend. Now it is easy to say that it was a mistake not to try the hard, but I guarantee you that we at Michelin too, who have the data available. of all, we were surprised by what happened in the race. It was really difficult to anticipate this decline. But it is also the beauty of racing, because if everything were predictable there would be less taste “.
Most of the former had the tough one, but there are those who complained about that too …
“The hard one also performed well in terms of performance, but it also guaranteed a little more stability and many riders preferred it for this. Rins complained a little about this solution, saying that he had tried to manage it. even though he was probably a bit too aggressive in the first few laps, which are the ones where the tire is more delicate: he started tenth, but was immediately in front and also did the fastest lap of the race. therefore, it may be understandable. “
In part, can the same be true for Quartararo as he started strong to serve the long lap penalty?
“There it can be. When the tire is new, the first two or three laps are the ones where it is more delicate and you should try to preserve it a little more. If, on the other hand, you attack it immediately, it can ruin and make you suffer from a decline. at the distance “.
Not surprisingly, the race was won by Bagnaia, who was probably one of the most cautious …
“If we look at Pecco’s times, he only did a 1’59” 9, which was the 13th fastest lap of the race. For the rest, he always lapped at 2’00 “and in the end he won because he was the most consistent and he was the one who saved the tires the most in the first laps. He didn’t set stratospheric times, but that’s what he had. more at the end of the race, so he deservedly won “.
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