Leading MotoGP riders against tyre pressure rule change after Maverick Vinales penalty
Maverick Vinales lost a podium in Qatar due to tyre pressure rule
Leading MotoGP riders don’t feel a change of rules regarding tyre pressures is needed following Maverick Vinales having his Qatar Grand Prix podium stripped for breaking this.
Tech3 KTM rider Vinales stunned when he came from sixth on the grid to lead the Qatar GP on a package that has looked uncompetitive all year to that point.
He ultimately took the chequered flag in second but was dropped to 14th after falling foul of MotoGP’s tyre pressure rules.
Current regulations state that a rider must be within the 1.8 bar pressure minimum for the front tyre for 60% of a grand prix, with failure to do so resulting in a 16-second time penalty.
Because Vinales had started on row two and was expected to fight in a pack of riders, KTM didn’t set his tyre pressure to account for him running in free air at the lead of the grand prix.
The rule has been heavily criticised since it was introduced last year, with Michelin pushing for the regulation on safety grounds.
Reflecting on it ahead of this weekend’s Spanish GP, Marc Marquez says the rule must remain but perhaps Michelin could reduce the distance threshold from 60%.
“For me, the thing is the question of safety, as Michelin say,” he said.
“The only thing that we can work on is maybe trying to understand - if it’s safe - if we can reduce the percentage of the laps.
“I mean, less laps in that tyre pressure because when Vinales led the race and it dropped and then it never recovered again.
“So, the only thing I see is reduce the percentage but always Michelin needs to accept because it’s a matter of safety.”
At the Thai GP, Marc Marquez dropped behind Alex Marquez to boost his tyre pressure to avoid a similar penalty.
Others were less sympathetic towards Vinales, with Pecco Bagnaia noting: “Rules are rules and you need to stay over this limit that Michelin put for safety.
“It’s true that years ago we were racing with the same tyre but with a lower pressure.
“But I think the limit we had in Qatar was very low. So, I think that in this situation the limit can stay there without penalising our performance and we can continue like this.”
Alex Marquez added: “Maybe you can adjust that [distance threshold] a little bit, but it’s the rule for everybody and it’s there. The competition is also these details.”
