Pirelli will conduct a full laboratory analysis at their base in Milan, after four Formula 1 drivers suffered dangerous punctures in the closing stages of Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Despite clean practice runs on both Friday and Saturday, Valtteri Bottas, Lando Norris, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi all experienced similar looking tyre failures towards the back end of the 57-lap race.
Williams’ Nicholas Latifi was forced to retire after his front-left puncture occurred just outside of the pit lane exit causing him to limp a full lap of the circuit. Valtteri Bottas’ hopes of a podium finish were dashed when he returned to the pits with damage to his Mercedes. Lando Norris and George Russell also experienced front-left punctures but were able to continue.
READ MORE: Ricciardo’s race derailed by ‘unusual’ issue
READ MORE: Backlash over ‘missing’ tennis star’s video call with Olympics boss
READ MORE: Former Test bowler says Aussie captain choice a ‘no-brainer’
READ MORE: The Mole: Hughes could stay at Storm, despite ‘ruckus’ of last week
Last weekend was the first time F1 had raced at the Losail International Circuit after passing a new agreement which will see Qatar join the F1 fixture in a 10-year deal from 2023. As a result, there was no previous data for the tyre supplier and teams to use for race strategy.
Head of F1 and Car Racing at Pirelli, Mario Isola, showed little concern due to the lack of incidents during practice, however said free practice was not a clear indication of wear across longer stints during the race.
“With Losail being a new and relatively unknown track featuring some high energy corners, the teams headed into the race lacking all the information they would ideally want, with only one representative practice session,” Isola said.
“However, it became clear during the race that a one-stopper was very marginal in terms of tyre wear, requiring a high degree of management. Some drivers encountered tyre problems towards the finish: this was probably due to a combination of very high wear as a result of long stints, and impacts at high speeds against some aggressive kerbs…”
https://twitter.com/pirellisport/status/1462484696282107904
Many of the drivers involved were surprised by the suddenness of the punctures.
Lando Norris returned to the garage with eight laps remaining after the front-left tyre of his Maclaren “blew up”. He later finished the race in ninth place.
Norris told the written media in the Qatar paddock after the race that while he was aware that the front left would be the most stressed tyre, he didn’t expect to have no warning that a puncture was imminent.
“I guess you don’t expect the tyre to blow up, especially not on the hard tyre,” he said
“We weren’t even that far into the stint, 20 laps or something, and the tyre should do a lot more than 20 laps.
“Every track, you look after the tyres because the tyres wear out a bit but you don’t expect it to suddenly let go completely.
“[It was] quite dangerous for a lot of people today. It shouldn’t happen.”
Retiring on lap 50 after skidding off into the gravel, Bottas also had no clue that a problem was about to occur with his front-left tyre.
“I don’t know really what happened,” he said.
“There was no warning, no vibration, [the] pace was still consistent. The grip was feeling OK. It just happened.
“Initially I thought the wind was getting stronger on the main straight because I felt that the car was sideways.
“Then it was a puncture in the first corner, and obviously in the most unlucky point as well, just after the pit exit.”
Triggering a tough weekend for Williams in their efforts to keep team Alfa Romeo behind them in the constructor standings, Nicholas Latifi said he “felt fine” until he saw his teammate struggling.
“I felt more rear-left limited because I felt as though I had been looking after it. But obviously the last few laps, just pushing flat out to keep the Alfas behind,” he said.
“I think we had nothing to lose trying to make that strategy work, especially with the Alfas behind us. They were our race and it just wasn’t to be.”
Race director Michael Masi added that the FIA would be keeping an eye on the tyre manufacturer’s investigation.
“Us and Pirelli will work together, understand why etcetera, etcetera,” Masi said.
“The tyres, if they are not already, will be very shortly on the way back to Italy. And they’ll do a complete and full analysis.”
Championship leaders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were able to push on with their chosen strategy, finishing the race more than half a minute ahead of Fernando Alonso in third on a one-stop race plan. Hamilton has achieved back-to-back wins to chip away at Max Verstappen‘s points advantage.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!