Perez puncture caused by cut on tyre – Pirelli

2013 British Grand Prix

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Pirelli say Sergio Perez’s puncture during third practice was caused by a cut on the tyre.

Perez suffered a left-rear puncture during the final hour of practice which damaged the floor at the rear of his McLaren.

“During the final free practice session this morning we saw a deflation on the rear left tyre of Sergio Perez,” said motorsport director Paul Hembery.

“First findings show that this was unequivocally caused by a cut in the inner sidewall: something went into the tyre, pierced it, and then came out again, in the direction of travel.

“Whether that was a piece of debris or the edge of a kerb is hard to say at the moment and it is important to point out that this incident was unrelated to any of the delamination issues we have had in the past.”

Several drivers experienced tyre failures earlier in the year which led Pirelli to revise the construction and preparation of their tyres. However not all of Pirelli’s proposed changes have been introduced as they have been unable to obtain the necessary support from all the teams.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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19 comments on “Perez puncture caused by cut on tyre – Pirelli”

  1. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

    1. I was thinking the same

  2. Either the quality of circuits (with their curbs and track surface characteristics) has become worse since last year or Pirelli is steadily lying to keep their face.

    I just think the overall quality of the tyres is not good enough with the steel carcase.

    1. Pirelli and the FIA should do something before something bad happens…I don’t believe pirelli here!

    2. Pirelli wants to change the tyres but Lotus and Force India don’t let them do that. They should be blamed too …

  3. something went into the tyre, pierced it, and then came out again, in the direction of travel.

    What kind of debris can do that? If not debris, how can a kerb do that as suggested? It’s a shame there is no footage, perhaps someone filmed it on a mobile at the circuit and will emerge after the race.

    1. I think Brundle mentioned that he thought it might have got cut on the kerbing, or something next to the track there when he went a bit wide.

      But really, these tyres are far from bullet proof!

    2. it was mentioned by Coulthard as well during the BBC coverage, that the kerbs at Silverstone have been changed to a different type, the backside of which is slightly rougher or unfinished, so if a driver dips a wheel over the kerb after trying to grab too much of it, a puncture is possible from the tyre contacting the rough backside of the kerb.

  4. There you have it just a dumb puncture. I’m pretty sure Pirelli doesn’t just lie over the safety of its costumers.

    1. @force-maikel
      Just like they were saying that the problems a lot of drivers had in Barcelona was due to debris. As it turned out they had to later admit that it was their tyre construction that was stupid.

  5. Even if all the tyre failures in 2013 have all been caused by the tyres getting cut by debris, That in my mind is still a problem that should be addressed because were seeing a lot more of it in 2013 suggesting that the current tyres are more prone to suffering damage than in previous years.

    Rather than just looking at using steel or kevlar belts or different bonding agents, They should be looking at making there tyres less prone to suffering a cut as that is clearly where the main problem lies.

    1. If that is the case then they can do this for the 2014 compound. That is if they don’t get replaced by Michelin.

      1. They should not wait to 2014, It should be done immediately as any serious concern with regards to the safety of a component should be fixed ASAP.

        Thinking back to 2004, Michelin had a series of tyre failure’s through the middle of the season & after Spa they discovered the cause was that when under-inflated (Something regularly done to increase contact patch & help get temperature into the tyres sooner) the tyres became more prone to picking up debris.
        So from Monza onwards they strengthened the construction to eliminate that flaw & the tyres then became far less prone to debris punctures. From 2005 the FIA made tyre suppliers mandate a ‘safe’ minimum inflated pressure.

        Something that is a real worry in my view is that teams are now able to block changes even if the change is to fix a safety concern, That never would have happened a few years ago.

        1. Something that is a real worry in my view is that teams are now able to block changes even if the change is to fix a safety concern

          But isn’t that only because Pirelli does not want to get it officially deemed as a safety concern that has to be adressed?

  6. Don’t worry guys, I am more than certain that it was debris which caused the puncture. Pirelli will find the debris on the circuit with our highly advanced electron microscope to ensure it.

  7. Pirelli they just keep giving. Another PR disaster.

  8. It is hard for Pirelli to do right thing. If there is a puncture, it is either fault of the Pirelli tire or Pirelli is just lying. No other options exists. Sometimes puncture is just a puncture.
    Makes me wonder how long Pirelli wants to stay with F1 with all the crap they are getting.

    1. I kind of agree with this.

  9. For the characteristics and behavior of the debirs described by Pirelli’s Motor Sport Director, Paul Hembery, maybe it is the “magical Bullet” that hits USA President, John F. Kennedy in 4 ocassions, and that are stil tumbling around the globe 40+ years later…

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