Valentino's “passion” for Michelin isn't new, the Italian multiple world champion losing the 2007 season after his team switched to Michelin tires, which were often criticized for their quality.
The re-adoption of the Bridgestone tires in 2008 coincided with a new title for Valentino Rossi who acknowledged that such a move could get Casey Stoner out of the championship battle. The rumor surprised Valentino, according to MCN, who didn't expect to see his rival adopt the tires abandoned by Yamaha Team after the last season.
“I was very surprised. I say ‘incredible’. It would have been a very strange manoeuvre but also it is true that in the past Ducati changed from Michelin to Bridgestone and it helped to grow up Bridgestone and now those tyres are better. Maybe they thought it was possible to do this another time, but I was very surprised,” Valentino Rossi told the same source mentioned above.
Valentino Rossi currently leads the MotoGP series with 332 points and the title already under his belt. His famous rival, Casey Stoner, who is currently using Bridgestone tires, comes second with 245 points, followed by Dani Pedrosa with 209 points.
What's interesting is that discussions concerning a potential single tire provider rule proposed by FIM may change Ducati's plans, taking into account Michelin's history in other championships.
For instance, in Formula 1, Michelin chose to retire from the championship just after FIA announced the introduction of this rule, which actually meant that the French company had to compete with Bridgestone for the exclusive role of F1 tire provider.
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