Michelin will bring its reinforced MotoGP tyre casing to this weekend’s Indonesian Grand Prix at the Mandalika International Street Circuit, though how it will impact Ducati remains unclear. The intense temperatures, abrasive surface, and fast layout of the Mandalika track force Michelin to bring a heat-resistant tyre to the Indonesian race weekend purely for safety reasons, mirroring allocations typically seen at the Thai, Brazilian, and Austrian Grands Prix, alongside a stiffer option available last weekend in Japan.
Although the tyre is strictly aimed at enhancing safety under high thermal stress, it tends to offer slightly less grip than the standard specification and alters the machine's overall feedback for several manufacturers. Most notably, it is a tyre Ducati has had a notoriously difficult time mastering over the past year. While the factory machines won comfortably on this casing in Thailand and Austria last year, the factory GP25s struggled significantly at Mandalika, where other competitors capitalized on the unique tyre behavior.
This season, the stiffer tyre casing has worked remarkably well for Aprilia, while Ducati has faced a steeper uphill battle. However, multi-world champion Marc Marquez managed to come close to the podium in Thailand and maintained strong race pace in Austria, before ultimately winning on the stiffer hard tyre at Motegi last weekend. Dilansir dari Crash.net, the unique asphalt conditions and tyre pairings played a crucial role in that recent success.
Explaining the technical factors behind this, Gresini’s Alex Marquez told reporters including Crash on Thursday at Mandalika: "I think the new asphalt helped us a lot. And it’s true that the rubber was quite soft in Motegi, so that also helped with that casing. But here the casing is different compared to Motegi. But here this one is like more edge grip, compared to the one we had in Austria, and the grip level in this track always quite high. So, it can be different."
With the casing brought to Mandalika remaining identical to the one used in Thailand, and Michelin confirming the compounds are the exact same, Ducati theoretically faces a rigorous test given last year's struggles, with Davide Tardozzi having already noted in Japan that Indonesia would prove demanding. Remaining pragmatic ahead of track action, Marc Marquez stated in the pre-event press conference: "As I said in Motegi, I will try to attack every single circuit. This is the target; I will try to do my best. The most important thing is that I feel a bit better, we set up the bike in a different way. So, let’s see. Obviously, it’s a circuit that suits Aprilia riders and Aprilia bike a bit better, and we will try to be close to them."
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