P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Wins in Thailand and Brazil for Aprilia were initially thought to have been aided by tyre specification
Michelin always questioned the belief that Aprilia’s success in Thailand and Brazil MotoGP races was due to the different tyre construction they used. The stiffer tyre construction was brought by Michelin to Buriram and Goiania races in 2026 due to the extreme heat and fast track layout. Aprilia’s dominance continued in both races, with Marco Bezzecchi winning in Thailand and a team 1-2 with Jorge Martin in Brazil. The RS-GP’s performance with the stiffer tyre was noted as the reason for Aprilia’s superiority in these races. In the United States Grand Prix, Ducati was expected to excel with the standard casing, but it was Aprilia who finished 1-2 with Bezzecchi leading ahead of Martin at COTA. Despite initial theories, Aprilia’s strong performance in Austin disproved the idea that their success was solely due to the stiffer tyre casing. Michelin confirmed that the stiffer tyre was not the sole reason for Aprilia’s advantage, as they have been using it for years, highlighting that Aprilia has an additional edge in terms of bike performance.
