The resurfaced Motegi circuit has changed the tyre equation for the Japanese MotoGP. Michelin will bring three front and three rear options, despite having no test data from the new asphalt. The allocation was shaped through simulations and information from previous events at the Japanese track.

Michelin’s revised choices

At the front, the Soft, Medium and Hard retain last year’s stiffness level and all use symmetrical compounds. The Hard also has a specific reinforced construction, a solution Michelin considers particularly suitable for certain Asian circuits and will offer again at Mandalika.

The bigger change is at the rear, where every option has a higher stiffness level than in 2025. The Soft and Medium use the standard casing, while the Hard carries the reinforced casing previously offered at the Red Bull Ring. That gives Michelin an extra margin against the uncertainty created by the new surface, but it may also revive a problem that Ducati has already faced.

Why Ducati will be watching closely

Ducati has won the last seven races at Motegi, with Pecco Bagnaia taking both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in 2025. On last year’s asphalt, the usual front choice was the Medium, paired with a Soft rear for the Sprint and a Medium rear for the Grand Prix.

The balance could change if the Hard rear proves fastest on the new surface. Ducati struggled for grip with the same tyre at the Red Bull Ring. Marc Marquez finished second behind Jorge Martin in the Austrian Sprint and fifth in the Grand Prix as Ducati’s leading rider. Marquez said Ducati needed to improve its work with the stiffer rear tyre, after struggling in Thailand and again in Austria while remaining competitive.

Relatively cool temperatures are forecast for Motegi, which may reduce the chances of the Hard rear becoming the preferred option. Rain is also possible. Michelin expects teams to learn quickly from Friday onwards and keep track of how the circuit evolves. Mandalika follows immediately, with an even more extreme version of the reinforced construction; last season, every Ducati there struggled apart from the machine of Grand Prix winner Fermin Aldeguer.