Redding hits out at Michelin following tyre issues

Ducati rider Scott Redding, who finished last of the 19 riders at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, said finished last of the 19 riders on Sunday, revealed he had severe degradation issues with his Michelin tyres and said he feared for his safety.

Scott Redding finished last of the 19 riders at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.

Pramac Ducati rider Scott Redding feared for his safety after being plagued by tyre issues at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. 

Redding finished last of the 19 riders on Sunday, a whole minute, 5.557 seconds slower than race-winner and MotoGP championship leader Valentino Rossi. 

The Brit revealed he had severe degradation issues with his Michelin tyres, admitting he feared for his safety having suffered a terrifying tyre failure in the fourth free practice session (FP4) in Argentina a fortnight ago.

"The tyre was falling apart – and I probably shouldn't say it, but that's the truth," Redding said. "It just cost me another race. The problem was I felt something wasn't right, and I didn't want to keep pushing and the same happened what happened in Argentina.

"When it's happened to you once and you have the feeling it could happen again, it tells you something's not right. We just checked the tyre and it had started to delaminate, chunks have come out.

"We need to fix something or they need to fix something for the moment. It just didn't work from the word go and it just got worse and worse.

"I couldn't stop, I hit into [Loris] Baz down the back straight, I just couldn't stop the bike. It was a s**t race."

Redding said he cannot see a resolution on the horizon, with Michelin claiming his six-foot height is to blame. "Their excuse last week was that I was too heavy, I was too big," he added. "Why are they gonna change the tyre for one rider, you know?

"Obviously safety comes into it, all Ducati's have struggled this week with it – I don't really know where or what they're gonna do."