Pirelli says debris reason for Sebastian Vettel’s puncture at the Abu Dhabi GP – Formula 1 news
Pirelli has confirmed that it was in fact the debris that is the most likely cause of Sebastian Vettel’s punctured tyre at the recently concluded Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, causing him to retire after the first round of the race.
It was assumed initially that there may have been structural failure of his right rear tyre, which may have caused the puncture. Pirelli though has revealed that it is not the case, and that it is the debris on the track which has caused the puncture and
the eventual retirement of the German driver.
The team had initially refused to jump to conclusions as to what might have caused the issue, as when Vettel finally got his car at the pit, it was also revealed that the car’s rear suspension was damaged and that could have been a cause of driving a full
track on a flat tyre. Still the team insisted that only after a full investigation will they reveal the complete report of what caused the issue.
“We can confirm that a structural failure was not the cause of Sebastian Vettel's deflation in Abu Dhabi, a conclusion that we have arrived at together with Red Bull Racing following a detailed examination and analysis of the remains of the tyre,” Pirelli’s
motorsport director Paul Hembery said.
“We cannot rule out debris on the track causing damage to the tyre, which then provoked a deflation, but having looked at the track closely there is no direct evidence of this,” he further added.
Vettel was also perplexed at the situation and said that he wanted a full investigation into the incident. Although he did mention that he was not ruing too much on losing out on another possible win as he had gotten the lead at the start. Looking at the
sheer dominance of his performance, it was very much possible that he may have finished as the winner in the end.
Vettel though said that he is not too worried about it, what is done is done and he is looking ahead to Brazil now, which will be hosting the last race of the season next week on November 27, 2011.
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