Michelin arrived at Assen with doubts about the new asphalt as they were unable to test it. But it went even better than expected as the track’s great grip enabled all the mixes to work optimally, so much so that manager Piero Taramasso I didn’t expect that many drivers would choose the hard tire.
“Yesterday, during FP4, I said that I was surprised to see so many riders trying the hard rear tire and that I didn’t think they would choose it for the race. The reason is simple. Soft and Medium performed well with no wear issues. The drivers often prefer aggressive decisions so we thought they would use these as a guide“, Piero explained to us.
Instead, many drivers seem to prefer the hard tire.
“Even the tough ones showed it worked well. It works on the bikes that need more stability“, Taramasso continued. “After all, we have been saying since the beginning of the weekend that thanks to the new asphalt, all the tires are working well. You can race with all options. I think we’ll see several opportunities during the race. It’s no surprise that the hard tire can be a good choice for the race. Fifteen drivers chose this mixture for the GP two years ago. We know it works well. “
This is not the first time that a less attractive tire on paper has proven to be the right choice for some drivers
“I was surprised here as I was in Barcelona when Oliveira took the hard front and then won the race. This is all good news for us. The more specific these seem, the better it is for entertainment, because you see different strategies,” he concluded.