Pedro Acosta's MotoGP race in Indonesia was heavily compromised by falling front tyre pressure, a problem for which the Spaniard believes there is a "simple" solution for everyone.
MotoGP introduced a change to its technical regulations in August 2023, obliging riders to spend a minimum amount of time during the race above a certain pressure. Currently, the rule mandates riders to maintain the front tyre pressure above 1.80 bar (1.68 at the rear) for 60% of the laps in a grand prix and 30% in a sprint, with penalties of 16 and 8 seconds for non-compliance, respectively.
Michelin, the sole tyre supplier in the premier class, developed a system to monitor tyre pressure during races and allow penalties to be applied to riders who fail to comply with the rule.
Last Sunday, for example, Tech3's Maverick Vinales was penalised 16 seconds for failing to maintain the minimum pressure for the required number of laps. Vinales' penalty ultimately had no effect, as he finished last.
However, the same tyre pressure impacted several frontrunners at Mandalika, including Jorge Martin on Saturday, and Marc Marquez and Acosta on Sunday.
The latter two spent half the race overtaking each other and allowing themselves to be overtaken, so they could ride behind the other and allow the pressure to rise. The result was that they slowed down so much that Ai Ogura caught them in the final laps and beat them to the finish line.
Acosta offers a solution
"The pressure rule is the biggest nonsense in the championship," the KTM rider said on Sunday after having to let Marquez pass him three times despite having more pace than him. "You can't be fighting for the title and have that happen to you.
"You can't predict the future, and deciding what pressure to put in the tyres forces you to do so. If you set it too high, the bike doesn't work, and if you set it too low, you run the risk of being penalised and you have to do these things [let yourself be overtaken]."
For Acosta, there is a solution that could be more practical and would prevent a repeat of such a situation.
"If we all had a standard pressure, and it was the same across the grid, it would be easier. Going very high is even dangerous." In this way, Michelin could establish a pressure range for the front tyre before the start of the race, "and check on the grid that everyone has the same pressure. That can be done in a moment, and then you forget about it and can focus solely on trying to win."
On Saturday, Martin had a similar problem to Acosta. He started fifth on the grid and set his tyre pressure with the idea that he would be riding behind other riders, meaning the pressure would be above the minimum. However, in the first corner, the Aprilia rider found himself in front, with clear air ahead of him. After eight laps, he had no option but to let Marquez through to raise the tyre pressure above the required level.
The warning indicator on the Madrid-born rider's bike display showed that he was outside the regulations until the final lap of the sprint, and when he tried to recover, he not only failed to do so but also lost two positions after running slightly wide under braking. Marquez won and took the lead in the world championship, although the Aprilia rider regained the top spot the following day.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
How Pirelli's debut could change things
One of the reasons MotoGP is not currently concerned about this issue is that Pirelli's arrival in 2027 as sole supplier in place of Michelin will prevent these situations from happening again.
Autosport spoke to Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli's motorcycle racing director, last July, after Honda's Joan Mir lost the podium at the Dutch GP because of the front tyre pressure rule.
Barbier explained that Pirelli would maintain the pressure rule from 2027. "We must have a lot of respect for MotoGP's current supplier [Michelin]. If, after 11 years, it has established a rule together with Dorna because it believes that riding at low pressures can pose a danger, I cannot say that this danger does not exist. Because I do not yet know MotoGP bikes in depth."
However, the Italian executive argues that "with our tyres, we have a fairly wide pressure operating window. The manufacturer can choose. The tyre's behaviour does not change too much from one pressure to another," suggesting that with Pirelli there will be no problems with tyre pressure and no penalties for riders hours after a race has ended: "We cannot continue to see that," he concluded.
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