F1 News
Pirelli boss after tyre issues in Qatar: "We need to understand"
During the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, a number of punctures happened when teams pushed the tyres to the limit. After a 33 lap stint, Valtteri Bottas' front-left medium tyre went flat. Lando Norris and the two Williams drivers also had flat front-left tyres. The Pirelli boss Mario Isola reacts this.
Extra dimension
For a long time, it was looking like a straightforward race. But the puncture caused headaches for most drivers on the grid. The two leaders pitted early and therefore avoided any long-stint, but podium finisher Fernando Alonso managed to get to the end on a one-stop.
With the Losail International Circuit being new to Formula 1, Pirelli were unsure about the tyres. Little to no data was around. Isola now reflects on the weekend after the incidents.
"[It was] the front left because of the stress on the front left but I don't want to say that this was caused by excessive energy. All I can share with you is that all the tyres were quite warn and close to 100%," Isola explained to Sky Sports.
"We saw cuts on the tyres but we need to understand if that's before the loss of pressure or after the loss of pressure but we are waiting for telemetry data from the teams. If the pressure was sudden or not. A few teams wanted the one stopper because they didn't want to waste that time in the pits but that is why we predicted a two stopper because of the wear on the front left. We have seen a lot of damages on the kerbs with floors and wings. When tyres are worn they can loose pressure."