Michelin has defended Aprilia’s superiority in the first races of the season, highlighting that their success is based on the intrinsic qualities of the bike and not on the choice of tires. The Noale team has started the season with three victories and one win in the sprint race, placing them at the top of the standings ahead of the European debut in Jerez.
Some, including Ducati rider Marc Márquez, had speculated that the RS-GP was benefiting from stiffer carcasses introduced by Michelin to adapt to extreme heat conditions. However, this theory was debunked when Marco Bezzecchi, an Aprilia rider, dominated the race in Austin using standard Michelin tires.
The upcoming events in Jerez and Le Mans promise to offer a clearer view of the competition, but Michelin assures that their reinforced tire constructions do not provide any performance advantage to any of the manufacturers. Piero Taramasso from Michelin commented that indeed “Aprilia really has something extra in terms of bike.”
While Aprilia has made significant progress with their RS-GP, Ducati has stagnated, widening the performance gap between the two Italian brands. Additionally, Ducati has faced difficulties in maximizing the performance of Michelin tires, with champion Francesco Bagnaia experiencing significant tire wear in the United States race.
Taramasso admitted that Ducati riders have had to adapt to this excessive tire wear, but he is confident that the team will be able to recover in Spain. He added that the break before Jerez could help Márquez recover and potentially allow Ducati to find technical solutions that improve their performance.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
