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

Riders must stay🌸 above a lower fr💯ont 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 problem of rising front tyre pressure when closely following other bikes in aꩵ race s📖eems to have been reduced.

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

However, alongside the lowerin𒈔g of the minimum from 1.88 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 ‘fol🦄lowing’ on the front tyre, while riders are more aware of how to manage the front pressure.

"In this track normally the races are quite boring but this one ꦍwas very nice, a lot of fights. Very spectacul🌳ar," Michelin's Piero Taramasso enthused.

“I would not call it a problem, I will call it a game you have to play,” Aprilia's COTA winner Maverick꧟𒊎 Vinales said of controlling tyre pressure during a race. 

“Obviously [in the Sprint] I had more potential [by leadi🔯ng every lap] because the pressuꦚre and temperature keeps the same through all the race.

“[In the Grand Prix] it went up and down. It depends if you follow or not. But it’s a game we all play and we all know. You can do some things. You can go out of the slip༒stream. You can brake out of the racinꩵg line.

“You ꦯhave all weekend to understand in case 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 MotoG𝓰P was being sucked into the draft of another bike under braking - but it was also a factor in the smaller classes.

“For me it was quite new this rule about the tyres and the penalties and these things♋ for the factory. They didn’t have much time,” Acosta said.

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

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

Ducati's Third-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 newꦏ solution, the new spec. It’s not bad. It worked very🦂 well.

“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 slipstre🐼am and it’s better if you do this.”

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

When real-time pressure penalties were introduce🅘d at Silverstone last year, it took three rounds for the first breach to occur🥂, by Vinales, in Catalunya. 

However, by the 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 ༒and riders) for a first offence 'inflated' those figures and only four rid💖ers went on to receive a time penalty for a second offence. 

The warning has been removed for 2024.