Pirelli Blames Vettel’s Tire Failure on Debris

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

Following an investigation, Pirelli have come to the conclusion that Sebastian Vettel’s tire failure at the Austrian Grand Prix was due to debris.

The four-time Formula 1 champion suffered a right-rear blowout along the main straightaway at roughly 200 mph while leading race before  hitting the inside wall and coming to a stop in the middle of the track near the entrance of Turn 1.

Ferrari was running Vettel with the supersoft tire compound and had completed 27 laps when it failed, but the Italian tire manufacturer ruled out the issue being due to fatigue.

“Analysis of the tire issue that affected Sebastian Vettel at the recent Austrian Grand Prix has been concluded and the results shared with Ferrari,” Pirelli said in a statement.

“The few remaining parts of the tire in question, together with an in-depth comparison to other tires used in the race, reveal no signs of fatigue or structural failure in the right-rear tire itself.

“Consequently, the issue appears to be caused by an item of debris, which led to the breakage of the tire.”

Vettel acknowledged that he had no warning or indication of the failure.

About Joey Barnes 624 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.