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All eyes on Pirelli after tyre-exploding British GP

All eyes on Pirelli after tyre-exploding British GP

  • Published on 01 Jul 2013 08:45
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
F1's intense heat on Pirelli only got hotter on Sunday, as the British grand prix took place amid shards of exploding tyre rubber. Lewis Hamilton, just one of four drivers who had spectacular rear failures during the Silverstone race, was comfortably leading when he had his problem.

Afterwards, the furious Briton told reporters he was trying to hold his tongue. "Big time," he relented when asked if he is worried about safety. "They need to do something," Hamilton told British broadcaster Sky.

On the BBC, the 28-year-old could hold his tongue no longer. "It's unacceptable," said the Mercedes driver, whose teammate Nico Rosberg - who won - also had a partial tyre failure just as a safety car period began.

On-board footage from Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso's cars showed how the big chunks of flying tyre debris could have hurt a driver. "It's only when someone gets hurt that someone will be doing something about it," Hamilton charged. "I think it's a waste of time talking to the FIA, and if they don't do anything that says a lot about them."

McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale, whose driver Sergio Perez had one of the exploding failures, insisted: "We have to make sure our drivers are safe." Jenson Button agreed: "The cars behind get hit by rubber that has metal in it. It's obvious it's got to change. It's very scary."

Recently, Pirelli wanted to make a fundamental change to the tyre construction - replacing an internal steel band with a kevlar one - to stop delaminations, but teams like Lotus blocked the move. F1's official supplier instead had to tackle the issue by deploying a new kind of glue to bind the tread.

All the talk immediately after the race on Sunday was about the obvious need for Pirelli to change the tyre construction, whether or not the teams agree. Pirelli's Paul Hembery refused to immediately comment pending an investigation, despite the international media relentlessly bombarding him with questions. "Sorry," he told them. "When we have the answers, we'll let you know."

Meanwhile, a gearbox failure for Sebastian Vettel means the Red Bull driver's points lead over Fernando Alonso was slashed from 36 to just 21 points. Ferrari's Alonso, however, was not celebrating. "We know we have a lot of work to do," said the Spaniard, who has complained all weekend about the lagging development of his car. (GMM)

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F1 News Fernando Alonso Jenson Button Lewis Hamilton Nico Rosberg Sebastian Vettel Sergio Perez McLaren Lotus F1 Ferrari Pirelli Mercedes

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Formula 1 Calendar - 2023

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
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Bahrain
3 - Mar 5
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Mar 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
31 - Apr 2
Australia
Albert Park
28 - Apr 30
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
5 - May 7
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
19 - May 21
Italy
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26 - May 28
Monaco
Monte Carlo
2 - Jun 4
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
16 - Jun 18
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
30 - Jul 2
Austria
Red Bull Ring
7 - Jul 9
United Kingdom
Silverstone
21 - Jul 23
Hungary
Hungaroring
28 - Jul 30
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
25 - Aug 27
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
1 - Sep 3
Italy
Monza
15 - Sep 17
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
22 - Sep 24
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
6 - Oct 8
Qatar
Losail International Circuit
20 - Oct 22
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
27 - Oct 29
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Spain
3 - Nov 5
Brazil
Interlagos
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United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
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United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
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Italy
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Italy
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2023

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
3 - Mar 5
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Mar 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
31 - Apr 2
Australia Albert Park
28 - Apr 30
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
5 - May 7
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
19 - May 21
Italy Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
26 - May 28
Monaco Monte Carlo
2 - Jun 4
Spain Circuit de Catalunya
16 - Jun 18
Canada Gilles Villeneuve
30 - Jul 2
Austria Red Bull Ring
7 - Jul 9
United Kingdom Silverstone
21 - Jul 23
Hungary Hungaroring
28 - Jul 30
Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
25 - Aug 27
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
1 - Sep 3
Italy Monza
15 - Sep 17
Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit
22 - Sep 24
Japan Circuit Suzuka
6 - Oct 8
Qatar Losail International Circuit
20 - Oct 22
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
27 - Oct 29
Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Spain Circuit de Catalunya
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Brazil Interlagos
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United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
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Italy Adria International Raceway
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Driver profile

ES Fernando Alonso 14
  • Country Spain
  • Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (42)
  • Place of b. Oviedo, Spain
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.71 m
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