Pirelli has hit back at claims it’s tyres are dangerous and that failures shouldn’t happen after Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel lost out on a podium finish when his tyre failed on the penultimate lap of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Ferrari opted for a one-stop strategy for Vettel, forcing him to run the medium compound for what would have been 30 laps (70 per cent of race distance), but his right-rear tyre only lasted 28 laps.
In a statement issued late on Sunday night, Pirelli claims it suggested a new rule be put in place back in 2013, setting limits on how many laps can be completed on each compound as a safety measure.
“Regarding what happened today at the Belgian Grand Prix, Pirelli underlines that: In November 2013, Pirelli requested that there should be rules to govern the maximum number of laps that can be driven on the same set of tyres, among other parameters to do with correct tyre usage.
“This request was not accepted,” it added. “The proposal put forward a maximum distance equivalent to 50 per cent of the grand prix distance for the prime tyre and 30 per cent for the option.
“These conditions, if applied today at Spa, would have limited the maximum number of laps on the medium compound to 22.”
