MotoGP insider’s worrying Pirelli 2027 claim after Indonesia tyre pressure fallout

Ex-MotoGP crew chief Ramon Forcada says Pirelli wanted to get rid of controversial tyre pressure penalties in 2027, but “they’ve been forced” to keep them.

After teams were found to be exploiting a grey area in the regulations over tyre pressures in 2022, MotoGP, on Michelin’s recommendation, implemented a rule to clamp down on this.

Riders must now complete at least 30% of a sprint and 60% of a grand prix with their front tyre pressure above the minimum 1.8-bar limit.

Failure to do so results in eight- and 16-second time penalties, respectively.

Tyre pressure penalties look set to stay

The subject was brought up again last weekend at the Indonesian Grand Prix, after Pedro Acosta was forced on several occasions to drop behind Marc Marquez to try and raise his front tyre pressure.

Jorge Martin also lost a sprint victory the day before due to a similar issue.

Acosta slammed the rule, saying that the riders “looked like donkeys”.

And any hopes that the penalties won’t be in place when Pirelli takes over as sole tyre supplier look to have been dashed, according to former Jorge Lorenzo crew chief Ramon Forcada.

On the Duralavita podcast, Forcada said: “From what I’ve heard, Pirelli wanted to do something completely different.

“I was told by Pirelli there would be a regulation, but there would be no post-race penalties or changes to the results due to the pressures.

“And this process is actually quite easy: you just check them beforehand and then verify them on the grid.

“However, checking on the grid is very complicated, mainly because of the temperature issue. [It’s] like they do with the fuel; the fuel is checked an hour before [the race] and an hour before, the tanks are sealed and that’s it.

“Well, make sure to do the pressures half an hour before the race because the thing is, if you do it right on the grid, it might be an issue.

“[They will keep penalising] because thay are forced to. And besides, I suppose they don’t want to come in like a bull in a china shop either and say I’m coming in here, I’m going to ruin everything for you and I’m going to show you that this is a disaster.”

The current issue was always avoidable

Pirelli currently supplies tyres in WorldSBK and Moto2, though the design for MotoGP will reportedly not be based on either. That said, the DNA will be similar.

In theory, Pirelli will be able to create a front tyre that isn’t as susceptible to heat and load in the same way the current Michelin front is.

Pirelli will be helped by the 850cc bikes having no ride height devices.

But Michelin was planning to introduce a front tyre aimed at avoiding the pressure issues for 2026, before the plan was scrapped.

A tyre was brought to the Misano test in 2024, with the initial aim of it being used from 2025. But the teams only spent half an hour on it, which was not deemed enough to safely introduce the tyre as planned.

So, it was deferred to 2026, before being scrapped altogether as Michelin’s contract with MotoGP was not renewed into 2027.

Had MotoGP done more with the teams to ensure better testing of that tyre at the time, the situation that arose in Indonesia could have been avoided altogether.