AUGUST 23, 2013

Pirelli investigating Vettel tyre problem

Pirelli returned to the F1 spotlight on Friday, when Sebastian Vettel suffered a puncture during Friday practice at high-speed Spa-Francorchaps.

The incident had many paddock dwellers recalling the tyre-exploding chaos of Silverstone earlier this year, but Red Bull's Vettel did not immediately point the finger.

"Pirelli is working on finding out why it happened," he said.

Simon Cass, the correspondent for the Daily Mail newspaper, said the early suspicion is that debris - rather than a fundamental tyre problem - caused the problem.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport: "Since Sebastian brought the tyre back to the pits in basically one piece, the chances are good that Pirelli can find the cause relatively quickly."