Miguel Oliveira dominated last year’s Portimao race from pole position on one of the two hard front tires that Michelin brought with them for their first visit to MotoGP at the Algarve International Circuit.
However, this tire was removed from the allocation for 2021, which according to Michelin was decided unanimously by the drivers last year.
Oliveira disagrees and says that the harder tires currently available are “too soft” for the KTM.
“At the moment, so as not to have the H [hard] in front the S-tires [as it is designated]It’s a big handicap for us, ”said Oliveira after the eighth practice session on Friday.
“It was a very good tire for us, it’s true, we and sometimes Aprilia were the only ones using this type of tire, and sometimes Honda too.
“At this point we are also the only ones who use the harder available compound in both the first and second races, which we think is too soft.
“That is a major handicap, we still cannot understand the decision to take the S tire out of the allocation.
“Michelin disagrees a little, they say it was the opinion of the drivers. But the fact is that we no longer have this tire.
“It was a tire that worked perfectly with a 30-degree track [temperature].
“We come to a track where we can easily reach 30 degrees at this time of the year, and we also have this tire in Qatar, where we race at night [when it’s colder]and we don’t have it [the old hard] Here.
“So it is a contradiction that we have this assignment.
“But we are here to compete. Everyone has the same tires available, sure the tires fit some motorcycles more than others.
“So it’s up to us to find something to do a thrifty job and drive better.”
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Teammate Brad Binder similarly criticized Michelin’s current front connections, describing last year’s removal of the hard front as a “major disadvantage”.
“Yeah, it’s pretty clear to me that it’s definitely a big disadvantage for us because the hardest front tire we have here is way too weak,” added Binder.
“It’s like chewing gum when you brake at the front end of the curve.
“Because of that, it’s really difficult, but it’s what we have and we have to play with the environment a little and try to make it a lot better.”