Pirelli advances its explanations

The Italian manufacturer has put forward its first conclusions following the explosion of the right rear tire of Nico Rosberg's Mercedes W06 Hybrid during free practice 2.

Published on 22/08/2015 à 11:21

Comment on this article! ⁰

Yesterday at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, during the second free practice session, Nico Rosberg saw the right rear tire of his Mercedes W06 Hybrid explodes approaching the Blanchimont bend.

As the German driver indicated after the session, it was with great luck that this misadventure ended, the car not hitting any wall or protective barrier. Mercedes, just like Pirelli, the sole manufacturer of the F1, had started the investigations at the end of the session.

The Italian firm announced its first conclusions this morning. “We conducted a thorough investigation to find out exactly what happened with Nico's tire, says Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Motorsport. This investigation now excludes structural integrity issues. Based on the information and data available, an external source (undefined) which caused the damage is the putative cause.

Pirelli experienced a series of tire failures in 2013, notably during the British Grand Prix.