After years of development, Michelin’s new 2025-spec front MotoGP tyre has finally broken cover, with the entire grid’s use of it mandatory during Monday’s post-race test at Misano.
And based on first feedback from riders, reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia’s rivals should be very worried indeed going into next season.
The tyre is primarily designed to alleviate the issues that have plagued the championship with front tyre pressure in recent months, a problem which has led to a number of people being demoted in the results for running illegally low pressures as teams try to anticipate how much the internal pressure will fluctuate during races.
That is, in large part, because of the proliferation of new aerodynamics and ride height devices since Michelin last substantially upgraded its front tyre.
Creating a tyre that can cope with the changed nature of MotoGP bikes hasn’t been a speedy process - in part due to teams’ opposition to dedicating their valuable testing time to working on the new design.
However, with the new rubber now nearing completion and with Misano representing the last official test of 2024 until the post-season Valencia outing, it was made mandatory that the whole grid tried it in Italy this week, albeit for only a single exit from pitlane.
And while the initial feedback was somewhat mixed from most of the field, Bagnaia was instead positively gushing about the new spec, delcaring that it perfectly suits his riding style by giving far more stability under braking at the price of a little bit of front end feeling and confidence as they tip into the corner.
“I love it!” he replied when asked about the tyre by The Race, “and it’s something that I really needed.
“I’m a rider who uses the brakes a lot to enter the corner, and with this tyre this was super good.
“It’s more difficult to change direction, more heavy, but I like a lot the grip and the way you can push with the tyre.
“Behind someone with the new tyre, we’ll feel the problem with the front pressure less, and this is a good step.
“As soon as I started, it felt strange, but as soon as I understood it I loved it.
“I was braking like a devil. My problem with the tyre we have right now is that I can’t brake like I want. The front is collapsing. With the new tyre, I have much more margin.
“I chose two corners to take the risk, where if I crashed I wouldn’t have an issue, and in those two corners I forced the bike to have a moment, to lock up, and I didn't have it.
“It’s incredible. The biggest step I’ve tried in the last years.”
That’s in stark contrast to the feelings of many of his rivals, who were much more cautious about how different the new tyre is - and less sure that the adoption process to it will be as seamless as Bagnaia seems to believe.
Leading that chorus was his 2025 works Ducati team-mate Marc Marquez, who, like others, confirmed much of Bagnaia’s initial feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the tyre but wasn’t as delighted about them.
“This one is a big change,” he explained, “and a bit strange. In the beginning, in the first laps it was super-strange, but then you get confidence and the stability is super-good but they still need to work on the agility.
“The bike becomes heavier, another time, because with the aero we’re always becoming heavier and heavier. Especially in the change of direction, it’s more difficult but it’s better in the braking stability.”
