Michelin withdraw ALL rear tyre options for race

Michelin have taken the unprecedented step of withdrawing BOTH rear tyre options for tomorrow’s race, instead electing to use only their back-up option not previously offered to the field.

The news comes in the wake of Scott Redding’s tyre explosively delaminating during this afternoon’s FP4 session, and will see the French firm roll out a medium-compound tyre with a stiffer construction to replace both the previous medium and hard options, which share a construction.

Riders will also be offered an extra thirty minute session in the morning to get used to the new tyre, but with no time spent on it so far, it presents a whole new challenge for the field.

Complicating matters is tomorrow’s weather forecast, with rain forecast for all day. That may mean that the new tyre is unnecessary anyway, if riders are able to use wets all day – but could complicate matters even further if conditions mean a wet session in the morning and a dry race.

Michelin have offered no comment on the cause of the problem as of yet, saying that the tyre will need to be analysed at their Clermont Ferrard headquarters before they know the source of the issue.