Pramac explains Miller, Razgatlioglu MotoGP penalties: “It’s really difficult”

Jack Miller and team-mate Toprak Razgatlioglu were among five riders punished for low tyre pressure after last weekend’s Catalan MotoGP.

Like Joan Mir, Raul Fernandez and Alex Rins, the Pramac Yamaha duo received 16-second post-race penalties.

That more than doubled their deficit to race winner Fabio di Giannantonio, but ultimately only cost them one place each on the revised classification, with Miller 15th and Razgatlioglu 16th.

"Really difficult to get right"

Riders normally need to remain above the minimum tyre pressure for 60% of the laps in a grand prix.

However, with the third restart held over just 12 of the original 24 laps, the threshold drops to 30%, the same as a Sprint race.

Nonetheless, an unusually high number of riders failed to meet the pressure rules.

Six were placed under investigation, with only Pecco Bagnaia cleared due to a leaking wheel rim.

“It's really difficult to get the right pressure after two restarts,” said Pramac team principal Gino Borsoi.

“The race is short, so the riders have less time to bring the tyres up to temperature. Then, if you are alone, it's one story. If you are not alone, it's another story.

“It's really dangerous if you start with pressure too high, to [be sure to] stay inside the rules. But if you are [too low] you get the penalty. So it's not easy for the technicians to find the best pressure for the start of the race.”

An added factor at Catalunya was the low grip surface, which mean it took longer than usual to generate heat and therefore pressure in the tyres.

“This is another reason why a lot of riders got the penalty,” Borsoi said.

Honda’s Joan Mir lost out the most due to the post-race penalties, being demoted from second to 13th place.

Pirelli, taking over from Michelin as MotoGP’s exclusive tyre supplier next season, is yet to confirm how it will define low tyre pressure.