F1 News
Pirelli release a statement after Hamilton and Sainz suffer with punctures
- Estéban den Toom
Pirelli is to investigate its tyres following the punctures of Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. Formula 1's tyre suppliers had already expected the left front tyres to degrade the most at the circuit, and this was confirmed during the race. Mario Isola, Pirelli's director of motorsport, reacted to the failures in a recent statement.
Sainz and Hamilton caused the second of three safety cars at the Qatar Grand Prix. Both drivers suddenly suffered a front tyre puncture in quick succession. After the race, Pirelli released a statement on the tyres. Debris from Alex Albon's stricken wing mirror was most likely the cause of their failures. Valtteri Bottas ran over the mirror, which then exploded into many sharp pieces.
Pirelli makes a statement after the Qatar Grand Prix:
“As expected, this was a very busy weekend for us. In today’s race, there were two front left tyre punctures on Sainz’s and Hamilton’s cars. As per procedure, we will now analyse in detail the damaged tyres, as well as a selection of other tyres. Along with the telemetry data we have acquired and onboard footage from the cars, they will be sent to our laboratory in Milan," Isola revealed after the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Lusail International Circuit puts a lot of stress on the tyres, as Isola expected. The high tyre wear and debris was a nightmare combination. "At this track, the left front is the tyre subjected to the greatest load and it’s no coincidence that both punctures were on this tyre. When you reach a certain level, then even the smallest piece of debris can cause a situation like the one we witnessed today."
This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon