All the teams are back and raring to go, after a very lively start to the season where many records were broken – whether in top speed at Mugello, the race duration at Sachsenring, or the all-time circuit lap record at the season opener in Portugal. Records that demonstrate the technological advances made by the MotoGP teams during the off-season, and which the Michelin Motorsport team have been able to support with the right tyres at the right time. After eight weekends of racing, three of which took place in just three weeks, the riders and teams, like those of Michelin Motorsport, were able to recharge their batteries before this long series of 12 races which will take them from Europe to Asia, via Australia and the Middle East. Twelve high-intensity weekends where riders can count on the performance of Michelin tyres, with compounds that have been designed to give the optimum performance in all situations.
A former Royal Air Force base, the Silverstone circuit is located south of Birmingham, in central England. It was founded in 1947 by a group of friends who were passionate about racing, before eventually becoming a mecca for motor sports, and hosting its first motorcycle Grand Prix in 1977. At 5.9km it is the longest circuit on the calendar, and also one of the fastest. It has eight left and ten right turns, plus a 770m straight. The layout is not only a challenge for the riders, but also for their machines, and of course the tyres.
In 2022, all records (mostly dating from 2019) were broken. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) set a new all-time circuit lap record of 1m57s767, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) set the race lap record of 1m59s346, and the Grand Prix race duration was lowered to 40min10s260. So what will 2023 bring, with optimized motorcycles, Michelin tyres designed for maximum performance, but with the caveat of the sometimes uncertain weather?
“The Silverstone circuit is a special case,” said Piero Taramasso, Michelin’s two-wheel competition manager. “The level of grip is good – the asphalt was redone in 2019 – but it’s a track that puts a lot of strain on the tyres, especially at the rear. It has sequences of fast turns, a bit like in Assen (Netherlands) but it requires more braking and acceleration, which generates heavy loads. We have of course anticipated these demands when preparing our allocation, with tyres that are adapted to the circuit. For the front, like last year, we will have three options which are all symmetrical: Soft, Medium and Hard. However, the hardest rubber will not be exactly the same as in 2022. This year, we will offer our partners a slightly softer compound, which of course remains in the Hard classification, but which will offer even more versatility. We will be able to respond to more situations and offer a wider choice to the riders according to the track conditions. At the rear there is no change, with asymmetric tyres available in Soft and Medium, with reinforced rubber on the right side to respond to the greater number of turns on this side. In the event of rain, which cannot be ruled out in the UK even in summer, our MICHELIN Power Rain range will be available to handle all racing conditions."
In 2022, when the track temperature was between 30° and 35°C, a window considered conducive to optimum performance, it was Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) who won the Grand Prix, ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team).
It should be noted that from this weekend onwards the race format will change in MotoGP. The first practice session on Friday will no longer count as qualifying. It will last 45 minutes and will now be called Free Practice 1. The second practice session, again on Friday and lasting one hour, will now be called Practice and will be the only one to count towards entry into Q2. The format for Saturday and Sunday remains unchanged, with a free practice session on Saturday morning, the two qualifying sessions Q1 and Q2, the Sprint Race on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Fifth round of the FIM MotoE™ World Championship
For the very first time, Silverstone circuit will welcome the electric motorcycles of the FIM MotoE World Championship, which are all equipped with specially designed Michelin tyres. The ninth and tenth rounds (out of 16) will then make it possible to establish the first benchmarks on this fast and wide circuit (15 m) where the riders can push themselves and their bikes to the limit. The new for this season Ducati bikes have so far demonstrated their performance on all the circuits they have raced at, and the riders have been able to take advantage of the Michelin tyres dedicated to them. Beyond pure performance, these tyres are of particular importance to Michelin, as they incorporate special rubber mixes containing 52% sustainable materials at the rear, and 34% at the front. Michelin considers 'sustainable' materials to be biosourced or recycled elements, with no impact on the environment. Michelin uses MotoE, like all the championships in which it is involved, as a test laboratory for its future technologies. Later, whether for competition tyres or mass production, all motorcyclists will be able to take advantage of these technologies developed in part with the help of MotoE, and benefit from increasingly durable tyres.
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