The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya low grip and long high-speed turns

· A new development soft. For the second of the five races on Iberian soil included in the MotoGP World Championship calendar, Pirelli will provide Moto2™ riders with a new rear development tyre, the F0298 soft specification. This has been engineered with the aim of improving stability and delivering greater performance consistency over race distance compared to the standard version, which will also be available in Barcelona to allow for direct comparison. At the front end, riders will once again be able to rely on the standard SC1 soft and SC2 medium compounds.

· A highly technical and demanding circuit. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is one of the most technical, complete, and demanding tracks on the calendar, featuring a very long straight, corners of varying types, highly abrasive asphalt with relatively low grip, and long high-speed turns.

· No changes in Moto3™. There are no updates regarding the allocation for the lightweight class, where Moto3™ riders will continue to use the well-established SC1 soft and SC2 medium combinations on both axles. Last year, Ángel Piqueras won the race using a double SC2 medium setup, ahead of José Antonio Rueda and Taiyo Furusato, who opted for SC2 at the front and SC1 soft at the rear.

A battle between soft rears in Moto2™

“For this weekend’s round at Montmeló, Moto2™ riders will have a new development option for the rear in addition to the standard SC0 soft tyre: the F0298 soft. On a circuit that is particularly demanding on tyres, this new specification should provide greater stability and improved consistency of performance over race distance. This addition forms part of Pirelli’s intensive and ongoing development work aimed at delivering increasingly high-performing and versatile solutions.
Due to its layout and the combination of corners with different radii — many of them taken at high speed — the Catalan circuit represents a significant testing ground in the search for the best bike setup and in terms of tyre management capability. Temperatures can have a major impact on asphalt grip: heat tends to reduce grip, while cooler conditions, although increasing the track’s natural grip, can also lead to higher tyre wear. It will therefore be particularly interesting to assess the behaviour of the two rear solutions for Moto2™ and determine which one will be preferred by the riders”.