Drivers want assurances over tire safety

Just when tiregate appeared to be a thing of the past, the fiasco is threatening to rear its head once again after two tire failures during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix today at Spa-Francorchamps.

Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso both suffered punctures during the final stages of the second free practice session today, sparking worries about a repeat of the situation at the British Grand Prix in June. Five tire failures marred the race and the safety of the drivers was put at risk, forcing Pirelli into changing the design of their tires. The threat to boycott was made clear in Germany if the situation did not improve, and it appears that the drivers are once again being conscious of their safety.

Pirelli insisted earlier today that the failure was not due to a problem with the tires, but probably due to debris on-track. However, Mark Webber is keen on finding out the definite cause.

“We lost the rear right, very suddenly, so we need to have a look – Pirelli is working on finding out why it happened,” he said in a team statement after practice on Friday.

Pirelli will be investigating the matter further as they look to give an answer to the drivers, but the fear of a blowout at one of Spa’s many high-speed corners will always be in the back of the drivers’ minds.

Tiregate could be about to enter a second set, but the priority for all involved is that the safety of the drivers can be guaranteed when using Pirelli tires.