Aprilia and KTM are at a loss to explain why they struggled to extract the maximum performance out of Michelin’s new MotoGP rear tyre all year in 2024.
One of the biggest changes in MotoGP this season was the introduction of Michelin’s new grippier rear tyres, which played a major role in riders breaking long-standing lap records at several circuits.
While Ducati was able to exploit the new rubber from the very beginning of the season and get a headstart, its rivals were still scratching their heads when the season concluded in Barcelona earlier this month.
Three-time MotoGP race winner Aleix Espargaro said he regularly sought answers from Aprilia over the course of the year, but the team was puzzled about the RS-GP’s inability to make the new tyres work in 2024.
“I don't understand. It's the same question that I'm asking my engineers and they don't have the answers,” he said in Barcelona.
“We analysed many, many parameters and we worked so hard trying to understand many things. We had luckily the information of the '23 bike on some circuits with Raul [Fernandez] with the new rear tyre.
“[But] there is something that we cannot put together. We do not have traction, we do not have grip. Only Ducati is enjoying it and we are struggling a lot.”
Making the rear tyres work was a key strength for Ducati in a season in which it won 19 of the 20 grands prix. It’s also an area where its GP24 prototype had a distinct advantage over the year-old GP23, with the Borgo Panigale engineers having designed the new Desmosedici around 2024-spec rubber.
While the new tyres lowered the lap times at most circuits, a major side-effect was increased rear chatter, which affected all bikes at some point over the course of the season, including Ducati’s.
Outgoing KTM rider Jack Miller thinks the Italian manufacturer was not only able to eliminate chattering, but also set the bike up in a way to maximise mechanical grip.
Asked why KTM couldn’t make the rear tyre work all season when Ducati was so strong in this area, the Australian replied: “[It]s a million dollar question. Could be about a 40 million dollar question!
“I wouldn't say we haven't worked it out. The others are on a very strong stretch at the moment, but we have been getting closer and closer and at least been able to battle with them in the last few weeks.
“I feel like it's just one of those things where they [Ducati] are able to, with whatever they have got, whether it would be mass damper, whether it would be some of their systems, they are first of all able to eliminate the vibrations [and then] set the bike up where they can really use the rear tyres as the help that you need.”
Ducati had the biggest presence of any manufacturer on the grid in 2024, as it supplied bikes to three satellite teams in addition to its factory squad.
Miller feels having eight bikes was a big factor in Ducati gaining an early understanding of Michelin’s new rear tyres this season.
“Of course, that is also another big factor I think as well," he said. "The amount of data they would have got through Malaysia [test] and onwards. It's a jump start for sure, in terms of boys trying different ways to go about setting up for what was the vibration in the initial stage.
“I think the vibration is affecting everybody differently but it's a lot less than what it was, that's for certain.
“But still like I said we [KTM] are not able to use the performance of the rear tyre which is obviously evident that it is there.”
Additional reporting from Germán Garcia Casanova and Oriol Puigdemont
