MOTOGP: Michelin withdraws tires after failure

Michelin has elected to replace all of the rear MotoGP tires allocated for the Argentinian Grand Prix with a fresh batch of mediums for Sunday's race.

A shredded rear tire on Scott Redding's Pramac Ducati during the weekend's fourth practice session prompted a pair of red flags and an investigation.

The original suggestion was that Michelin would withdraw the medium compound rear tire, forcing riders to race on the hard, but it will now remove both. They will be replaced by a new batch of mediums with a different, stiffer construction.

Riders will be granted an additional, 30-minute warm-up session at Termas de Rio Hondo circuit on Sunday morning to evaluate the new tires, however rain is currently rated as a 70 percent possibility.

After qualifying, the top three riders said they were prepared to wait for Michelin to investigate the issue, and agreed that safety was the priority.

"It looks like Michelin is working, or they will study, which tire is the best one for the race," polesitter Marc Marquez said. "We must understand well which tire is the best one, but of course the first thing is the safety, that is the most important thing."

Valentino Rossi, who qualified second, indicated he would race with the incumbent medium if given the chance, while team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was keen to avoid a repeat of Redding's dramas.

"For sure it's not the easiest situation for the riders," he said. "We all hope Michelin investigates well what is happening and in the future we will not have this problem because it is very risky for the riders."

Originally on Autosport.com