Revamping MotoGP: Is It Time to Reintroduce Tyre Pressure Warnings to Restore Confidence in Penalty System?

Is it time for MotoGP to reintroduce tyre pressure alerts?

Could implementing an official warning for 'almost' tyre pressure violations help improve trust in MotoGP's penalty framework?

The intricate rules surrounding tyre pressure in MotoGP came under scrutiny once again after three riders were investigated at the conclusion of last Sunday's Indonesian Grand Prix.

Pedro Acosta, who finished 2nd, and Brad Binder, who finished 8th, were ultimately given the all-clear. In contrast, Takaaki Nakagami, who finished 11th, did not meet the requirement of maintaining the minimum pressure for at least 60% of the race laps.

The discussion about whether Acosta's leaking wheel rim justified avoiding a penalty has been thoroughly addressed. However, no rationale was provided for Binder's clearance, although it appears that post-race data from KTM demonstrated his compliance.

Despite this, Nakagami became the 16th rider to be penalized after a race in the 15 rounds (30 races) held this year. Just the day before, Raul Fernandez was the 15th rider to receive such a penalty during the Mandalika Sprint.

Should that average persist, an additional five penalties could occur over the next five rounds, possibly affecting both the race outcomes and the championship standings.

With Mandalika being just the initial 'flyaway' event, some are concerned that the higher unpredictability relative to European events might lead to a notable rise in the rate of penalties due to pressure.

In the lead-up to the final race in Valencia last year, there were 17 incidents of tyre pressure violations across seven international rounds.

Despite there being an official warning for a first-time offense, only one penalty was issued after the race during that period. The absolute nature of the warning acted like a 'joker,' prompting teams to test the boundaries until they faced the possibility of a real time penalty.

After the new real-time pressure monitoring system demonstrated its reliability, the warning for 2024 was lifted.

Penalties given after races have been increased. Last year, they followed a scale of 3, 6, and 9 seconds for each violation after a warning. In 2024, the penalties will be 8 seconds for Sprint races and 16 seconds for grand prix events for each infraction.

Two racers missed out on podium finishes because of insufficient tire pressure: Fabio di Giannantonio at the 2023 Valencia event and Fabio Quartararo during the Jerez Sprint this year.

Acosta faced the risk of being the third to be affected, a situation that would have also impacted the MotoGP championship battle. Francesco Bagnaia would have advanced to second position at Mandalika, narrowing the gap to race victor and championship frontrunner Jorge Martin by four points.

Given that tire pressure impacts both performance and safety, there is a consensus on the necessity of establishing a minimum pressure threshold. The challenge, however, lies in the fact that pressure varies throughout a race and is difficult to anticipate.

For instance, primarily because of an unusual occurrence of nine riders dropping out on Sunday, Nakagami found himself riding in less congested conditions, trailing Raul Fernandez by 6.6 seconds and leading Alex Rins by 6.0 seconds.

The solitary race likely led to decreased tire pressure. To illustrate, Nakagami, who began in 18th position, ended the Saturday Sprint race only 0.399 seconds behind the competitor in front of him.

A comparable situation would arise if a racer, starting from the back of the grid, suddenly takes the lead in the race and, even more surprisingly, begins to widen the gap.

A notification on the dashboard may have warned Nakagami that he was at risk of not completing the required 60% of the official race laps on Sunday.

However, the only way he could find a slipstream to warm up the front tire was to stop and wait for six seconds, which would make the tires even colder and decrease the pressure further.

Many prefer a more straightforward method compared to the existing real-time assessment, which determines the average tire pressure for each lap. A lap meets the 'compliant' criteria if the average pressure is no less than 1.8 bar for the front tires and 1.68 bar for the rear tires.

The increasing availability of real-time data might enable the establishment of a required minimum starting pressure in the future.

However, in the meantime, should MotoGP think about bringing back an official warning for a first-time violation, with the condition that it is only applicable if a rider is nearing the minimum threshold?

To put it differently, ensure the margin is sufficiently large to serve as a buffer for unexpected events, yet small enough to deter any team from intentionally using the warning as a loophole (as seen in 2024).

The specific statistics on how often laps fail due to incorrect tire pressure are not available to the public, which means we can't determine how near each penalized rider was to meeting the legal requirements. However, it is possible that manufacturers could come to an agreement on something similar.

An official warning will be given only if a minimum of 55% of the grand prix laps are completed legally.

It could also be broadened to include unexpected situations such as getting pushed off the course, having an accident and getting back on track, or a major decrease in air or track temperature during a race.

A warning like that might not have been sufficient to assist Nakagami, but it could be calibrated to decrease 'near-miss' infractions and, ideally, minimize the chance of the 2024 championship being determined post-race…

Learn More

Sign up for our MotoGP Newsletter

Receive the newest updates, exclusive content, interviews, and deals from the MotoGP paddock straight to your email.

For further details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Breaking News

Additional Stories

Website Index

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photos, or illustrations, either entirely or in part, in any manner.