Pirelli have completed their investigation into Sebastian Vettel’s Belgian Grand Prix tire blowout and are to explain more at Ferrari’s home race this week, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said on Monday.
The Italian tire company also announced it would be bringing the same medium and soft compounds to Monza as were used at Spa.
However, the choice is softer than the medium and hard used last year at Monza, a 53-lap race won by Britain’s Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes after completing 25 laps on the former and 28 on the latter.
“We have finalized the investigation into Sebastian Vettel’s tire at Spa. Detailed conclusions from the technical analysis will be presented at Monza,” Hembery said ahead of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
Vettel, the four-time world champion who joined Ferrari from Red Bull at the end of last season and has won twice this year, was furious after suffering a high-speed blowout on the penultimate lap at Spa while in third place.
Vettel’s dramatic blowout, just after sweeping through the fearsome Eau Rouge, followed compatriot Nico Rosberg’s in Friday practice, a failure Pirelli blamed on an external cut rather than anything structural.
The Mercedes driver also felt fortunate to escape serious injury.
Hembery suggested at Spa that Vettel’s problem was caused by excessive wear due to the German’s decision to do just one stop and run a long stint — 28 laps when the right rear failed — on the medium.
Monza is the fastest track on the Formula One calendar, featuring long straights and placing high energy loads on the tires.
“We have the medium and soft compounds, a step softer than our nomination last year, which should be well suited to Monza and the emphasis on speed that this circuit always places,” Hembery said.
“We’re expecting a fair degree of wear and degradation, so as always the work done during free practice will be very important when it comes to calculating the optimal strategy,” he added.
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