Is the Pirelli blowout saga done and dusted?

F1 News
Friday, 04 September 2015 at 08:57
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Pirelli's report on the blowouts at Spa appear on the surface to have quelled a furore as Formula 1 drivers are apparently not keen to question the investigation findings which have received resounding support from FOM and the FIA.
Questions remain however, and it is somewhat counterproductive that no outside party was brought in to independently examine the tyres and devise an unbiased report with no strings attached. Will Monza, a high speed venue which taxes tyres, be blowout free?
Fittingly two of the sport's most senior drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel seem unconvinced.
Hamilton warned ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, at the high-speed Monza track, of potential "disaster" if tyre pressures were increased substantially in response to dramatic Belgian Grand Prix blowouts two weeks ago.
Pirelli, who blamed debris and excessive usage for failures suffered by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton's Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg two weeks ago, have recommended changes to pressures and camber for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
Vettel Spa Ferrari Pirelli blowout33
Drivers expected an increase from 18 PSI (pounds per square inch) to 22 on the front and 21 on the rear, or even as much as 23 and 22 respectively.
"In terms of putting the pressures up I don't personally think it's the right way," Hamilton told reporters.
"I don't think any of us have tried five PSI more on these tyres because they're not designed to have five PSI more.
"We would be moving out of the optimum range of the tyre, we'll be using a different part of the tyre which means there will be more wear, less grip. It's going to be a disaster. So I hope they don't put five PSI more. A couple is OK."
Vettel said in the immediate aftermath of the race at Spa, when his tyre exploded on the penultimate lap, that the failures were unacceptable.
The four-times world champion, preparing for his first Italian race as a Ferrari driver after moving from Red Bull, moved to mend fences on Thursday even if he stuck to his original statement.
Pirelli tyres yellow band
"I think it is not acceptable to have a blowout at that sort of speed, out of the blue," Vettel told a news conference.
"But I think the investigations that have been going on, the stuff that obviously has been analysed and talked about, explains some of it, maybe not all of it yet but it's still ongoing.
"The most important thing is that we make sure that we make progress. At the moment, from Pirelli's side, it looks very, very professional, they handle it with extreme care, and I think things are going the right way."
1 veteran Fernando Alonso added: "We respect Pirelli and will follow their recommendations, but I am a little surprised (about the 5 PSI news). I hope perhaps it is something just for this race."
With a similar view is former F1 driver Marc Surer, who is also concerned that Pirelli may mandate a maximum tyre life per set.
"It would be a pity," he told the German broadcaster Sky, "because at the moment the teams have the freedom to do a lot of different strategies.
nico-rosberg-tyre-failure-spa pirelli
"I am from the 'old guard'," Surer admitted, "and in my day there were also punctures but no one was leaping from their chairs.
"I think what we're seeing is drivers no longer willing to take the risk. But we're talking about a race tyre, which is significantly more sensitive than a road tyre -- so you can go much faster.
"If you only want safety, then you would have to build wooden tyres. But I don't think the drivers want that either."
The governing FIA said it was satisfied with Pirelli's explanations while the commercial rights holder also expressed full confidence in the sole supplier bidding for a new three-year deal.
"We are entirely satisfied Pirelli was not at fault for any tyre-related incidents during...the Belgian Grand Prix," Formula One Management said in a statement.
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