Formula 1 tyre suppliers Pirelli and Scuderia Ferrari have concluded that Sebastian Vettel's tyre failure at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix was caused by debris.
Vettel was leading the race up until lap 27, when the right-rear tyre exploded on the start/finish straight, sending him into the pit wall, and forcing his retirment.
"The issue appears to be caused by an item of debris, which led to the breakage of the tyre," read Pirelli's official statement.
"The few remaining parts of the tyre in question, together with an in-depth comparison to other tyres used in the race, reveal no signs of fatigue or structural failure in the right-rear tyre itself."
The Ferrari driver suffered a similar high-speed failure at last year's Belgian Grand Prix, while on the Medium-compound tyre, which was determined to be caused by a combination of debris and prolonged use.
However, Vettel's long stint in Austria, this time on the Supersoft tyre, was not determined to be a factor in the failure.
