Piero Taramasso Highlights Tyre Stress at Jerez MotoGP 2026

MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Piero Taramasso of Michelin has underlined that the Circuito de Jerez will place continuous stress on tyres throughout the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix 2026, making tyre management a central technical factor for teams and riders.

Located in Andalusia, southern Spain, the 4.423-kilometre circuit features a demanding and technical layout with 13 corners—five left-handers and eight right-handers—combined with two relatively short straights, the longest measuring just over 600 metres. This configuration creates a flowing yet physically demanding track, requiring sustained stability under repeated braking and direction changes.

As one of the most historic venues on the MotoGP calendar, hosting races continuously since 1987, Jerez is also a key development venue for both teams and tyre supplier Michelin. Its frequent use for private and official testing has generated a deep pool of data, enabling precise tyre selection tailored to the circuit’s specific demands.

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For the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, Michelin will supply its Power Slick range with two symmetric compounds (Soft and Medium) for the front and two asymmetric compounds (Soft and Medium) for the rear. The rear tyres feature a reinforced right-hand side to cope with the higher lateral loads experienced on that side of the circuit.

“Both the teams and we are very happy to return to Jerez for the first European race of the calendar. This event promises to be particularly revealing of everyone’s true level,” Taramasso stated.

“The circuit is well known to the teams, who regularly organise tests there with our support. The data we collect each year allows us to select a tyre package precisely calibrated to our partners’ needs.”

Taramasso emphasised that while Jerez is not especially aggressive in terms of tyre wear and does not generate extreme top speeds, its layout subjects tyres to uninterrupted stress with no meaningful recovery phase, both at the front and rear.

“The track isn’t particularly demanding in terms of wear, and top speeds are moderate, but it subjects our tyres to continuous stress without a true recovery phase.”

“Based on our experience, we have decided to keep the same compounds as in 2025, but we are removing the hard front tyre, which was not used in the previous edition.”

In addition to slick tyres for dry conditions, Michelin will also provide its Power Rain range for wet weather scenarios. This includes symmetric Soft and Medium compounds for the front and asymmetric Soft and Medium compounds for the rear, again with a harder right-hand side to maintain structural stability under load.

This tyre strategy reflects Michelin’s approach to balancing performance and durability on a circuit that places sustained demands on tyre construction. With continuous load cycles and limited cooling phases, managing temperature, degradation, and grip consistency will be decisive factors across race distance.

The Spanish Grand Prix is therefore expected to serve as a key benchmark in evaluating overall package performance, particularly in the interaction between chassis setup, electronics, and tyre behaviour. Under Jerez’s unique conditions, Michelin’s tyre allocation will play a critical role in shaping race strategies and competitive outcomes as the European phase of the 2026 MotoGP season begins.