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Francesco Bagnaia was the beneficiary of what appears to have been a deliberate tyre pressure breach in the Malaysian MotoGP.
The Ducati Team rider finished third in the Grand Prix race at Sepang, one position ahead of title rival Jorge Martin, and hence extended his championship lead to 14 points.
Now, an explanation for the Spaniard’s relative struggles have become apparent.
Bagnaia, his race-winning team-mate Enea Bastianini, Ducati wildcard Alvaro Bautista, VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini, and LCR Honda’s Iker Lecuona have all been issued an official warning for running a front tyre pressure below the stipulated minimum.
They will be penalised three seconds if they breach again this season, as will Martin given he received an official warning in the previous round, the Thailand Grand Prix.
Minimum pressures for the Michelin rubber are enforced for safety reasons and, while they may vary from circuit to circuit, they must be adhered to for at least 33 percent of a Sprint and 50 percent of a Grand Prix race.
However, how front tyre pressure changes during a race is difficult to predict, with variables including weather and traffic.
It would appear that the Ducati Team opted to run lower starting pressures in order to enhance the performance of Bastianini and Bagnaia, safe in the knowledge that there would be no penalty for a breach at Sepang.
Furthermore, the risk of a tyre pressure blowout is lower in the two rounds which remain given MotoGP will race at night at Qatar’s Lusail and then arrive at Valencia in the Spanish autumn.
Those events take place over the next two weekends.
