Malaysia, Qatar, Spain… Over the past three weeks, the MotoGP World Championship has moved closer to its epilogue with three consecutive races in Asia, the Middle East and finally in Europe. It was a thrilling end to the season, as the title of World Champion was decided in the last race, after a marathon of 20 Tissot Sprints and 20 Grands Prix. This is the second time since the founding of MotoGP in 2002 that the title has been decided at the last race two seasons in a row.
It is important to emphasise that the last two Grands Prix took place on new asphalt. A tricky situation for the riders as well as for Michelin, because apart from the information on the layout, all the data concerning grip levels and the behaviour of the motorcycles according to the track temperature were complete unknowns. However, Michelin knew how to select the most suitable tyres to give the riders full confidence during this leap into the unknown.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate Francesco Bagnaia for his second World Championship title, the 34th title for a Michelin rider in MotoGP," said Piero Taramasso, Michelin two-wheel competition manager. "As for this 2023 championship, it is true that we have had to face many changes, and we are delighted to see that it has been a great success. For the first time, we have combined regulatory developments such as the reduction in the number of rear tyres and the rule on the minimum air pressure to be observed, along with the discovery of new circuits and new developments. There was also the introduction of the Tissot Sprint, which offers great additional exposure to the discipline, but which constitutes an additional commitment for the teams and a logistical challenge for us. The Grand Prix in India, which was completely new, brought its share of exoticism, just as the renewal of the asphalt on certain circuits posed new challenges. Despite all these developments, due to the progress made on the motorcycles and the tyres that we provided to our partners, 36 new records were set throughout the season. Whether it was the race lap time, the all-time circuit lap record or the duration of the Grand Prix, the times have often been improved, and sometimes by a significant margin. I will remember from this very intense season that Michelin was able to meet the expectations of its partners with well-chosen tyres – we have always brought tyres that provided consistent performance and allowed all riders to fight on equal terms, from the start line to the finish line. This is very satisfying for us, at the end of a very hard-fought season."
In Valencia, the Tissot Sprint on Saturday afternoon was won by Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).
The next day, the Grand Prix saw the victory of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). Johan Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Brad Binder (KTM Factoring Racing) finished second and third after Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) was penalised.
In the general classification, behind 2023 World Champion Francesco Bagnaia, we find Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) in second and third places respectively.
Among the teams, Prima Pramac Racing took the crown, ahead of Ducati Lenovo Team and Mooney VR46 Racing Team. The three Michelin partners all ran Ducati Desmosedici motorcycles.
This means that the 2023 world champion manufacturer is Ducati, followed by KTM and Aprilia, who were both very competitive throughout the season.
The 2024 MotoGP season will resume on Tuesday 28 November at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, for the first day of testing. Three days of testing will follow at the beginning of February in Sepang (Malaysia), then two days in Qatar (Losail International Circuit) at the end of that month. The first Grand Prix weekend will take place again in Qatar, from 8-10 March, and Michelin will once again be the exclusive tyre supplier to all teams in the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
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