MotoGP™: Bagnaia and Michelin set more records at Misano

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) collected his fourth straight win of the 2022 MotoGP^TM World Championship at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini (Round 14), ahead of his 2023 team-mate and fellow-Italian Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing). Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was third. The grip and consistency provided by Michelin’s Power range not only gave the riders confidence but also helped to set new records for the Italian venue.   

Despite being relegated to fifth on the grid due to a penalty from Free Practice 1 after qualifying in second place, Bagnaia got away strongly and emerged in front on the third of the race’s 27 laps. Competing on hard and medium MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear, like practically the entire field, he nonetheless came under pressure for the duration but was able to convert his trust in his tires into a consistently quick pace.

In doing so, he bettered the circuit’s previous fastest race-lap record from 2021 several times, yet crossed the line just 0.034s clear of Bastianini, despite completing the distance 5.1 seconds faster than the former shortest race-duration benchmark, again set last summer.

The result makes Bagnaia the first Ducati rider to have scored four consecutive MotoGPTM wins.

Bastianini put in a solid performance from third on the grid and was especially threatening during the second half of the grand prix when he clocked the afternoon’s best lap (1m31.868s) last time around.

Viñales appeared as a potential challenger but had to settle for third spot, his third podium finish in four races.

Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) rounded out the day’s top five.

Given the high track temperatures, all the riders except Kazuki Watanabe (Joan Mir’s stand-in at Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) opted for hard- and medium-compound MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear, a combination that enabled no fewer than four ridersto improve on last year’s fastest race-lap, aided by the grip and versatility of their tires.

Quartararo continues to top the provisional standings, chased by Bagnaia (+30 points) and Aleix Espargaro (+33).

Misano also hosted the 2022 FIM MotoE World Cup’s last two rounds, the first of which saw Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) secure second place to become the competition’s first champion on Michelin’s new MotoE tire which contains 40 percent sustainable materials (average front/rear). Michelin has effectively succeeded in demonstrating that it is possible to employ a high proportion of sustainable materials to make racing tires that are capable of combining safety, performance and longevity, in keeping with the Group’s plan to achieve an average of 40 percent sustainable materials for all the tires it makes by 2030.

The weekend’s two MotoE winners were Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) and Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresino MotoE).

Next round: Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragón, Motorland Aragon, Spain (September 16-18).