"I don’t think it’s safer" – Bagnaia concerned by tyre pressure punishments
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From Silverstone, post-race time penalties will be given to any riders that fail to reach the minimum tyre pressures specified by Michelin for at least half of a race distance. A warning will be given for the first infringement.The new real-time monitoring system has been introduced to prevent the risk of tyre failures due to sustained running below the specified minimum pressure.“Our tyre is designed to work at the minimum pressure given [1.88 bar front, 1.7 bar rear]. You cannot go lower because the risk is that you break the construction, the carcass,” Michelin MotoGP boss Piero Taramasso previously explained to .“If [the tyre] deflects or moves too much the risk is that you break the tyre. So it’s not the heat, it’s a mechanical failure. So you have to respect this minimum pressure.”Official: “Great asset” Alex Rins signs with Yamaha for MotoGP 2024MotoGP 2024 rider line-up: The contract situation so farOfficial: Franco Morbidelli to leave Yamaha MotoGP teamWho has impressed/disappointed in MotoGP this season?Video of Who has impressed/disappointed in MotoGP this season?But riders such as Bagnaia remain concerned that being forced to run a higher starting pressure (to avoid the risk of a penalty) means it’ll be easier to have an accident if temperature/pressure then rises while following another bike.“The tyre pressure will be a big change,” Bagnaia, who currently holds a 35-point title lead, said on Thursday. “If you’re over the [upper-pressure range] it’s easy to . If you don’t want to , you have to go slow. And if you are below [the minimum], you are penalised [now].Related ‘Free agent’ Morbidelli: No seat for next season, Rins ‘a great rider’ Lecuona: 2024? “Honda will choose for me”“It is difficult… It’s something you can’t control from the box, only from the bike. If you are leading, then your pressure is low [in fresh air]. If you are behind [another rider], your pressure is high and it’s impossible to overtake.“Above 2.0 [bar] it starts to become difficult to stop the bike, to close the lines. If you want to go fast you have to risk, and you , or you go slow. If you are slow, like my race in Jerez, I let two laps go to let the pressure go down.“It won’t be easy. In the Safety Commission, we spoke about our point of view but the decision was to stick with this rule.“It’s something for safety [but] I don’t think it’s safer because we’ve never had problems with [low] tyre pressure. For the rear, yes, but the front tyre? 1.9 is the best pressure possible – lower, the bike moves, higher, the bike moves.“So, for me, it’s not safer. But they have decided… We have to understand our riding style when the tyre pressure starts to grow.”Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, currently Bagnaia’s nearest title rival, said: “The [tyre pressure] window is not so big, so it is risky.””It is difficult to control [the pressure]. Going high with pressure is dangerous,” said VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi, third in the standings.
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