Marc imposed himself in Brno by managing the problem related to the too low pressure of the tires. Here’s what he would risk in terms of sanction and why the regulation became so severe
First the lonely escape, then the abrupt slowdown, letting himself be overcome by the pilot behind him: Marc Marquez surprised everyone during the Brno sprint. The strategy was conditioned by one of the obstacles with which the MotoGP drivers have been comparing himself frequently for two years: the pressure of the Michelin tires. Since 2024, in fact, it is essential to comply with some parameters: minimum limit for front rubber equal to 1.8 bar, while the rear one has been set at 1.7 bar. All the protagonists of the Top Class are called to maintain these values for at least 60% of the laps of the long race and 30% of the sprint. In case of violation, the penalty is automatically triggered: 8 “of penalty in the short race, 16” if the infringement takes place during the classic GP.
ORIGIN
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This rule, introduced at the beginning of last season, was born for safety reasons. In fact, often, presenting a rubber with rather low pressure, greater adherence was obtained. A fundamental aspect in current MotoGPs, in which traveling in the curve and bent corners are great. At the same time, however, too low a value in terms of bars could have created dangerous conditions for the pilots. So the same Michelin, a single supplier since 2016, had suggested the minimum parameters: the teams should have deployed motorbikes with at least 1.9 bar for front tires and 1.7 bar for the rear ones. These numbers had to be maintained for 30% of the distance of a sprint and 50% of the laps in Sunday’s GP. Then pressure sensors were imposed on the wheels. Finally, here is the introduction of a new Rule of the FIM, which was applied for the first time on August 5, 2023, after the sprint race in Great Britain. The pilots would have received a warning after the first infringement, then suffering 3 “of penalty to the second violation. A sanction then doubled to the third transgression.
SOLUTION
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The new regulation is much more attentive to the pressure and therefore the pilots are forced to remain within the correct values. To do this, many resort to a particular solution: while remaining in the wake you can raise the tire bars, thus avoiding to run into a penalty. This is what Marquez did in Brno, temporarily giving in command of the sprint to Pedro Acosta. Ducati’s Spanish had already experienced this strategy on two other occasions. In the GP of Holland 2024 he defended himself, following Fabio Di Giannantonio throughout the race. A plan indirectly ruined by an attack by Enea Bastianini, who had “pushed” him off the track. The parameters, thus, were irregular results again, remedying 16 “of penalty and losing the fourth position. In Thailand, at the debut of the 2025 world championship, however, Marc had been luckier: after letting himself parade by his younger brother Alex and thus managed the irregular pressure, he had placed the decisive attack in the final. Tactic that was still winning in the Czech Republic, as he then explains to Sky Sport:”We have a reference to the dashboard for the pressure of the tires and I saw that we were below. When I noticed the problem, I decided to wait acostic to increase the tire temperature because in the wake of a pilot the pressure rises. When I realized I was in order I went back to push. Yesterday we did not turn on dry and today the new asphalt gave many difficulties to the engineers in the balancing of the bike “.
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