There is a very interesting background on the Styrian GP. Piero Taramasso, Michelin’s manager for MotoGP, discovered the real reason that did not allow Andrea Dovizioso to be competitive with the Ducati Desmosedici during the first race at the Red Bull Ring, before the red flag caused by Maverick Vinales.
The rider from Forlì immediately complained about a rear tire that didn’t work, so much so that his Ducati had never been in battle for victory on a track where he had won only the week before. Initially it seemed that the Borgo Panigale team had exaggerated with too low a cold starting pressure.
The investigation concluded by Michelin, on the other hand, led to other very interesting answers: the data of Piero Taramasso, in fact, showed that Dovizioso’s rear tire was 0.1 bar too deflated due to the failure of the electric blanket that should ensure a temperature of 90 degrees before the start.
“I looked at Dovizioso’s data – says the Michelin manager – it is clear that in the first race the rear medium tire, the one he said wasn’t working, had too low pressure. This was a problem caused by the electric blanket not working. There was a technical problem and not an extreme strategic choice on the part of Ducati “.
On Sunday it was 33 degrees on Spielberg’s asphalt, while at least 35 degrees were needed to make the Medium compound work optimally.
“Without the contribution of the electric blanket, Dovizioso’s rear tire never had the minimum pressure to trigger the necessary temperature and the correct functioning of the tire. The tire, therefore, did not have the grip it could have and wore out more. Andrea, however, managed to lap in 1’24 ”4, a time similar to that of Pol Espargaro, despite the problems”.
Dovizioso, who was lapping 8.3 seconds behind race leader Joan Mir, when the red flag was displayed, took advantage of the interruption to change tires and mount two new soft tires, with which he felt more comfortable.
And from this episode, which may have cost Dovizioso the opportunity to fight for success, it emerges how crucial this year is to make the Michelin tires work in the right window of use.
“The tendency of the teams is to start with the least possible pressure – admits Taramasso – in the belief of having a greater footprint and, therefore, more grip. We recommend which are the minimum values, but there are those who after careful attention evaluation also try to stay lower “.
The fact is that the structure of the Michelins is rather hard, so all these advantages are not seen, but on the contrary, negative effects can occur if you are unable to bring the tire to the minimum operating temperature:
“It’s this year’s difficulty. Some teams have understood it and others haven’t. Better to stay 0.05 bar higher and have the tire work in the right range of use than run the risk of not entering the right window” .
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Photo by: Ducati Corse
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Foto di: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Photo by: Ducati Corse
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
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Photo by: Ducati Corse
