Use of curbs behind Qatar GP F1 tire defects

A fortnight ago, Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Williams duo George Russell and Nicholas Latifi all suffered similar looking left front tire failures during the Losail race.

The puncture caused Latifi to retire while the remaining three victims managed to return to the pits and continue their race, although Bottas was eventually eliminated due to the damage his car suffered from the blown tire.

After Pirelli returned the tires to its Italian base for inspection, Pirelli concluded that the main cause of the four tire failures was the overuse of the high curbs in Losail, which damaged the tire structure.

“According to what we know so far, the origin of the problem lies mainly in the time when these tires were driven on the curbs at high speed and with considerable lateral and vertical loads: a unique situation for the Losail circuit.” Pirelli announced this in a statement on Friday.

“The heavy stress caused by driving over these curbs, which cannot be measured with the data available before the race, damaged the tire construction and led to a loss of pressure in the inner sidewall, which subsequently led to the collapse of the structure for several seconds. “

Pirelli also added that it “eliminates any manufacturing defects” in its tires and has shared its results with the teams and the FIA.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, in the box

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

It was the first time F1 has visited Qatar, so no earlier data was available to warn Pirelli and the teams of potential problems.

Pirelli was aware that Losail International Circuit had requirements for the front left tires, but after the race, Pirelli boss Mario Isola said he hadn’t seen anything in the free practice and qualifying data to be cause for concern could.

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The four affected drivers spent a long stint on worn medium-sized tires trying to end the Qatar Grand Prix with a one-stop strategy.

Several other riders managed to complete a similar strategy with no issues, with Fernando Alonso taking a podium finish for Alpine after a single stop.