Red Bull Ring ‘where front pressure rises the most’, ‘more critical’ for Ducati?

Riders have expressed concern that the higher starting pressures needed to avoid the new risk of post-race time penalties means they will be even more susceptible to rising pressure if stuck in hot air behind other bikes.

When pressure rises too high, tyre grip is reduced.

The best way to avoid such problems is to qualify at the front, make a good start and then stay in ‘fresh’ air.

“Like every GP, it will be crucial to immediately have a good pace from Friday,” said VR46’s Luca Marini.

“Qualifying will be fundamental: Spielberg is perhaps the track where the pressure of the front tyre rises the most and the goal is to stay as far in front as possible.”

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Former factory Ducati rider Jack Miller, now at KTM, feels some bikes are more sensitive to tyre pressure than others.

“For me, I definitely know from the Ducati it [tyre pressure] was more critical. I don't notice it as much on the KTM,” said the Australian.

“It's a fine window because you don't want to have the thing [pressure] too low because it's no good and you don't want to have the thing too high, obviously, because it's no good.

“But in terms of our bike, I know that the Ducati functioned very well on low tyre pressure, whereas ours doesn't.

“As you've seen in the past, the KTM is generally pretty hard on the front tyre or uses the front tyre in a different way than the other bikes.

“So having it so low doesn't really give us the benefit, let's say, of what it did on the other bike, but we'll have to wait and see how much it affects the other bikes.”

Ducati has only lost two races at the Red Bull Ring since the Austrian circuit returned to the calendar in 2016, including the extra ‘Styrian’ races added during the Covid era.

Pramac's Johann Zarco was one rider who felt his Silverstone Grand Prix was clearly comprised by the new tyre-pressure sanctions.