Michelin brings new MotoGP tyre option despite Sepang resurfacing U-turn
Michelin boss Piero Taramasso explains why MotoGP riders will have an additional rear tyre option at Sepang this weekend.
Michelin will offer a new medium rear tyre option at this weekend's Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, even though the planned resurfacing for which it was designed did not take place.
Last year's event saw all riders race with the soft rear in both the Sprint and Grand Prix. 2025's unpopular medium now becomes this year's 'hard' option, with the new medium added in between.
The new medium features a symmetric construction, unlike the other two rear options, which feature a reinforced right shoulder to cope with the stresses generated by the circuit’s higher number of right-hand corners.
Soft and medium compounds will again be offered for the front slicks, on a circuit where track temperatures can exceed 50 degrees. However, rain is a threat throughout the Sepang weekend.
"We decided to retain the new rear medium"
“Sepang is a circuit we know extremely well because we regularly come here for testing, in addition to the Grand Prix itself. It’s a fast track, but above all, it’s particularly demanding on tyres,” said Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Competition Manager.
“For this year’s event, we originally prepared our tyre allocation with a planned resurfacing of the circuit in mind. However, the work was ultimately not carried out, so we will be racing on the same asphalt as in 2025.
“Nevertheless, we decided to retain the new rear medium specification, which was not originally intended for this surface, to give our partners an additional option.
“It will complement two well-proven solutions: last year’s Soft, which performed extremely well and was used in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, and the 2025 Medium, which becomes our Hard this year.
“We will therefore have three rear tire specifications with different characteristics, allowing riders and teams to fine-tune their choices according to the conditions and their race strategies.
“On such a demanding circuit, this additional flexibility could prove to be a real advantage.”
Although the resurfacing didn't happen, some parts of the Sepang surface were worked on ahead of the recent 'Bahrain' F1 event.
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