English
Italiano
Michelin is looking to the future with the intention of increasingly increasing its commitment to sustainability. The efforts have been focused on MotoE for some time and will soon be replicated in MotoGP as well, since starting from 2024 there will be interesting new innovations regarding the premier class of the World Championship.
We talked about this with Matthieu Bonardel, responsible for all track activities for the French manufacturer, who wanted to give us a general overview.
"Michelin's commitment in recent years has been aimed at performance and the search for sustainable materials to protect the environment - he said - our evolutionary process began with MotoE, where with Energica we were able to take important steps forward from the start until today, while next season work will continue with Ducati ”.
What are the indications so far received from the new electric Ducati bike?
“Personally I can say that something will change from a technical and marketing point of view. The Ducati MotoE will be more competitive and faster than the Energica, considering that it will have a much more powerful battery available for the seven laps of the race. Our priority, however, is not to make tyres that allow us to be faster, but to offer a high-performance product ”.
Speaking of sustainable materials, what is Michelin's commitment at the moment?
“First of all, I want to say that MotoE is our benchmark category for the development of sustainable materials. Currently the presence is 30% with the production of one thousand units. I am of the opinion that in the future we could reach and even exceed 40%. Obviously, it is not an easy thing ”.
In cars, however, the situation is different.
"Exactly. Development in four-wheelers is proceeding steadily and in 2025 we will have tyres with 53% recycled materials for the World Endurance Championship following the presentation of the Hypercar at Goodwood. That will be a significant step, considering that in 2050 the goal is to reach 100% tyres with recycled material in the world ".
And MotoGP?
"As I said before, our efforts start from MotoE and Michelin's goal is to speed up the process, without sacrificing performance, which remains our priority. As for MotoGP, I can say that in 2024 the riders will have tyres made from recycled materials. The percentage should be around 40%. Currently I cannot give the precise amount, since we are in fact carrying out analysis and development work. They will be tyres produced using recycled plastic, as well as orange and lemon peel”.
What message does Michelin want to give.
“We want to show that with these materials there will be no impact on performance and that ours will be safe tyres in all types of conditions. But not only that, starting from 2024 we would like to bring fewer tyres to the circuit thus favouring sustainability and the environment ".
How do you think the riders will view this?
“I don't know. We certainly cannot afford the waste as maybe I see happen on some occasions in MotoE. We need to be aware of the evolutionary process we are facing and what our ecosystem is "
