Marquez, Crutchlow back tyre withdrawal call

Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow said withdrawing a fourth Michelin front tyre in Argentina this weekend was the only decision that could be made.

A 2016-style stiffer front was to be offered as a fourth option, but a general strike in Argentina meant the test tyre, which was to be available only with soft compound rubber, did not arrive in time for Friday practice.

Suzuki's Andrea Iannone plus the Honda trio of Marquez, Dani Pedrosa and Crutchlow had joined Yamaha's Valentino Rossi in requesting a return to the older, stiffer carcass combined with the new 2017 tyre profile. However, with little time to test the tyre, it was withdrawn on Saturday, leaving the original three front options.

Crutchlow said: "The situation is that when we arrived here we had three front tyres to use; one didn't arrive until today and we were supposed to have four, but now we have three again. Nothing else to say."

However, the British rider later added: "I think the situation is clear. A lot of riders complained and said it was really soft, the front tyre this year, and also in Qatar. But to bring it in this weekend was not feasible for us as riders and for the organisation, for arriving on Saturday morning.

"I think in the end it was probably the correct decision and with today's weather, when would we ever try it? I don't know if anyone would have tried in the morning warm-up tomorrow and then said 'we race'. In the end I think it's better to bring to another track or something," he added.

"But yes, there were some riders who said the front tyre was feeling soft compared to what we had last year. Hopefully we can test something different for the future."

World champion Marquez said he felt there wasn't enough time to test the front tyre and suggested a proper test was needed later in the season.

"The thing was that the rules say normally this year we will have three front tyres and three rear tyres. We cannot have more, or less, but for some reason Michelin bring this extra tyre in the front. Then we speak a little bit in the Safety Commission and as why we have this tyre and even they didn't know.

"Loris [Capirossi] said he didn't know and they didn't have any information," Marquez said. "Of the 13 riders on Safety Commission nobody of these riders asked for a different tyre, so for that reason I think it is better to try in a proper test, like after Jerez or something like this."

Asked if the decision was made based on safety or from a technical standpoint, Marquez said: "Both. In the end, it's like last year in speaking with the Safety Commission we arrived at the point that we would have three tyres for the front and rear per race. This was the main item and three tyres is enough. We cannot have more tyres because then it will be like a tyre test during the weekend. There was no need for safety or for nothing to use this new tyre with a different character and everybody was agreed yesterday.

"Maybe inside these eight riders [who asked for the older stiffer carcass with the 2017 profile], I can be there, but I complain about the compound of the tyre, not about the profile of the tyre and a different tyre. Looking at the data and what they say to us, this new tyre that they bring here and that they cancelled, can be better for my riding style because it is even stronger.

"If it is a little bit more strong it can be better for the brake points for my style, but the point is the time to change this tyre and in the end we follow the rules. In one hand I want to try because it can be better for my riding style."