Rider: Dani Pedrosa Team: Repsol Honda RC213V Winner: San Marino GP

PEDROSA HAS NEVER had an easy time in MotoGP. Those who suggest his small stature and light weight should make him faster don’t know what they are talking about. Pedrosa weighs 51 kilos and stands five foot three inches tall, so he is too light to effectively load the tyres to generate heat and he’s too small to move around the bike and adjust ballast.

This has been a problem since he came to MotoGP in 2006, but it got worse in 2009 with Bridgestone control tyres, because he couldn’t use tyres tailored to his requirements. Most people thought he would go better with Michelins, but he found it almost impossible to make the tyres work until his crew finally arrived at a better bike setup in August. At Silverstone he battled for second place with Rossi, Marquez and Crutchlow, then he won at Misano, coming through from eighth and passing all the top chaps.

What made the difference at Misano? High track temperature, for a start, plus a special front slick designed to cope with the track’s numerous heavy-braking zones. This tyre didn’t squish so much, so Pedrosa found it easier to steer the bike.

Pedrosa’s 2017 chances Pedrosa will go well if Michelin’s 2017 tyres work for him and if HRC can build him a bike that helps the tyres work better.