Sebastian Vettel has spoken out for the first time since his outburst against tyre supplier Pirelli, reiterating his concerns and placing the blame squarely with the tyre manufacturer.
The German suffered a tyre failure on the penultimate lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, costing him a podium finish, but potentially putting his life at risk as the failure happened at one of the fastest parts of the circuit.
Vettel described the tyres as “unacceptable” and accused Pirelli of “bulls**t” excuses after Nico Rosberg also suffered a similar problem during practice, though Pirelli insist the two were not related.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the four-time champion stood by his teams decision to go for a one-stop strategy, whilst making clear who he believes to be at fault.
“Just to make things clear: The team and I decided our strategy for the race together,” he said. “I support the team and the team supports me and this is what makes us a team.
“Our strategy was never risky, at any point. The team is not to blame.
“There’s no explanation for what happened: it’s not a puncture, the tire just exploded.”
