The Michelin Factor in MotoGP: the stiffer soft takes Silverstone by storm

For its final year as the sole supplier in MotoGP, Michelin had announced there would be no changes compared to 2025 in terms of tire compounds and profiles.

Inevitably: investments for one last season of commitment in the premier prototype class would have made little sense. However, over the Silverstone weekend, the Bibendum company introduced a “soft” rear specification that is stiffer than last season’s, set to be a clear factor for the weekend.

This is not exactly the famed “reinforced carcass” specs seen at Buriram (testing and race weekend) and Goiania, and coming soon to Spielberg and some extra-European rounds. Instead, it’s an asymmetric soft-compound rear that is stiffer, effectively closer to the medium, which is the other option available for the weekend. The decision to introduce the aforementioned stiffened “S” was made well in advance and, per Michelin practice, produced a month and a half ahead of the race weekend.

Last year, Silverstone effectively fell in a different season, with temperatures staying below 30°. For this weekend, track temperatures are expected to be 20° higher, making, according to Michelin, the construction of this stiffer soft necessary. It has already proved a factor in the early sessions: Bezzecchi trimmed the record by 9 tenths, Aprilias (already particularly comfortable at this track) looked decidedly like the bikes to beat, with the aforementioned compound that could even come back into play for the full-length race.

This rear soft is already a factor, while up front the triple-compound range (soft, medium, hard) has proven particularly spot-on. Michelin also made a shrewd last-minute decision to offer one extra hard-compound tire, increasing the allocation from 3 to 4 for the weekend. As seen in practice, the H will be hugely popular, especially for certain bikes...