MILAN, Italy (Sept. 3, 2015) — Pirellli Tyre S.p.A. is laying the blame for two high-speed tire failures at last weekend's Belgium Grand Prix on “external factors” such excessive debris on the track and “prolonged tire usage” on a “particularly demanding” circuit.
In its analysis, Pirelli said it observed 63 cuts in tires throughout the three-day race weekend, a 50-fold increase over the average of 1.2 cuts per event through the first 15 races of the 2015 season.
The failures — on Nico Rosberg's Mercedes F1 during practice and Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari F1 in the late stages of the race — both initiated in the same section of the Spa, Belgium, circuit, immediately after the famous “Eau Rouge” curve.
The failures turned into a public spat immediately after the Aug. 23 event, pitting Pirelli against a number of F1 teams. Rival tire maker Group Michelin weighed in as well, trying to make its case to replace Pirelli as the series tire supplier.
The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, Formula 1's sanctioning body, declared in a statement that it is “satisfied with the thoroughness of the investigation and Pirelli's conclusions as to the reasons for the tire failures in Belgium.”
Based on Pirelli's investigation, the FIA declared it is willing to consider “any safety recommendations made by the tire supplier for the Italian GP and for the remainder of the season.”