Rossi puts blame for tyre problems on Ducati

Valentino Rossi has put the blame for the tyre problems suffered by Scott Redding last time out firmly on the shoulders of Ducati, speaking in the press conference for this weekend’s third round of the championship in Argentina.

Adding to paddock speculation that the key factor in Redding’s tyre problems may not have been a fault from Michelin, but instead a consequence of the combination of Redding’s size, his aggressive riding style and the power of the Ducati, Rossi says that the other teams can’t be penalised for their problems.

“During all the tests, and in the race in Qatar and in Argentina, we never had problems. Last week, we were ready to race and make 25 laps, and our feeling on the bike and our data on tyre temperatures didn’t show any problems.

“I hope that the other bikes, in this case the Ducati, can fix the problem, because otherwise the other manufacturers have to also race with a very hard, hard, hard tyre – and I thin that that is not good for the show or not good for the performance. They have to fix the problem.”

Michelin themselves have still to complete their analysis of Redding’s problem tyre, and have said repeatedly that they won’t be drawn to speculate until that process is complete and they have facts.