Three rounds into the 2024 MotoGP season and, so far, not a single rider has been in breach o🌄f the tyre pressure limits, now enforced by a harsher post-race penalty.

Riders must stay abov🥀e a lower front minimum of 1.8 bar (instead of 1.88) for 60% (instead of 50%) of a Grand Prix distance, or 30% of a Sprint. Failing to meet those minimums results in a 16-second time penalty in a GP, or 8-second penalty for a Sprint/short race.

Not only have all riders been compliant so far this year, but the probl🐲em of rising front tyre pressure when closely following 𝄹other bikes in a race seems to have been reduced.

When real-time tyre pressure monitoring officially began last year, it compounded the rising front pressure iss💞ue, since🐼 teams were obliged to use a higher starting pressure to avoid the risk of a penalty.

However, alongside the lowering of the minimum from 1.8⛦8 to 1.8 bar, Michelin has also introduced new front tyre compounds to better resist rising pressure this season. A ✃new construction is due to follow in 2025.

MotoGP designers also appear to have made progress in addressing the impact of ‘following’ on the front tyre, while rider﷽s are more aware of how to manage the front p🌳ressure.

"In this track normally the races are quite boring but this one was very nice, a lot of fights. Very spectacular," Michelin's P💦iero Taramasso enthused.

“I would not call it a problem, I will call it a game you have to play,” Aprilia's COTA winneꦜr Maverick Vinales said o🐻f controlling tyre pressure during a race. 

“Obviously [in the Sprint] I had more potential [by leading every lap🐬] because the pressure and temperature keeps the same thr♌ough all the race.

“[In the Grand Prix] it went up and down. It depends if you follow or not. Bu🐼t it’s a game we all play and we all know. You can do some things. You can go out of the slipstream. You can brake out of the racin🎉g line.

“You have all weekend to understand in c♒ase the tyre heats up where to [cool it] down. However, as I said, it’s a game you have to play. I think my tyres worked really well this weekend”

Rookie and COTA runner-up Pedro Acosta said his only issue when following in MotoGP was being sucked into the draft of another bike unꦆder braking - but it was also a factor in the smaller classes.

“For me it was quite new this rule abou꧅t the tyres and the penalties and these things for the factory. They didn’t have much time,” Acosta s🐽aid.

“In our case, they [KTM] work a lot. We are able to follow the other bikes and not have ꧂very big proꦦblems, only in the braking. [But] this happened with aero and without aero.

“In any case, I feel that last year was quite new for everyone and now everyone is used to it more and thinking also [about it] when they are building a ne🅺w bike.”

Ducati's Th♏ird-place finisher Enea Bastianini added: “I think today there wasn’t a big problem with the front tyre. Also, we have a new tyre this year with a new solution, the new spec. It’s not bad. It worked very wel♏l.

“When I was in [following other riders in] sixth or seventh place, it has been a little bit difficult. But after, like Maverick said, you can go out of the slipstream and you can brake out of the slip൩stream and it’s better if you do this.”

But it's too early to say if the issue of rising front tyre pressure, contributing to dull racing, or the risk of result-changing post-race pen🐠alties, is a thing of the past.

When real-time pressure penalties were introduced at Silverstone last year, it took ♍three rounds for the first breach to occur, by Vinales, in Catal🐼unya. 

However, by t✅he end of the year, there had been 24 infringements, over 12 rounds.

Officials believe the use of a warning (often referred to as a 'joker' by teams a✃nd riders) for a first offence 'inflated' thos🌼e figures and only four riders went on to receive a time penalty for a second offence. 

The warning has been removed for 2024.