adminFORMULA 1 teams contributed to the dramatic blow-outs at the 2013 British Grand Prix by mounting rear tyres the wrong way around and running them with low pressures, reports Pirelli. Rejecting any suggestion that its product was dangerous, F1’s tyre supplier said it would bring stronger rear tyres to the upcoming 2013 race in Germany to allay any safety fears and introduce a new range in Hungary at the end of July.
Pirelli said some teams had deliberately put tyres intended for the right rear of the car on the left, operated tyres with lower than recommended pressures and used extreme cambers for performance advantage.
However, it shouldered some of the blame for these practices. “Mounting the tyres the wrong way round is a practice that was nonetheless underestimated by everybody: above all Pirelli, which did not forbid this.”
Pirelli found the kerbs at fast corners, and specifically turn four of the Silverstone circuit, were also “particularly aggressive”.
Four drivers suffered high-speed rear tyre explosions at Silverstone – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) and Sergio Perez (McLaren).
The debris from the exploding tyres was flung up into the path of cars behind, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso having a near-miss. Fears about the drivers’ safety plunged the sport into crisis with talk of a possible driver boycott.-Wheels24.
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derick.khumalo