MotoGP ditch disqualification in tyre pressure rule-change

MotoGP have confirmed that breaching tyre pressure rules this season will result in a much harsher post-race time penalty, but not disqualification.

A Thursday evening story on MotoGP.com, ahead of the 2024 season-opening Qatar MotoGP revealed: "The FIM MotoGP Stewards have also announced new, set [tyre pressure] penalties for 2024. For infringements in the Sprint it’s an eight-second time penalty, and for the Grand Prix race it’s 16 seconds."

During last season's introduction of a real-time tyre pressure monitoring system, a warning was given for a first pressure offence followed by escalating post-race time penalties of 3sec, 6sec and 9sec.

Crash.net previously exclusively reported that bigger time penalties were under consideration for 2024, rather than reverting to the standard punishment of disqualification, in an interview with MotoGP’s director of technology, Corrado Cecchinelli.

Michelin reduce mandatory minimum front tyre pressure

Michelin has officially reduced the mandatory minimum front tyre pressure from 1.88 to 1.80 bar for the 2024 MotoGP season.

As reported in our interview with Cecchinelli, the move has been made in response to rider concerns over front locking and other grip issues due to rising temperature and pressure when closely following other bikes in a race.

“If you go over 2.1 bar, you have zero grip, zero brake performance and then it’s very dangerous,” KTM test and wild-card Dani Pedrosa explained last season.

While tyre pressure will still rise in such circumstances, by starting at a lower value, the peak pressure reached will also be lower, mitigating the problems.

However, the significance of the change remains to be seen, with some riders having hoped for a 1.7 or even 1.6 bar minimum.

To compensate for the lower pressure, riders are now expected to meet the minimum for at least 60% of the grand prix race laps, rather than the 50% last season. 30% is still required for a Sprint.

Although the previous warning for a first pressure infringement was set to disappear in 2024, there had been no confirmation of the revised time penalties up until Thursday's last-minute announcement.

It therefore looked as though the normal technical infringement penalty of disqualification might be enforced. 

That will not now happen but the size of the time penalties could still have a dramatic impact on the results, especially if there is an unexpected temperature drop on the grid or during a race.

Fabio di Giannantonio paid the highest price for failing to meet the minimum pressures last season, losing a podium at the Valencia finale. Aleix Espargaro, Luca Marini and Franco Morbidelli also received post-race penalties for a second offence.

The minimum (dry) rear tyre pressure, which was not a concern for riders, remains at 1.68 bar this season.