The 2026 Brembo Grand Prix of Italy, the seventh round of the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship, delivered an exceptional spectacle at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. In front of 178,723 spectators over the course of the weekend, riders enjoyed ideal conditions to push the limits of the sport once again. MICHELIN Power Slick tyres played a key role in this progress, contributing to new speed, circuit lap, and race lap records on one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar.
However, the weekend began under challenging conditions. Overnight rain on Friday left numerous damp patches on the track, significantly limiting the teams’ work during the opening session. In the afternoon, with track temperatures reaching 44°C, conditions gradually improved, allowing riders to assess more accurately the different tyre options available to them.
Throughout the sessions, the MICHELIN Power Slick Medium front tyre quickly established itself as the benchmark thanks to its excellent braking support and consistent cornering grip. At the rear, both the Soft and Medium compounds demonstrated their strengths, providing teams with different strategic options depending on temperatures and the characteristics of their motorcycles.
On Saturday, under bright sunshine and track temperatures peaking at 51°C, performance reached a new level. Jorge Martin first set a new circuit top-speed record with a measured speed of 368.6 km/h. A few hours later, Marco Bezzecchi claimed pole position with a lap of 1m43.920s, improving the previous outright lap record by nearly a quarter of a second.
The Tissot Sprint confirmed the potential of Michelin’s tyre allocation. Most riders competed using the Medium front and Soft rear combination, completing the race approximately three seconds faster than the previous edition. Aprilia riders Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez opted for the Medium rear tyre, demonstrating its competitiveness in particularly hot conditions.
On Sunday, under clear skies and a track temperature of 49°C, the entire MotoGP field chose the MICHELIN Power Slick Medium compound both front and rear to cover the 23 laps of the Grand Prix. This unanimous choice highlighted the teams’ confidence in the tyre’s ability to provide the best balance between stability, performance consistency, and wear management.
The race lived up to expectations. Starting from pole position, Marco Bezzecchi spent much of the race defending against pressure from Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin before regaining the advantage definitively in the final third of the event. Thanks to flawless tyre management, he secured a historic home one-two finish for Aprilia ahead of Jorge Martin. Francesco Bagnaia completed the podium after an intense battle with Ai Ogura.
Michelin’s tyre performance also enabled Francesco Bagnaia to set a new race lap record of 1m45.470s on the third lap, improving his previous benchmark set in 2024 by three-tenths of a second.
“Mugello is always a very special challenge for tyres because it combines virtually every type of demand we encounter in MotoGP,” explained Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Competition Manager. “Between the very long straight, extremely heavy braking zones, fast sequences of corners, and significant elevation changes, we must provide solutions capable of delivering stability, precision, and consistent performance simultaneously.
This year, the weekend began under complex weather conditions. Rain during the previous night significantly limited track activity on Friday morning and reduced the time available for setup work. Despite this, the teams quickly found their bearings, and the data collected confirmed the potential of our tyre allocation.
Throughout the weekend, we observed excellent consistency in tyre behaviour. The MICHELIN Power Slick Medium front tyre proved particularly effective thanks to its braking support and cornering grip. At the rear, both the Soft and Medium versions enabled teams to develop different strategies according to temperatures and the characteristics of each motorcycle.
The records achieved over the weekend perfectly illustrate the quality of the work carried out jointly by Michelin, the manufacturers, the teams, and the riders. When we see a new top-speed record, a new qualifying lap record, and a new race lap record set at a circuit as demanding as Mugello, it demonstrates that the entire championship continues to progress.”
The FIM MotoGP World Championship will continue its European tour next weekend with the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking place from June 5 to 7 at Balaton Park Circuit.
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