Williams Still Investigating Tyre Problem

With Michelin having already confirmed that there were no manufacturing faults with the tyres and that they were not cut by kerbs at the Istanbul track, further examinations this week have now also ruled out the possibility of the failures being caused by the way Williams were running the tyres.

The team believe that the problem was caused by the tyres rubbing on bodywork through the high-speed Turn Eight - but a final answer about exactly what parts of bodywork were involved will only come after further tests at Williams' Grove factory and in Monza this week.

Williams' technical director Sam Michael said: "Following the tyre incidents in Istanbul, Williams and Michelin have investigated the tyre running parameters such as pressure and camber and concluded that the tyres were running within normal operating ranges compared to other cars. It is not thought that the kerbs caused the problem.  

"Additionally, Williams have set up tyre deflection tests in Grove to verify what parts of the bodywork the tyre could have contacted during the high speed left hander at Istanbul. A number of changes will be made for the Monza test this week to avoid the problem occurring again."

Williams first discovered minor problems with bodywork rubbing on the tyres after final practice in Turkey - and duly trimmed the rear diffuser and rear-wing endplates to try and solve the issue.

The modifications were not enough, however, to prevent the team encountering the problem in the races - with Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld suffering two tyre failure each.