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Muller: Teams helped cause WTCC tyre drama in Germany last weekend

Four-time World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller believes teams should accept responsibility for the spate of punctures in last weekend's Nurburgring Nordschleife round, as blaming supplier Yokohama is "too easy"

Erstwhile WTCC leader Tiago Monteiro accused Yokohama of creating a "dangerous" situation after a race one puncture ruined his weekend.

Volvo driver Nestor Girolami lost a second place finish in race one to a puncture, and 2012 WTCC champion Rob Huff said the events of the Nurburgring were "unacceptable".

But Muller, who was caught up in a similar accident in last year's Nurburgring event when Monteiro suffered a puncture while leading and ended up in his path, believes the fact some teams avoided punctures shows that Yokohama cannot be entirely to blame.

"When this kind of incident happens, the first thing you do is blame the tyres," Muller told Autosport.

"But I think that's a bit too easy, especially as some teams had no punctures in the whole weekend.

"Everyone knows the Nordschleife is a very hard, demanding track for tyres.

"Even if Yokohama brings a stronger tyre tomorrow, drivers and teams will play with the limit of the tyre to get some performance anyway.

"Incidentally, Yokohama already supplies us with a stronger tyre than it was in the past.

What's difficult is finding the right compromise between safety and performance, and we're always at the limit."

Muller, who retired from WTCC at the end of last season following Citroen's withdrawal, believes a solution would be for Yokohama to set guidelines for pressure and camber that teams would be forced to adhere to.

"Yokohama currently just suggests tyre set-ups for teams," he said.

"The teams should have to follow precise guidelines in terms of pressure or camber on trickier tracks like the Nordschleife.

"I can talk about that quite legitimately, because I was part of those who, in the past, criticised tyres when they were a problem. But we also played with the limit.

"We always look for the limit, because every tenth counts.

"Can you make a tyre that resists better? I'm not sure.

"But if you could, teams would push it even more to fulfil its potential. It would just shift the issue."

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