Official MotoGP™ tyre supplier Michelin have been hard at work with manufacturers ahead of the new MotoGP™ season, and new minimum tyre pressures have been agreed as a result.
Like in 2023, the minimum pressures apply only in the Tissot Sprint and the Grand Prix races, and like in 2023, they can also change from track to track depending on the demands of each circuit. Another rule that remains the same is how a rider’s lap is considered compliant - the average pressure of all the readings must reach the minimum established pressure.
The differences in the pressures in 2024 is that the minimums will be adjusted down, and the laps the riders – or more, their bikes – have to comply has also changed slightly. Now, riders have to comply with the minimum pressures for a minimum of 60% of the laps in any race distance over 15 laps. In the Sprint, it’s 30%.
So what happens if a GP race is stopped and re-started? From 7 to 15-lap distance it’s 30%, like the Sprint. If it’s a six-lap dash or shorter, the pressures have to independently (front/rear) comply for at least two consecutive readings. A reading is taken every second.
The only time the tyre pressure rules don’t apply is in flag-to-flag races, and the protocol only applies when both tyres are slick.
The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards have also announced new, set penalties for 2024. For infringements in the Sprint it’s an eight-second time penalty, and for the Grand Prix race it’s 16 seconds.