We will have to wait more than a few months to see the entry into the range of the new front tyre developed by Michelin, tested by the riders during the Monday test at Misano. Despite the positive feedback obtained on the Romagna track, the French company has in fact decided to postpone the introduction of the tyre, originally planned for next season, to 2026, to have the necessary time to best develop the solution.
“It took us some time after the test in Misano to analyse all the results. Not only the comments of the riders but also the telemetry data and in the end we came to the conclusion that the new tyre will not be introduced in 2025,” explained Michelin boss Piero Taramasso during a meeting with journalists this morning in Misano.
“This was the initial plan, but we have to postpone its introduction because one test is not enough to introduce a new tyre to the range,” he continued. “We need to do more tests and confirm it on different tracks and in different conditions, because we need more data to be sure we are introducing a good tyre, which is performing for all riders and all manufacturers, because once it is included in the allocation there is no going back. This is the main reason why we will not introduce it next year. Also, we have just introduced a new front and rear compound of the current 2024 range tyre, which is working well and is breaking records on every track we are racing on and we can get even more performance by continuing to work on it. So, we decided to focus on stability for this and next season, and then introduce the new front tyre the following year, which will support the transition to the new technical regulations, because it will also work with the new bikes.”
The new front tyre is in fact designed to work with both current generations of bikes and those foreseen by the regulation that will come into force in 2027.
“It is a tyre produced with a new material and a new production process, it will have a new design, a new shape and a new profile and it will be 1 kg lighter than the current one, so it is the right solution to support this transition – Taramasso underlined – It is a big evolution, so the riders had some strange sensations at the beginning and some needed a few laps to get used to it. It is a tyre with a different character, but we know it has potential”.
The Michelin manager then explained in more detail the process that will lead to the introduction of the tyre.
“We should do more tests in Valencia and then Sepang. We will bring an updated tyre there, because the test in Misano went well but not all the riders liked the tyre. So, the plan is to make some changes after Valencia and correct the model for Sepang or Thailand, and then provide it in all the official tests and give the teams and riders time to ride it and prepare the set-up of the bikes,” he said. “Dorna is open to the idea of having us do more tests or even dedicated tests and we tried this year, but the teams told us that the calendar was too busy. That’s why we decided to do a mandatory test in Misano and we will probably do the same thing in Valencia and Sepang. This time the window was half an hour, but we could do an hour or more. We will find the best way, but I am confident because in Misano we saw that the base we have is good and all the riders, even those who didn’t like the tyre, gave us the same feedback, so now we know where to intervene.”
Not everyone will be happy about the postponement, but for Michelin it was the right path to follow.
“Bagnaia, Martin and Marini really liked the tyre and I think Pecco and Jorge will be the most frustrated that we won’t introduce it in 2025. When you make these decisions there are always those who are happy and those who aren’t. As I was saying, however, we need to be sure that the tyre works everywhere and for everyone and this takes time,” commented Taramasso, who is convinced that the postponement will not create problems with tyre pressure in 2025: “I don’t think so, because now the engineers know very well how it works and some teams have algorithms to calculate the pressure to start with and some technical solutions, such as aerodynamic components, brake discs and rims, to reduce the variation. This year I have never seen the pressure rise to the levels of last season.”
Michelin is looking to the future, with a view to renewing the contract with Dorna signed until 2026. “It is no secret that our objective is to stay and we are discussing the future with Dorna – concluded Taramasso – I hope to be able to say something about it by the end of the season”.
