Overview
- Saturday’s half-distance Sprint at Twin Ring Motegi showed severe rear-tyre problems, with TV images of Francesco Bagnaia’s rear delaminating and Jorge Martin and others suffering heavy late-race drop off.
- Jack Miller, one of only two riders who ran the medium in the Sprint, reported pronounced blistering and said he expects the reinforced hard rear to be required for the Grand Prix.
- According to paddock reporting, Michelin has withdrawn the softest rear from the race allocation and strongly recommended the hard construction while stopping short of making the hard compulsory for every rider.
- Teams are preparing operational changes if the hard is used, including requests for a longer warm-up to sample the tyre, engine and traction-map adjustments, and contingency race plans such as mid-race pit stops or a shorter distance.
- Motegi’s full resurfacing and Michelin’s stiffer 2026 constructions are central to the problem, and the hard rear mirrors a reinforced casing used at the Red Bull Ring that suits some bikes but may advantage certain manufacturers over others.