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Michelin always doubted early Aprilia MotoGP tyre advantage claims
Wins in Thailand and Brazil for Aprilia were initially thought to have been aided by tyre specification
Michelin says it always doubted claims that Aprilia’s domination at the Thailand and Brazil MotoGP rounds was aided by the alternate tyre construction used.
Due to the extreme heat at Buriram and the fast layout of Goiania, Michelin brought its stiffer tyre construction to those events at the start of the 2026 campaign.
In both, Aprilia dominated the grands prix, with Marco Bezzecchi a runaway winner in Thailand, while doing so again in Brazil ahead of a team 1-2 with Jorge Martin.
The RS-GP’s ability to get the most out of the stiffer tyre was highlighted as a reason for Aprilia’s dominance over the rest in Thailand and Brazil.
The United States Grand Prix saw a return to the standard casing used at most circuits on the calendar, which was expected to bring Ducati back into play.
However, Ducati failed to score a podium, while Bezzecchi led another Aprilia 1-2 ahead of Martin at COTA.
Aprilia ‘has something more’
Aprilia’s Austin performance, which also included a first sprint win of the campaign, disproved early theories about its dominance being linked to the stiffer tyre casing.
But Michelin boss Piero Taramasso insists that he never subscribed to this way of thinking in the first place.
In an interview with the Italian edition of Motorsport, the Michelin MotoGP boss said: “I always thought it wasn’t that [the stiffer tyre], because we’ve been offering the stiffest casing for several seasons now.
“So, everyone knows how to interpret it and how to work on the set-up.
“Even the riders have gotten used to it. Right now, Aprilia really has something more in terms of the bike.”
The stiffer tyre casing is used at Red Bull Ring, Mandalika, Buriram and Goiania to cope with excessive heat demands.
That tyre has led to mixed fortunes for Ducati over the last year.
It has always gone well at Red Bull Ring on the tyre, while the Ducati was dominant at Buriram last season.
However, at Mandalika last year, Ducati’s GP25s struggled on that rubber, though its GP24 was able to dominate in the hands of Fermin Aldeguer.
Ducati was left confused by its pace on that tyre at Buriram this season, as it didn’t encounter the same issues during the test just a week prior.
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Wins in Thailand and Brazil for Aprilia were initially thought to have been aided by tyre specification
Michelin says it always doubted claims that Aprilia’s domination at the Thailand and Brazil MotoGP rounds was aided by the alternate tyre construction used.
Due to the extreme heat at Buriram and the fast layout of Goiania, Michelin brought its stiffer tyre construction to those events at the start of the 2026 campaign.
In both, Aprilia dominated the grands prix, with Marco Bezzecchi a runaway winner in Thailand, while doing so again in Brazil ahead of a team 1-2 with Jorge Martin.
The RS-GP’s ability to get the most out of the stiffer tyre was highlighted as a reason for Aprilia’s dominance over the rest in Thailand and Brazil.
The United States Grand Prix saw a return to the standard casing used at most circuits on the calendar, which was expected to bring Ducati back into play.
However, Ducati failed to score a podium, while Bezzecchi led another Aprilia 1-2 ahead of Martin at COTA.
Aprilia ‘has something more’
Aprilia’s Austin performance, which also included a first sprint win of the campaign, disproved early theories about its dominance being linked to the stiffer tyre casing.
But Michelin boss Piero Taramasso insists that he never subscribed to this way of thinking in the first place.
In an interview with the Italian edition of Motorsport, the Michelin MotoGP boss said: “I always thought it wasn’t that [the stiffer tyre], because we’ve been offering the stiffest casing for several seasons now.
“So, everyone knows how to interpret it and how to work on the set-up.
“Even the riders have gotten used to it. Right now, Aprilia really has something more in terms of the bike.”
The stiffer tyre casing is used at Red Bull Ring, Mandalika, Buriram and Goiania to cope with excessive heat demands.
That tyre has led to mixed fortunes for Ducati over the last year.
It has always gone well at Red Bull Ring on the tyre, while the Ducati was dominant at Buriram last season.
However, at Mandalika last year, Ducati’s GP25s struggled on that rubber, though its GP24 was able to dominate in the hands of Fermin Aldeguer.
Ducati was left confused by its pace on that tyre at Buriram this season, as it didn’t encounter the same issues during the test just a week prior.
Michelin says it always doubted claims that Aprilia’s domination at the Thailand and Brazil MotoGP rounds was aided by the alternate tyre construction used.
Due to the extreme heat at Buriram and the fast layout of Goiania, Michelin brought its stiffer tyre construction to those events at the start of the 2026 campaign.
In both, Aprilia dominated the grands prix, with Marco Bezzecchi a runaway winner in Thailand, while doing so again in Brazil ahead of a team 1-2 with Jorge Martin.
The RS-GP’s ability to get the most out of the stiffer tyre was highlighted as a reason for Aprilia’s dominance over the rest in Thailand and Brazil.
The United States Grand Prix saw a return to the standard casing used at most circuits on the calendar, which was expected to bring Ducati back into play.
However, Ducati failed to score a podium, while Bezzecchi led another Aprilia 1-2 ahead of Martin at COTA.
Aprilia ‘has something more’
Aprilia’s Austin performance, which also included a first sprint win of the campaign, disproved early theories about its dominance being linked to the stiffer tyre casing.
But Michelin boss Piero Taramasso insists that he never subscribed to this way of thinking in the first place.
In an interview with the Italian edition of Motorsport, the Michelin MotoGP boss said: “I always thought it wasn’t that [the stiffer tyre], because we’ve been offering the stiffest casing for several seasons now.
“So, everyone knows how to interpret it and how to work on the set-up.
“Even the riders have gotten used to it. Right now, Aprilia really has something more in terms of the bike.”
The stiffer tyre casing is used at Red Bull Ring, Mandalika, Buriram and Goiania to cope with excessive heat demands.
That tyre has led to mixed fortunes for Ducati over the last year.
It has always gone well at Red Bull Ring on the tyre, while the Ducati was dominant at Buriram last season.
However, at Mandalika last year, Ducati’s GP25s struggled on that rubber, though its GP24 was able to dominate in the hands of Fermin Aldeguer.
Ducati was left confused by its pace on that tyre at Buriram this season, as it didn’t encounter the same issues during the test just a week prior.
[analyse_source url=”http://crash.net/motogp/news/1092885/1/michelin-always-doubted-early-aprilia-motogp-tyre-advantage-claims”]