OUR VERDICT on the shock delay for MotoGP's new front tyre

Michelin has dropped the bombshell news that its new MotoGP front tyre, designed to alleviate the issues plaguing the championship with tyre pressure penalties, will now not be ready for 2025 and instead will be delayed by at least a season.

The much-anticipated new tyre was first tested in anger by the whole MotoGP grid at this month’s post-race test at Misano, with a number of riders (including reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia) immediately declaring it a significant improvement.

But in the Misano paddock this weekend, Michelin two-wheeled motorsport boss Piero Taramasso said more data is needed before the tyre can be introduced for racing.

He said: "One test isn’t enough to introduce something new. We need to confirm it in different tracks and different conditions.

“It’s very sensitive, the feeling, and riders need more data to be sure that when we introduce it it’ll be a good tyre with good performance for all the riders and manufacturers. Once you introduce it you cannot go back.”

While you'll hear more from Matt, Simon and Val on this on the podcast in the coming days, we thought we'd get their initial reactions to release as an article here on Patreon. So here goes!

VALENTIN KHOROUNZHIY: MotoGP has been quite proud of how much it's been able to cut back testing compared to past eras with little impact on the show - and, rightly so, because testing sucks - but clearly a glaring inefficiency remains here.

It is profoundly weird to hear of Honda and Yamaha renting out circuits for two-three days every month to test out version 2.05532 of New Swingarm That Doesn't Work for a laptime gain measured in Planck time while the series' sole tyre supplier, whose product is absolutely crucial to the racing functioning as intended, feels short-changed on testing mileage.

Even outside of the specific disappointment of the front tyre delay - and it is a meaningful disappointment given the loads on the long-suffering current front tyre will only get heavier next year and the racing will only suffer more - all this can't help but suggest a skewed set of priorities.

SIMON PATTERSON: This is terrible news for MotoGP, because it essentially means that we’re now set for at least one more season of rather boring and processional races.

Permanent concerns around front tyre pressures mean that right now in MotoGP, all overtaking must essentially be performed in the opening few laps - and this was the tyre set to alleviate that issue and get back to closer and more competitive racing.

Instead, the teams (with the support of series bosses Dorna) have chosen short term gain at the expense of the entertainment value of the sport.

They’ve repeatedly rejected the chance to help Michelin gather data because they're adamant that tests are only for testing what they want to try - and the end result is that they’ve harmed the show for another season.

MATT BEER: This obviously isn't great for the quality of racing or ending the irritation of the tyre pressure penalty situation but as Val argues the big element for me here is that MotoGP is seemingly comfortable with letting the technical development of its bikes outstrip what its tyres are capable of.

That's the peril of any non one-make or frozen-spec series having a control tyre supplier. It's either solved by the series/teams giving that control tyre supplier enough resources, time, facilities and money to make sure its tyres can handle what the ever-advancing machines are capable of or...

(...can't quite believe I'm committing to this, but...)

...you let tyres become an area of open competition too.

Yes that's impractical because of the cost rise it would create plus you'd need to find two or more tyre suppliers willing to engage (and spend). But we would not be in this position if we had a tyre war and it was in Michelin/Bridgestone/Pirelli/whoever's interest to be pushing their tyres' performance forward as aggressively as Ducati etc are doing with their bikes.