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(Motorsport-Entire.com) – There were pictures that aroused memories from attentive fans: When three cars suffered tire damage in the last three laps in Silverstone (all left front), many fell in Paddock the Pirelli mass extinction of 2013 when six drivers exploded the tires, or the Ferrari -Fiasco of 2017.

Lewis Hamilton

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Pirelli has started investigating Silverstone tire damage zoom Download

2013 Pirelli initially located the cause of the tire damage the groups. These were said to have driven parameters such as air pressure or camber over the restrict, and deliberately incorrectly fitted the rear wheels to compensate for wear. For example, if a tire was used on the left rear in coaching and qualifying, it was sometimes put on the rear right in the race.

Subsequently, Pirelli asked the FIA ​​to allow the groups to use the rules, used to be until then was not allowed. That was allowed. And Pirelli himself reacted by building the carcass from Kevlar instead of steel. Consequences of the race seven years ago, which still exist today.

2017 the Italian manufacturer then made the curbs responsible for the drama of the two Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. Pirelli ‘s investigation showed that everything was fine with the tires themselves. But at the curbs they were cut open.

Two possible causes probably

And 2020? On Sunday evening there were two guesses. First: wreckage. Raikkonen was in the 47. Round brutally plopped over the curb in Copse. Beckett’s front wing then came loose. The “Iceman” distributed a few small parts on the asphalt, and that in the passage where the tires are subjected to the greatest stress.

Second: “Because of the early security car the second stint was very long. Much longer than expected, “Pirelli sports director Mario Isola analyzes. “I do not think that the groups were planning to already 13. Change round tires and then drive through to the end. Our prediction was that they would be roughly in round 18 would come in. “

At the end of the race the tough had with most drivers 39 or 40 Rounds on it. Slash ‘Sky’ expert Heidfeld therefore has doubts about the wreckage theory: “I would be surprised. Because it was the left front tire that we said before the race that this is the one that is used the most . “

Indeed, in the first few hours after the race, there was suspicion that it could have been small parts that gave the already stressed Pirellis free time in the last few laps. “One of our tires had 50 small cuts in it. These were clearly parts”, reports about Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

And Lewis Hamilton adds: “There were many parts lying around. Kimi has lost his wing, I think. And after the security cars go Maggots and Becketts some stuff. I think that was not completely cleaned up, because normally we drive a complete race with this tire without problems. “

One thing is clear:” If a tire does is completely shut down, the protection of the carcass by the tread is of course less, “says Isola. “If there is a part lying around and damaging the tire, the tire is damaged more quickly because there is no protective rubber left.” Intestine possible additionally that a combination of both conjectures was the cause.

“We are now going to 360 – Carry out a degree examination and do not rule out any possible cause from the outset. That would be a big mistake. However, we cannot yet say used to be the cause, “said Isola on Sunday evening . “We don’t have much time.” Because Silverstone 2 is rising in a week. Pirelli has decided to present a result on Tuesday.

Isola: tread “to 100 percent “shut down

“It could have been the wear and tear,” explains Isola. “After 38 or more laps on this route the tires are to 100 percent down. But I don’t tell you that that has to be the reason. It could also have been parts lying around, for example from Kimi’s wing. Or other parts. That is why we will not only look closely at the broken tires, but also the intact ones. “

Valtteri Bottas

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Valtteri Bottas came along a tattered front tire to the box zoom Download

The assumption that a curb could have been the culprit cannot be confirmed today. Andrew Shovlin, the senior racing engineer at Mercedes, says: “Pirelli had [bereits im Training] reported a curb in which any parts were caught. The tire surfaces were cut on.”

But: “I don’t want to speculate about that at the moment,” declined FIA race director Michael Masi. “I honestly don’t think so. We have to wait and see what causes the joint investigation by Pirelli and the FIA. But from the current perspective, I don’t think that’s the reason.”

Before that, some drivers reported that something was unusual on the first weekend of Silverstone. “We saw a lot of cuts in coaching. We normally never see that in Receive,” says Esteban Ocon. “I don’t know if it’s because of the faster cars since I drove here 2018. But something was different. “

” Starting Beckett’s we no longer have a curb, “says the Renault driver. “There used to be someone there. Now you throw up dust more often. Maybe that also damaged the tires.” And: “With all the high-speed curves and the curbs, Silverstone is probably the route where the tires are the hardest hit.”

George Russell nods: “Silverstone is brutal. So fast. Copse we instantly fill every lap. With 280 stuff. I think that today on Tire wear go. And because it was a little cooler than on Friday and because we had the hardest tires, we all thought that we could drive through to the end. It is clear, however, that the tread is getting thinner and thinner. “

Russell: Just lucky?

The Williams driver reports that he may have been lucky himself: “A few laps before the end I had the feeling that there was a puncture. I just wanted to take the car home. But then I thought to myself: ‘Certainly not! There is no longer any tire damage these days.’ In retrospect, I am glad that I still managed the two rounds. “

Depending on which used to be comes out during the examination, this could become a real space for Silverstone 2. If the design of the tires poses a safety risk, there is not enough time for Pirelli to develop new tires until Friday in Milan, to bake them in Turkey or Romania and to take them to Silverstone by Friday.

Turned into it would be possible in the short term: “To reduce the number of laps. As soon as we know the cause, we may have to discuss this with the FIA”, Isola describes a possible worst-case scenario. Prescribing at least two tire changes to the groups would be useless. If there were two early security cars, there would probably be an extremely long last stint.

By the way: Even before the dramatic stay, there were so-called laps on the TV pictures of several cars “Blistering” to see, therefore a blistering on the treads. Alexander Wurz said in the Are dwelling commentary of the ‘ORF’ that this was not a space. When the tires burst a little later, his statement seemed refuted.

But: “It certainly had nothing to do with the bubbles,” Isola Wurz agrees. “The bubbles were mainly on the front right. And the TV pictures are deceiving. You can see a black groove on them, but that comes across more on TV. Right, we had blistering. But that’s usually nothing, used to be usa. “

One thing is particularly important now:” We must not make any hasty conclusions now, “warns McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl, with Carlos Sainz himself affected. “It is important that we analyze together with Pirelli that used to be really happened and wait for the result of the investigation. Only then do we have to draw the right conclusions.”


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