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2023 MotoGP World Championship
2023 Qatar Grand Prix
Losail International Circuit
Losail, Qatar
Sunday, 19 November 2023
With the tile race looking set to go down to the wire, Aprilia Racing's Aleix Espargaro believes the new tyre pressure rule will ruin MotoGP.
Ducati Lenovo Team's Francesco Bagnaia holds a 14-point lead over Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin in the riders' standings going into the penultimate race of the season at the
Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, November 19.
Martin has already received an official warning for low tyre pressure after his win in the Thailand Grand Prix, while Espargaro was the first rider to be handed a three-second penalty post-race in Buriram.
The Spaniard had a weekend to forget in Sepang after crashing four times during the practice session before also going off the track on race day in the Malaysian Grand Prix to retire on lap 9.
Martin subsequently dropped down to sixth overall as a result of Johann Zarco's P12 and he trails the Prima Pramac Racing rider by two points with two rounds of the season remaining.
The 34-year-old is not a fan of the regulation that was implemented since Silverstone, which stipulates that front tyres must adhere to a specified minimum value.
Alamy Stock Photo
Asked if the riders have to be more conservative, he replied: "Actually yes, for sure. If not, we'll get six seconds [penalty], and the next time 12 seconds. I hate this rule, it will ruin the championship.
"We do this every single weekend to Michelin, to Piero [Taramasso, Michelin's director], to Carlos Ezpeleta, to Carmelo [Ezpeleta, Dorna's CEO] – in every single meeting we just spoke about this.
"There is no chance they will change it. I'm fully confident in Piero, but I race in MotoGP for 15 years and I never seen a problem with the front tyre. I saw the rear tyre exploding, never the front tyre."
2023 Malaysian Grand Prix results:
Winner: Enea Bastianini - Ducati Lenovo Team
Second Place: Alex Marquez - Gresini Racing
Third Place: Francesco Bagnaia - Ducati Lenovo Team
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