Cut rubber caused Vettel failure - Pirelli
Sebastian Vettel's tyre failure during the closing stages of yesterday's first day of testing in Abu Dhabi was the result of a cut in the rubber
According to Pirelli's investigations, the failure on Vettel's right-rear tyre on the approach to Turn 11 was caused by something the Red Bull driver picked up from the track.
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told AUTOSPORT: "It was a puncture - a cut. We didn't find anything [on the track], but looking on the tyre there was quite a clear cut. It happens.
"The track is quite dirty now, it has been running quite a lot of cars. Most tracks where you get that amount of running in a short period of time, you can pick something up."
AUTOSPORT understands that Vettel also suffered a second tyre failure during this morning's running. Early indications suggest that the cause was the same.
Despite Vettel's problems, none of the other teams have suffered similar failures and Pirelli has not encountered any problems during its test running using the Toyota TF109.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments