Pirelli delivers its conclusions on the punctures in Baku
On Tuesday evening, the Italian firm unveiled the findings of its investigation conducted with the FIA into the tire issues encountered in Baku. New checks will be introduced at the French Grand Prix to limit this problem in the future.
Ten days after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Pirelli drew conclusions after the incidents that occurred on the cars of Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen. Both drivers had suffered a failure of their left rear tire on the fastest part of the track, leading to two major accidents and their retirement.
Initially, Pirelli had hypothesized that the tires of the two drivers could have been damaged by debris on the track, without confirming this theory. In a statement, the Milan-based manufacturer announced that the failures were not due to poor quality of its tires. The Italian brand also stated that the issues encountered could have been caused by improper use of the tires.
Pirelli, in collaboration with the FIA, has completed the analysis of the rear left tires involved in the incidents that affected Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Pirelli said on Tuesday evening.
« This analysis also concerned the tires used by other cars during the race that had the same number of laps or more compared to the damaged ones. The process established that there were no production or quality defects on any of the tires, nor any signs of fatigue or delamination. The causes of the left rear failures on the Aston Martin and Red Bull cars were clearly identified. In each case, it was a circumferential rupture on the inner sidewall, which may be related to the tire’s running conditions, although the prescribed starting parameters (minimum pressure and maximum temperature of the heating blankets) were respected. »
New measures taken
As we explained to you yesterday, tire pressure control is done at the start, but it is not necessarily checked during the race. In order to avoid a new episode like the one in Baku, the FIA will introduce new checks starting this weekend (French Grand Prix).
In order to verify the correct tire pressure, they will be analyzed right after the pit stops. During free practice sessions and qualifying, random checks will be carried out, while in the race, all tires will be inspected. To prevent any cheating by teams, the tires will be sealed.
The FIA also announced that cold pressure control procedures have been implemented, and that these must correspond with Pirelli’s recommendations. The Federation emphasized that if a team uses under-inflated tires after rolling, the violation will be reported to the stewards.
Infrared cameras will also be set up to ensure that the teams do not overheat the tires to pass the pre-race checks.
