Pirelli is investigating the causes of right rear punctures that afflicted Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso in FP2, along with a series of cuts seen on other tyres.
Pirelli’s Paul Hembery believes that that something on the track was the likely cause in most cases, while also suggesting that a piece of debris was responsible for the Vettel problem.
Inevitably given the events of Silverstone and the high speed nature of Spa teams and drivers are looking for some reassurance from Pirelli.
“It looks on the Red Bull as if something has been rubbing on the surface and then cut straight through the surface,” said Hembery. “And on the Ferrari there are two quite clear holes through the top of the tread. We’ve got to go and look at the track later and see what’s been Turns 13 and 15.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t say it’s normal punctures, but it’s the sort of thing you’d see throughout the weekend. We’ve seen a lot of signs on other tyres as well with some surface cuts. There’s clearly something, although I can’t tell you what it is yet. It’s damage from external forces.
“To be honest it could be anything. Unfortunately, like in the case of Alonso, you’ve got two holes through the top. What on earth can cause that? You’ve got to go and find it, and that’s obviously what we want to do.
“We’ve seen some cuts on some other tyres, so there’s clearly something somewhere that’s causing an issue.”
Asked if it was a worry for Pirelli, he said: “It’s a worry for the sport because we have to go and find out what it is. There’s not a lot we can do. We’ll try our very best to identify it and give indications of what can be causing it.”
Elaborating on Vettel’s issue he said: “Something’s caught up between the floor and the tyre in that case.”
The FIA now monitors pressure and cambers, and Hembery insisted that everyone was running within the prescribed limits.
Adam Cooper F1 