MotoGP, Michelin: “Hard on the front and medium on the rear for both races”

The first day of free practice at Termas de Rio Hondo was used by the riders to figure out which tires to use for the sprint race on Saturday and Sunday’s race. They have three options for the front and two for the rear (with the medium being the softest available) in Argentina.

Michelin's Racing Manager, Piero Taramasso, took stock of the situation, starting from the conditions of the circuit.

“It rained a bit in the morning. The track was very dirty and there was also wind,” he explained. “The biggest problem is that this track isn’t used much during the year, and it takes a long time to clean the asphalt. There are dips in some corners, and it’s difficult for them to be constant.”

The ideas seem clearer with the choice of tires.

“They tested all the options, and they worked well, but the trend seems to be to use the hard tire for the front and the medium tire for the rear in the sprint race and in Sunday’s race,” Taramasso said. “The grip is less than it was a year ago, but it looks like the situation could improve.”