The Silverstone team suffered a high-speed tire with Lance Stroll at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. An investigation by Pirelli found that this was caused by the running conditions of the rubber.
The presumption is that the Aston Martin and the Red Bull, who also suffered a blown tire with Max Verstappen, did not run with as high a tire pressure as expected.
However, with Aston Martin realizing that he followed the rules at all times and was above the minimum pressure set by Pirelli, Szafnauer believes the situation needs to be reviewed to ensure there is no replay.
“It’s a real and serious problem that we need to get to grips with,” he said. “I think we’re lucky that we just break the car and nothing else. So we have to be careful that something like this doesn’t happen again.
“We will follow the new regulations. We have always stayed within the parameters that both the FIA and Pirelli have set for us. “
When asked if he was surprised that Pirelli had come to the conclusion that the trigger for the accident was that the pressure was not as expected, Szafnauer said: “I am surprised that this was the conclusion.
“We followed all the rules to the letter and we were never under the minimal pressure. So we had a stabilized pressure, it was higher [than advised]. That is normal. That usually happens.
“The loads on the grid that were checked were above the minimum. So yeah, I don’t know what your expectations were. But I could imagine that their expectations are that the pressure will increase. But that’s exactly what happened to us. “
Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and CEO, Aston Martin F1, at the pit wall
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Szafnauer’s safety concerns stem from the Formula 1 GPDA writing to the FIA, F1, and Pirelli for safety assurances.
While the debate about who should be responsible for what happened in Baku remains unresolved, the GPDA is clear that driver safety must never be compromised in the search for improved performance.
A statement by the GPDA states: “The GPDA is in constant communication with the FIA, F1 and also Pirelli, and whenever an incident and / or accident occurs, we communicate with them and other relevant parties. Therefore, after Baku, we communicated with everyone involved about the two accidents that we observed. “
Although GPDA chairman Alex Wurz declined to elaborate on the contents of the letter, it was clear to him that the focus on security was crucial.
“It remains a high-speed accident for the GPDA, so we ask stakeholders involved to pay close attention to short and long-term improvements,” he said.
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