MotoGP At the Indonesian Grand Prix, the return to the Michelin reinforced tire carcass raised a new question mark for the Ducati. While the Italian manufacturer has experienced performance issues with this tire structure in the past, Marc Marquez is preparing to compete against Aprilia at Mandalika following his victory in Japan. Michelin will use a more durable and hard-compound tire carcass this weekend due to the high temperatures, abrasive asphalt, and fast corners of the Mandalika circuit. This structure, developed for safety, has a different elasticity compared to standard tires, potentially reducing grip in some motorcycles and altering riding balance, creating significant uncertainty, especially for Ducati.
The Relationship Between Ducati and Michelin
Ducati has experienced different outcomes with the reinforced Michelin tire carcass in the past. The Italian manufacturer secured victories with the same tire structure in Thailand and Austria in the 2025 season, but failed to show expected performance in the factory GP25 motorcycles at Mandalika. In contrast, Fermin Aldeguer delivered a superior performance in Indonesia with the previous generation GP24. In the 2026 season, it was observed that hard-compound tires provided a greater advantage to Aprilia. Although Ducati struggled on some circuits, Marc Marquez approached podium finishes in Thailand and secured a race pace capable of a podium in Austria. The Japanese Grand Prix victory achieved with a hard rear tire at Motegi weakened the notion that Ducati would necessarily face problems with these tires. However, it is stated that the conditions at Mandalika will be different from those in Japan.
The Importance of Track Conditions from Alex Marquez
Alex Marquez, a Ducati rider, believes that the track conditions also play a role in the positive result achieved in Japan.
I think the new asphalt has been quite helpful for us. The tire rubber at Motegi was relatively soft, and this worked in our favor with the hard carcass.
The Spanish rider emphasized that the tire to be used at Mandalika will be different from the one used at Motegi.
The carcass here is different from the one at Motegi. Compared to the tire we used in Austria, it offers more grip when leaning into the corner. Furthermore, the overall grip level on this track is always quite high. Therefore, the result could be different.
The carcass Michelin will bring to Indonesia will be the same as the one used in Thailand. The tire compounds will remain unchanged from the 2025 season options. Therefore, whether Ducati's past problems will be repeated is becoming one of the important technical topics for the weekend.
Anticipation of Aprilia's Advantage
The characteristics of the Mandalika track and Michelin's tire choice increase the expectation that Aprilia may have an advantage against Ducati. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi had expressed that they expected a difficult weekend in Indonesia during the Japanese Grand Prix. In contrast, Marc Marquez stated that the uncertainty regarding the tires will not change the approach to the race.
As I said at Motegi, I will try to compete on every track. That is my goal, and I will do my best.
The Spanish rider also stated that he perceives a different approach to Ducati's motorcycle settings, which makes him feel better.
The most important thing is that I feel a little better and that we have set up the motorcycle differently. Now we will see what the result will be.
Marquez did not hide his expectation that Aprilia would be strong at Mandalika.
This track is slightly more suitable for Aprilia riders and the Aprilia motorcycle. We will try to be as close to them as possible.
In this race, considered a critical weekend for the championship fight, Marc Marquez, who won both the Sprint and Grand Prix in Japan, narrowed the points gap with Jorge Martin to just two. While Aprilia is expected to be strong in Indonesia, how quickly the Ducati's hard Michelin carcass will adapt to the high temperatures and grip conditions will directly affect the outcome of the duel between the two riders. Although the victory at Motegi was a positive sign for Ducati, it is not yet certain that the same performance will be repeated due to the different asphalt structure and tire characteristics at Mandalika. Ducati's real test will be how successfully they can adapt their settings that worked in Japan to the high temperature and grip conditions in Indonesia.
Comments
Alex Marquez:
The conditions at Motegi were helpful to us
Figures
- Marc Marquez is in 2nd place with 353 points in the 2026 MotoGP season (Ducati Team).
- Archive: Marquez goes to learn from Ducati instead of beating them (October 9, 2026)
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
