The first day of the MotoGP Catalan GP on Friday was marked by several crashes, likely exacerbated by the poor grip of the Barcelona circuit’s asphalt.
This poses multiple challenges, not only demanding from a riding and tyre management perspective but also significantly reducing the margin for error.
Francesco Bagnaia, the Ducati rider and 2022 and 2023 champion, insists that urgent changes are needed. He hopes that by 2025, Barcelona will have a new asphalt surface:
– We saw many crashes and it was the first day. So for me the grip level is very low. We are in this situation for years, and I’m really expecting that for the next year they will resurface. Because for me like this is like going on the flat track: turns 3 and 4 is like going on the flat track – you control the slide being on the dirt.