Are aero bikes/Michelin tyres the cause of rider inconsistency?

I thought it would be an interesting discussion between races. I have been one of the most vocal on here regarding the consistency of champions, or riders fighting for the championship and am beginning to wonder if comparing them to Marc Marquez's 2019 season (or even 2018) is a little unfair.

My reasoning? No rider is consistent to that level, at all. What made me think this was Marc's poor performance in practice and qualifying in Le Mans. I didn't get to watch practice in detail, but my understanding was he was struggling to find feeling, they went the wrong way on setup and he had a few crashes. Of course, his and he crew chiefs experience meant they turned it around for the races, but he still had the issues at the start of the weekend.

So, am I and others being hard on riders regarding consistency? Is the nature of these aero dependent bikes with the ride height devices and unsuitable Michelin tyres making consistency a harder target than before 2020?

I expect it would be more difficult to find a decent setup at each circuit as there are more variables than previously. Perticularly without the previous years setup to provide some basis.

I think aero and ride height have a compounding negative affect on rider consistency. Both systems are extracting additional performance from the tires, which means the riders are closer to the limit at all times, particularly during corner entry. The riders have often lamented that the limitation on the front tire is from lock up. Presumably, this includes braking while the bike is vertical, which would explain the decline in overtaking.

Aero and ride height also compound rider inconsistency indirectly because they are nascent developments. The teams are still making significant gains, particularly if they have large data sets to analyze. The pace of development and its theoretical nature is also contributing to the incidence of rider nonscores, imo. Gigi seems to think this will continue when the 850s arrive, but hopefully performance will stabilize a bit.

At the beginning of the 1000cc era, the engine performance was similar for all teams, and while electronics were still free, most of the gains were achieved by hiring a great rider and giving him a good feel with the tires. Today it seems like the bike is engineered to a theory and the rider likes it or he doesn’t.

Its ridicules that in prototype racing bikes are hobbled by rubber and the ecu...

The more technology you add to a machine, the more that can go wrong. Sure the aero and ride height play a role, but the riders seem to adjust to that well, and I dont think it is causing a major role in the in consistencies. Tires will always vary from track to track, and due to conditions, and figuring them out is just part of the sport. The one technology that I think contributes the most to inconsistency is the braking systems, they are a bit more complex then most fans realize. They can adjust the amount of engine braking, brake balancing, trail braking stability, some riders will opt for a thumb brake for certain rounds.