It is probably not time to hit the panic button, but Michelin sponsored MotoGP teams have to be concerned. After Bridgestone took the top six places in yesterday’s Turkish GP, Michelin commented that it was down to “bad luck” and not tires inferior to arch rival Bridgestone. Unfortunately for Michelin, testing today at the same track resulted in the top nine times being recorded by Bridgestone teams, with Nicky Hayden (Honda) again being the quickest Michelin rider with the tenth quickest time!
Valentino Rossi was twelth quickest in testing today.
Certainly, tire companies can have advantages at specific tracks, but the Bridgestone advantage in Turkey was (and remains) monumental. Will Michelin rebound quickly enough to be competitive in China in two weeks time? Not if Bridgestone has made a performance breakthrough, and this advantage is more than “track specific”. Only time will tell.
