MotoGP Austria: Red Bull Ring ‘where front tyre pressure rises the most’, ‘more critical’ for Ducati?

The cool Silverstone weather and flowing track meant MotoGP riders got through the British weekend without major handling issues under the stricter tyre-pressure monitoring system, but this weekend’s Red Bull Ring round could be more critical.
Luca Marini, MotoGP race, British MotoGP, 6 August
Luca Marini, MotoGP race, British MotoGP, 6 August

Riders have expressed concern that the higher starting pressures nee🦋ded to avoid the new risk of post-race time penalties means they will be even more susceptible to rising pressure if stuck in h🔥ot air behind other bikes.

When pressure rises too high, tyre grip ꧙is red♊uced.

The best way to avoid such pꦐroblems is to qualify at the front, make a good start and then stay in ‘fresh’ air.

“Like every GP, it will be crucial to immediately have a good pace from Friday,” said VR46’s Luca Marin♓i.

“Qualifying will be fundamental: Spielberg is perhaps the track where the pressure of the front tyre rises the most and the goal is to stay as far in front💫 as possible.”

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Former factory Ducati rider Jack Miller, n🦹owꦿ at KTM, feels some bikes are more sensitive to tyre pressure than others.

“For me, I definitely know from the 🐬Ducati it [tyre pressure] was more critical. I don't♔ notice it as much on the KTM,” said the Australian.

“It's a fine windo🐼w because you don't want to have the thing [pressure] too low because it's no good and you don'tꦦ want to have the thing too high, obviously, because it's no good.

“But in termsꦐ of our bike, I know that the Ducati functioned very well on low tyre pressure, whereas ours d🌸oesn't.

“As you've seen in the past, the KTM is gene💫rally pretty hard on the front tyre or uses the front tyre in a difཧferent way than the other bikes.

“So having it so low doesn't really give us the benefit, let's say, of what it did 🤪on the other bike, but we'll have to wait and see how much it affects the other bikes.”

Ducati h🐻as only lost two races at the Red Bull Ring since the Austrian circuit returned to the calendar in 2016, including the extra ‘Styrian’ races added during the Covid era.

Pramac's Johann Zarco was one rider who felt his Silverstone Grand Prix was clearly comprཧised by the new tyre-pressure♔ sanctions.

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