Michelin continues work on future MotoGP rear tyre

Last week's Misano test saw Michelin gather more data on a new future MotoGP rear tyre construction.

The revised construction is described as being "a small tuning" to the present design, with the specific aim of improving warm-up performance.

"We have the new rear casing, which we already tested in Qatar and Barcelona. So now we try again here," said Michelin's Piero Taramasso. "It's a special casing that the goal is to improve the warm-up, in the first 3-4 laps, then the performance is equal to the standard [current] specification.

"So far the test results are good, we are in the right direction, but we need to do more tests during the season and then see when it will be possible to introduce."

But the need to ensure all teams and riders are happy with the new tyre means it might not be introduced until the 2023 world championship.

"2022 is a little bit early because we need to do more tests and also we need to get positive answers from all the riders and teams. This is the most difficult point, so we may need a bit more time," Taramasso said.

"But from an [manufacturing] point of view we can do that very quickly and it will help the hard specification to be more easy to warm-up. But it's just a small 'tuning' so it won't change the balance of the bike, it won't change the geometry, the data package will be the same, just the performance in the early laps."

The next test for the tyre will be the final official outing of the year at Jerez in late November.

"Maybe we will try again this tyre [at Jerez] because to better understand [the warm-up] we need to use in cold conditions," Taramasso said. "So if we have cooler conditions in Jerez it will be even better for us."

Michelin recently extended its MotoGP contract until 2026.