MotoGP: Michelin still waiting on Yamaha and Honda decision

Michelin is still to learn whether Honda and Yamaha’s factory MotoGP teams will continue in 2008 or make a switch to Japanese rivals Bridgestone.

Both factories have held discussions with Bridgestone after a torrid campaign with Michelin that has seen the French manufacturer win only four of the opening 13 races of the season.

Michelin has faced a barrage of criticism from Valentino Rossi and in particular Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, but the Italian recently admitted that a switch to Bridgestone would be difficult.

Tyres are now the single biggest talking point in MotoGP, with further meetings to be held in next weekend’s Estoril MotoGP in Portugal to discuss modifications to the current tyre rules.

Those include an increase in the rider allocation from 31 to 40, and a relaxing of the current testing restrictions.

Michelin boss Jean-Philippe Weber told MCN there are still not contracts signed with Fiat Yamaha or Repsol Honda for the 2008 MotoGP world championship.

“We want to stay with our partners. We have already had a long partnership with them.

“Usually we don’t talk about contracts so early in the season just because we knew we stay with them for another year.

“Today we still think it will be like that and we don’t insist and ask them ‘do you want to stay with us or not?’  But of course we have technical discussions for their needs and how we have to react. And they have to feel confident in us.”

It is rumoured the reason triple world champion Dani Pedrosa is stalling on signing a new Honda factory contract while he piles the pressure on bosses to dump Michelin and switch to Bridgestone.