Michelin withdraws rear tyres from Argentina Grand Prix

Michelin has been forced to withdraw both of its rear tyre compounds used at the Argentina Grand Prix following concerns over their safety.

Pramac Ducati rider Scott Redding's rear tyre delaminated at turn six during FP4, causing the session to be stopped twice on Saturday.

Following a meeting between team bosses after qualifying, it was determined both the medium and hard rears would be withdrawn, and an extra "special" tyre introduced instead.

"Redding's tyre – a medium compound with seven laps on it – is still being examined by Michelin's technicians to determine the cause of the fault," a MotoGP statement read.

"Until this can be determined, Michelin has decided to withdraw both rear tyres on safety grounds, and introduce the extra "special" rear compound brought for such an occasion. Each rider will have four of these rear tyres for Sunday.

"The reason both current tyres must be withdrawn is because they are both of the same construction, meaning that there is a possibility of a similar failure on the harder tyre.

"Michelin's new rear tyre to be introduced from Sunday is of a harder construction, and will cope better with the hard strains and temperatures put through it – albeit at the expense of lap times."

To help riders acclimatise to the new rubber, an extra 30-minute practice session will take place in the morning of the race.

Honda's Marc Marquez will start the Rio Hondo Grand Prix from pole position, followed by the Yamaha duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.