MotoGP announced ahead of the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix weekend that it has tweaked the tire pressure rules first introduced during the 2023 season.
The rules came about after it was found teams had been running the front tires of their bikes with an extremely low pressure, which provides more grip but also puts more stress on it. The component is thus more susceptible to damage, which brings with it the threat of failure.
In a bid to save the riders from potential injury, tire supplier Michelin introduced a minimum front tire pressure of 1.88 bar that each rider’s front tire had to remain above for at least 50% of the sprint and grand prix races.
With it, MotoGP brought in a scaling time penalty system for any riders that dipped below the minimum level, the punishment set to be upgraded to an instant disqualification for 2024. MotoGP organizers Dorna has now scrapped these plans, with riders that transgress now being awarded a 16-second time penalty, which becomes eight seconds in the sprint encounters, should they do so.
Alongside this, Michelin has lowered the minimum tire pressure from 1.88 bar to 1.80, which should make it easier for teams and riders to remain within the correct window without losing front grip. As a result of the larger pressure window, riders will now have to remain above the value for 60% of the grand prix’s and 30% during sprint races.
The tyre pressure rules won’t be enforced during flag-to-flag contests, and will only take into account slick tires. This means that Michelin’s wet tires can be run at whatever tire pressure the riders and teams see fit for the conditions.
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