Pirelli have confirmed they will investigate Lewis Hamilton’s practice puncture in greater detail after suspicions it may not have been caused by debris.
The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend saw no fewer than three suspected punctures – two of which affected Felipe Massa’s Ferrari.
Pirelli insist the Brazilian’s were caused by race debris after analysing the tyres after the race. However they’re not as confident about Hamilton’s which failed in an unusual manner.
The Italian company will take the tyre to its Milan headquarters for a full forensic analysis according to motorsport director Paul Hembery.
“The Hamilton tyre is something that we need to look at a lot more to understand as we are not really sure about how it happened,” Hembery told Autosport.
“There is very little evidence there, other than overheating, about what it could be.”
Hamilton’s suspension and gearbox were damaged as a result of the incident and cost him a five-place penalty for Sunday’s race which saw him start ninth. He finished fifth.
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