F1: Pirelli Issue Official Statement in Aftermath of Spa

[morsify]

That all sounds a bit cloak and dagger to me, I'm sorry, but I think it's simple incompetence/ lack of awareness of the sharpness of some curb edges. Spa might have been there a long time, but the curbs have changed many times. Even a simple replacement of one single piece of curb in the wrong place, could cause this if it isn't checked properly.

I can' t remember which track it was, but something similar happened a few years ago as well (was it India, I'm not sure?), but cars were running far too wide, and they were getting consistent tyre damage on the same side.

(Whether I've actually been to Spa is really irrelevant - unless you've got down on your knees and examined the current curbs all round the racing line lol).

 

[Rob]

Keith, I do appreciate your thoughtful response. I wasn't meant to sound like anything is a conspiracy, and said as much.

However, if you apply your logic to the same situation at any other track (besides maybe a new one) they could just release the same press statement over and over after these blowouts. In fact, they have.

 

[InsaneOzzie]

What about the support categories, like GP2, are they shod with Pirelli's?.
If so, did they have failures of the same nature at Spa, or is the issue exclusive to the F1 tyres because they are manufactured to be so short lived.

 

[Chris]

What about the support categories, like GP2, are they shod with Pirelli's?.
If so, did they have failures of the same nature at Spa, or is the issue exclusive to the F1 tyres because they are manufactured to be so short lived.

There was a GP3 tyre failure as the guy was going through Blanchimont. Like it blew at the apex. Caused a very big accident.

 

[InsaneOzzie]

There was a GP3 tyre failure as the guy was going through Blanchimont. Like it blew at the apex. Caused a very big accident.

Nasty, hope the driver walked away unhurt.

I worked in the retail tyre industry for some years, believe me, I'm no tyre guru, but I did learn a few things .
All tyres, be it passenger car, truck/bus, jetplane or racing tyres are produced to be extremely resilient and safe to the stresses and strains of their designated purpose. A passenger tyre for example has a max life span of 5yrs, after this time it becomes a safety issue as the rubber begins to perish. A plane tyre is only permitted to do a set number of landings, because of the stresses their subject to when landing and stopping passenger jets.

Obviously this is also the case for race tyres, due to the fact they're designed to last a designated number of laps, give or take a few. And obviously Perilli have been making tyres with many applications for decades so it's not like they don't understand the pro's and cons of producing safe tyres. As you said, race tyres don't tend to hold together when it involves carbon shards or other sharp debris, but on the face of it these particular F1 tyres seem to dislike any sharp edges or impacts whether it be "team mates front wings" or kerbs/ripple strips. There is a problem somewhere and it needs resolution before we see another unwanted major accident putting lives at risk.

To be honest, I think it's a combination of factors;
1. The FIA, for leaning an Perelli to produce an F1 tyre that skirts the very parameters of safety to make it short lived in the name of entertainment for the fans.
2. Perelli, for doing what the FIA dictate, whether it's contract based or otherwise, driver safety should be paramount, especially with such high D/F and speeds, and in light of past losses in F1.
3. Drivers, for pushing the tyres beyond what they are designed to endure, as in, going far beyond car track and kerb limits to gain a few tenths.
4. Race officials, for not issuing penalties to drivers who abused track limits, putting their tyres, their opponents and themselves at risk.

Not that it provides any definitive answers, but it does make one think.
Cheers.