Francesco Bagnaia's dramatic drop in pace at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has sparked a debate, with the Ducati rider pointing the finger at Michelin's tyres. However, Michelin's initial analysis suggests the problem may lie elsewhere.
Following a strong start that saw him lead the race early on, Bagnaia's pace inexplicably plummeted after lap five. This allowed teammate Enea Bastianini to snatch second place, and even threatened Bagnaia's podium finish as Marc Marquez closed in.
Adding to the mystery, Bagnaia regained his speed later in the race, setting the fastest lap on lap 16. This inconsistency left the Italian rider frustrated, leading him to blame the official tyre supplier.
"The state of mind is that I'm pissed off," Bagnaia said after the race, where he eventually crashed out on lap 21. "Not with Michelin, they can't help it. But it pisses me off... you take pole, you win the sprint and in the race you improve the start, being first on the first lap, and to see you [being] passed... because you can't push."
While acknowledging Bagnaia's comments, Michelin maintains that the wild swings in pace are unlikely to be tyre-related. Their reasoning is that a defective rear tyre would have resulted in consistent slowness throughout the race, not a mid-race resurgence and a fastest lap.
Michelin's two-wheel motorsport manager, Piero Taramasso, highlighted this point: "Pecco was in front for the first four laps, then he had a drop that we can't explain... We have to understand where this is coming from, whether it's something to do with the track, the bike or the tyres."
Taramasso further emphasized Bagnaia's strong opening laps and fastest lap, suggesting the issue arose after the initial drop. He also acknowledged the ongoing investigation: "We are analysing it, but for the moment we only have his comments and lap times. When Ducati gives us the data as well, we'll try to understand together what caused that drop."
Michelin's new tyres have generally been well-received, with riders consistently breaking lap records. Even at Misano, Bagnaia nearly secured the first sub-90 second lap on his way to pole position. However, this hasn't stopped some riders from voicing occasional concerns about tyre performance.
This incident follows similar complaints from Jorge Martin, who blamed a faulty tyre for his title loss in 2023. With Michelin refuting Bagnaia's claims, the true cause of the Misano pace swing remains to be seen. As the investigation continues, the data from Ducati will be crucial in piecing together the puzzle.
