Pirelli: issues not down to new bonding

ByAutoSport

Updated 30/06/2013 at 19:24 GMT

Pirelli has ruled out the possibility that the new tyre bonding process introduced for the British Grand Prix was responsible for the blow-outs that hit the race.

Pirelli tyres (Reuters)

Image credit: Eurosport

After suffering tyre delaminations in the early races of the season, Pirelli originally planned to solve this problem by switching from the current steel belt to the Kevlar belt used in 2012.

But it shelved its plan to use this construction at the British GP, instead changing the adhesive process used to attach the tread to the tyre structure.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery admitted after the race that it has yet to get to the bottom of the tyre problems but is certain this change was not to blame.

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"We can exclude that the new bonding process, which we introduced at this race, is the cause for the tyre failures we have seen today," he said.

"There might be some aspect to this circuit that impacts specifically on the latest version of our 2013 specification tyres.

"But at this point we do not want to speculate but will now put together all the evidence to find out what happened and then take appropriate next steps should these be required."

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