Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati are looking to respond at the Brazilian Grand Prix after a poor start to the 2026 season in Thailand, but Michelin’s tyre choice could make their life considerably harder.
Ducati’s 88-race podium streak came to an end in Buriram as the Aprilia bikes dominated. Marc Marquez was fighting to extend the run when he suffered a tyre failure, leaving VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio as the lead Desmosedici in P6.
While team manager Davide Tardozzi was ‘dumbfounded’ by Ducati’s performance, some riders believe the reinforced Michelin tyre was the root of their problems.
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Michelin confirm that special high-temperature tyre will be used in Brazil
Michelin had to deploy the harder construction to withstand the extremely hot temperatures at the Chang International Circuit. They also brought it to Indonesia last year, where Marco Bezzecchi took pole and both factory Ducati riders struggled.
Speaking to Motorsport Espana, Michelin director Piero Taramasso confirmed that these measures are also necessary for Brazil. Temperatures in Goiania are forecast to be nudging 30 degrees this weekend.
This is a blow for Marc Marquez and co. as they seek their first victory of the season, but it could give Bezzecchi the platform to extend his early championship lead.
“Exactly, we’re bringing the high-temperature one,” Taramasso said. “It’s the one we bring to Thailand for the soft and medium tyres.
“The hard one will be the one we bring to Austria, which is still reinforced, but changes a bit in the central section. So, they’re all specifications we always use on very demanding circuits.”
Piero Taramasso highlights Ducati’s biggest problem in Aprilia battle
Ducati were impressive during winter testing in Thailand but their performance evaporated when it mattered. A downpour on Thursday may have washed away all the rubber.
Taramasso believes that Ducati’s problems go beyond the tyres. Instead, they struggle when grip levels are low, and that’s precisely when the Aprilia comes alive.
He said: “There was the impression that there was less grip during the test than during the race; in fact, even the Sprint was seven to eight seconds slower than the record. But I can confirm that everyone felt there was less grip and more spinning.
“Temperatures were definitely higher, and there was probably more humidity too. Not to mention that it also rained heavily between the test and the race weekend. Sometimes it really takes very little to change the conditions and therefore the riders’ feeling.
“The trend is that Aprilia seems to be the bike that suffers the least when we go to tracks where there’s little grip. On the other hand, Ducati seems to increase its advantage when there’s a lot of grip.
“But this has been a trend for the last three years, regardless of the chassis, which, however, will need to be verified in the upcoming races as well.”
It’s also worth noting that Marquez was still not 100% fit during the Thailand weekend, so the additional three weeks of healing time before Brazil could be invaluable.
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