Motorsport Week
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Motorsport Week
Home Single Seater Formula 1

Pirelli says ‘biggest forces ever seen’ contributed to British GP failures

by Phillip Horton
5 years ago
A A
Pirelli says ‘biggest forces ever seen’ contributed to British GP failures

Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes AMG F1 W11 with a puncture. British Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd August 2020. Silverstone, England.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has revealed its findings into the failures that affected three drivers during the closing laps of the British Grand Prix.

Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, along with McLaren driver Carlos Sainz Jr., suffered front-left failures in the final minutes of the race at Silverstone.

Hamilton hung on to secure victory, completing half of the final lap on three operational tyres, but Bottas – who had been second – and Sainz Jr. – previously fifth – dropped out of the points.

All three, along with the majority of the field, had fitted Hard tyres on lap 13 of 52, following Daniil Kvyat’s high-speed off at Maggots, which led to the deployment of the Safety Car.

RelatedPosts

Spot the lucky mascot on Carlos Sainz's helmet

The mascot that spurred Carlos Sainz and Williams to best F1 result of 2025

7 hours ago
Mercedes casts positive take on Kimi Antonelli after ‘important’ F1 result

Mercedes casts positive take on Kimi Antonelli after ‘important’ F1 result

9 hours ago

Red Bull revealed after the race that Max Verstappen’s discarded Hard tyre also had cuts while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel believed his rubber was similarly affected.

Pirelli carried out an investigation after the race and believes the length of stint teams attempted on the tyres, allied to the stress loads applied at the high-speed Silverstone circuit, resulted in the failures.

“Pirelli has concluded its initial analysis on a number of tyres that were run at the British Grand Prix last weekend,” read a statement issued on Tuesday.

“This allowed to identify the cause of the failures followed by deflations that affected both Mercedes and the McLaren of Carlos Sainz.

“The key reason is down to a set of individual race circumstances that led to an extremely long use of the second set of tyres.

“The second Safety Car period prompted nearly all the teams to anticipate their planned pit stop and so carry out a particularly long final stint: around 40 laps, which is more than three-quarters the total race length on one of the most demanding tracks of the calendar.

“Combined with the notably increased pace of the 2020 Formula 1 cars (pole position was 1.2 seconds faster compared to 2019*) this made the final laps of the British Grand Prix especially tough, as a consequence of the biggest forces ever seen on tyres generated by the fastest Formula 1 cars in history.

“The overall result was the most challenging operating conditions for tyres.

“These led to the front-left tyre (which is well-known for working hardest at Silverstone) being placed under maximum stress after a very high number of laps, with the resulting high wear meaning that it was less protected from the extreme forces in play.”

Pirelli confirmed that it will still bring the C2, C3 and C4 compounds to this weekend’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone, going one step softer than the British Grand Prix choices.

It is nonetheless set to increase the permitted minimum tyre pressures in order to reduce the stress load on the construction.

It did not comment on the failure that prompted Kvyat’s accident.

*Editor’s Note – This information, cited by Pirelli, is inaccurate; pole position in 2020 was 0.790s faster compared to 2019.

Tags: F1F170PirelliSilverstone
Share200Tweet125Share

Related Posts

Spot the lucky mascot on Carlos Sainz's helmet
Formula 1

The mascot that spurred Carlos Sainz and Williams to best F1 result of 2025

7 hours ago
Mercedes casts positive take on Kimi Antonelli after ‘important’ F1 result
Formula 1

Mercedes casts positive take on Kimi Antonelli after ‘important’ F1 result

9 hours ago
Max Verstappen's second straight win puts McLaren on some notice
Feature

Is McLaren feeling the heat as Max Verstappen refinds his F1 winning streak?

9 hours ago
Load More

Discussion about this post

Upcoming Races

#EventDate
18Singapore GP03-05 October
19United States GP17-19 October
20Mexico City GP24-26 October
21São Paulo GP07-09 November
22Las Vegas GP20-22 November

Click here for the full 2025 F1 calendar

Drivers’  Standings

#DriverPts
Oscar Piastri324
Lando Norris299
Max Verstappen255
George Russell212
Charles Leclerc165
Lewis Hamilton121
Andrea Kimi Antonelli78
Alexander Albon70
Isack Hadjar39
Nico Hulkenberg37

Click here for full Drivers’ Standings

Latest Articles

Spot the lucky mascot on Carlos Sainz's helmet
Formula 1

The mascot that spurred Carlos Sainz and Williams to best F1 result of 2025

September 23, 2025
Mercedes casts positive take on Kimi Antonelli after ‘important’ F1 result
Formula 1

Mercedes casts positive take on Kimi Antonelli after ‘important’ F1 result

September 23, 2025
Max Verstappen's second straight win puts McLaren on some notice
Feature

Is McLaren feeling the heat as Max Verstappen refinds his F1 winning streak?

September 23, 2025

Follow Motorsport Week

Join our daily motorsport newsletter

* indicates required

Motorsport Week

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Other Links

  • About & Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Motorsport Monday

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • Formula 1
    • Latest News
    • 2025 F1 Calendar
    • 2025 F1 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • Latest News
    • 2025 FE Calendar
    • 2025 FE Championship Standings
  • MotoGP
    • Latest News
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • WRC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
    • 2025 WRC Standings
  • IndyCar
    • Latest News
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WEC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • Live Updates
  • Other
    • IMSA
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • Galleries
  • About/Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd