The Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit, near Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital, kept the more than 90,000 attending fans in suspense. During the three days of the event, intense heat (regularly more than 50°C on the track, and up to 35°C in the air) and humidity levels put the riders and teams through a tough test. But the Grand Prix riders, who are high-level athletes in their own right, ignored this harsh equatorial climate as they tamed this complex 5.543 km circuit, with its 15 turns, 10 of which are right-handers.
At Sepang, the Michelin Motorsport Sport team brought three front options (Soft, Medium and Hard), and two for the rear (Medium and Hard). These were symmetrical at the front and asymmetrical at the rear, with a reinforced right shoulder to respond to the disparity in the number of turns. After the first day of testing the teams had already determined their tyre strategy for the weekend, and thankfully the expected rain fell on the circuit before the start of testing, then again just after the Tissot Sprint. This meant that Michelin’s partners were able to stick to their plans with complete peace of mind, with the support of the Clermont-based manufacturer’s technical teams.
"Like last year, our MICHELIN Power Slick in Medium compound was the number one choice," said Piero Taramasso, Michelin two-wheel competition manager. "Despite a track made difficult by the various bumps, and the partial replacement of the asphalt between turns 7 and 12, the riders were immediately on the pace and were close to the circuit record from the first tests. This fast pace was maintained, with five riders beating the previous all-time circuit lap record during qualifying, which confirmed that the developments of the Grand Prix motorcycles and our tyres complement each other perfectly. During the Sprint race all riders opted for the same tyre strategy, and we saw a very high pace throughout the ten laps. For the Grand Prix, the tyre choice was the same but the management of wear required a different race rhythm. We nevertheless noted, due to the consistent performance of our tyres, that the average speed was high throughout the race. Despite difficult conditions, we demonstrated once again that our tyres offered versatility which allowed the riders to express themselves and put on a show without a change of pace throughout the whole event."
On Saturday afternoon, the Tissot Sprint was won by Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing) ahead of Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).
The following day, the Grand Prix saw victory for Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), who is the seventh different rider to win a Grand Prix this season. He finished ahead of Alex Marquez, with Francesco Bagnaia taking the third step of the podium.
The 19th and penultimate round of the MotoGP World Championship will take place from 17 to 19 November at the Losail circuit (Qatar). There are now just two race weekends left before the end of the season and the naming of the 2023 world champion.
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