Friday’s operating for the Styrian GP was affected by rain within the afternoon session, although most riders felt the grip on provide was surprisingly excessive.
However for numerous years riders have expressed issues over the protection of the Purple Bull Ring in moist situations, significantly at Turns 1 and Turns 3 the place a whole lot of leftover rubber from Formulation 1 vehicles tends to trigger grip points for MotoGP.
The security issues at Turns 1 and three stem largely from the proximity of the boundaries subsequent to the monitor and chance of bikes travelling up circuit into the trail of different riders on the high of the hill at Flip 3.
The latter concern was thrust into the highlight within the dry in final 12 months’s Austrian GP when a horrifying crash between Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli at Flip 2 led to their bikes nearly wiping out Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales as they exited Flip 3.
A catch fence has been put in at Flip 3 to cease a repeat, however Mir continues to be cautious of the hazard of Flip 3 in moist situations throughout a race state of affairs the place riders are bunched collectively.
“It’s harmful, particularly within the first nook,” the Suzuki rider stated of the Purple Bull Ring within the moist.
“That nook is actually slippery, it’s harmful, however Flip 3 is so harmful.
Joan Mir, Workforce Suzuki MotoGP
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“For those who crash – not alone, there’s not an issue alone I believe.
“However in a single group it’s actually harmful that half within the moist.
“I don’t know what we’ve to do, however the reality is that I believe the protection shouldn’t be sufficient now in moist.”
Honda’s Pol Espargaro echoed Mir’s issues, including: “Yeah, this monitor for positive shouldn’t be one of many most secure simply because one of these nook the place it’s so shut – as it’s at nook three – if somebody crashes at excessive pace on the primary a part of the braking which is often the place you’ve got the locking, then the bike can have excessive pace on the bottom, particularly within the moist, and may affect one other man turning within the different facet because it occurred roughly final 12 months with Johann and Franco.
“So, for positive it worries me a bit of, for positive it’s about security and it’s not the very best plan that on Sunday we’re going to have a whole lot of rain.
“However let’s see what occurs, however ultimately I believe at present the grip was fairly excessive, so the locking was not fairly massive even when it could actually occur.”