Pirelli investigates punctures

In the absence of fireworks, the Silverstone grand prix ended in a concert of bursting balloons, or rather tires. In three rounds, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz et Lewis Hamilton experienced a puncture. The first two had to go through the pits to finish the race, the last one finished on three wheels.

The spectacular epilogue leads to many questions about these sudden punctures. Pirelli is therefore launching an investigation to “analyze at 360 degrees” the tires of the British grand prix, according to Mario Island, the boss of the branch F1 from Pirelli.

He points two possible causes. “It could be high wear, because inevitably tires with 38 laps or more on this circuit are very tired. »

 The drivers actually put on these tires very soon after the intervention of the safety car, but the wear is more general. “If we look at the tire of Grosjean during the first stint he was completely dead. Others ended up with a wear level close to 100%. »

Debris could also be a factor. “There were pieces of Kimi’s (Raikkonen) front end on the track, as well as other debris. This is why we want to inspect not only the tires with a puncture but all those used in the last laps of the race, to understand if we find other cuts or other indication of what happened. »

The two factors combined can explain punctures. “On a completely degraded tire, the tread protection is less. So if there's debris, a little piece of carbon on the track, it's easier to damage the tire because you don't have rubber on the tire protecting the cord. »

Pirelli will analyze the tires largely in its laboratory within the circuit, because the Italian manufacturer is short of time. From Friday, the drivers will be back on the Silverstone track normally with softer tires. Pirelli tires continue to make headlines.