Following the recent natural disaster in the Valencia region, Dorna Sports chose the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to host the grand finale of the 2024 season. With two riders still in contention for the world title, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), the fans' attention was at its peak throughout the weekend.
While the choice to race in Barcelona seemed intuitive, November's weather conditions and the low-grip asymmetric track layout posed challenges.
To meet these demanding conditions, Michelin expanded its tyre offer by bringing more tyres than usual to Barcelona. Building on the success of the May specifications, Michelin introduced a new range tailored to the colder temperature.
- Rear tyres: An even softer option was added, resulting in a redefinition of the options. May's Medium became the Hard, Soft became Medium, and a new Soft tyre was included in the allocation.
- Front tyres: May's Hard specification was removed as it was too hard, and replaced with two new asymmetric tyres to complement the symmetrical Soft and Medium options.
"Michelin has done a great job in offering a wide variety of tyres," said Francesco Bagnaia at Thursday's press conference. "The adjustments made in May will allow us to fully concentrate on evaluating the tyres for the Tissot Sprint and the race."
During the test sessions, the riders explored the full range of MICHELIN Power Slicks to refine their choices. This preparation led to a variety of strategies in the Tissot Sprint, with last-minute decisions and surprises, such as Bagnaia choosing the asymmetric Hard front tyre, while Martin opted for the Medium.
The Tissot Sprint was ultimately won by Francesco Bagnaia, followed by his teammate Enea Bastianini, while Jorge Martin finished third, maintaining a comfortable 19-point lead in the overall standings.
The Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona 2024 lived up to expectations on Sunday, drawing an enthusiastic crowd under bright sunshine. The race started at 14:00 in ideal conditions with 20°C air temperature and 25°C on the track. Francesco Bagnaia, who started from pole position, immediately took control of the race from the first corner. He was followed closely by Marc Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) all the way to the finish line, and took his 11th victory of the season. Jorge Martín completed the podium in third place, taking the 2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship title in the process.
Piero Taramasso, Michelin Two-Wheel Racing Manager, said: "With the exceptional allocation provided in Barcelona we have allowed the riders to have a wider choice, including the options of symmetrical and asymmetric tyres. More than half of the tyres we brought were from new production, and our factories in Cataroux (front tyres) and Gravanches (rear tyres) worked tirelessly to manufacture the necessary quantity of tyres, while guaranteeing impeccable quality."
"This last Grand Prix was highly anticipated and the performance of our tyres lived up to the expectations of the riders, and also to the expectations of the spectators who made the trip to support the two title contenders. Michelin was a major player in this spectacle and we are very proud of it. Congratulations to Jorge Martin for his world title and to Ducati for its triple crown."
"In 2024, with our new range of tyres and innovative rubber compounds, the riders pushed the limits and broke many records, sometimes with gaps of up to one second. This is an exceptional result that exceeded our expectations."
"Finally, I would like to thank our engineers and technicians for their commitment and the work they put in. With the official tests starting on Tuesday, we are already starting work in anticipation of the 2025 season with ambitions to build on these fantastic results!"
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