Francesco Bagnaia has expressed that the enhanced grip provided by Michelin’s updated rear tyre may be a factor in the increase of crashes among MotoGP riders in 2024.
The championship leader, Bagnaia, experienced another fall while leading during Saturday’s sprint for the British Grand Prix, losing control of his factory Ducati as he entered Turn 4 (The Loop) while running fourth after five laps.
This incident prematurely ended the half-distance race for the Italian, diminishing his lead over Pramac competitor Jorge Martin to just one point ahead of Sunday’s grand prix at Silverstone.
Many unforced accidents have been notable in MotoGP this season, with Bagnaia’s title rival Martin also facing three significant crashes in the early part of the year, including a fall in Germany when he was in the lead.
While Bagnaia commended the new rear tyre from Michelin for its superior grip, resulting in several long-standing lap records being broken at different circuits, he also raised concerns that the increased speeds could lead to a higher incidence of crashes.
“To start with, the new rear tyres are fantastic, but they are causing us to crash more often since the rear is pushing significantly on the front [of the bike],” he noted.
“Today, the top three finished with an eight-second gap to the fourth place. Currently, the speed that certain riders are achieving is astonishing.
“I believe we’ve never seen anything like it; it’s incredibly impressive, and I love it.
“However, the risk of crashing is always present.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Bagnaia admitted that it was his own mistake that caused his exit from the race, acknowledging he was carrying too much speed into the left-hander after recording the fastest lap on the prior lap.
“I made a mistake, honestly,” he confessed. “Throughout the weekend, I have been very quick in corner four.
“On this lap, I just pushed the line a bit too far, getting too close to the apex earlier than intended. I entered too soon and lost the front.”
He continued: “I had a superb start, but the rear-height device failed to engage, so I went through the first two corners with the bike in a lower position, finding myself in fourth place. Then, I struggled with rear grip for the first lap and a half.
“After that, everything was perfect again; I made up the gap and was incredibly fast, but then I crashed at corner four.”
“So [it was] my mistake; I’ve already apologized to my team because they, as always, have done a great job.”
The choice of tyres is crucial for riders navigating the lengthy and winding Silverstone circuit, which puts significant strain on the Michelin products.
Bagnaia opted for the conservative medium option, like most of the field, but he felt this would be a compromise regardless of his tyre selection.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“We don’t possess the right front tyre, as the temperature isn’t suitable for racing with the hard tyre,” he noted.
“The medium tyre feels unusual, and the soft one is worn out after just two laps [leaving us with limited options].
“I believe the medium was the right choice, but at that moment I was exiting corner three too quickly, and as I entered corner four, I was traveling 3 km/h faster.
“That’s seemingly a minimal difference, but it meant I lost grip closer to the apex.”
