Lewis Hamilton had a flat tire in Saturday’s free practice, which then damaged the suspension and transmission. Due to the change of gearbox, the Briton was fined five places in addition to the achievement in the qualifications for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Pirelli reported that the tire defect was caused by a metal particle on the track that Hamilton ran over, and a similar thing happened to Gied van der Gard.
“Van der Garde was driving behind Hamilton and his tire was cut to a length of 10cm. Only a metal particle could have caused such a large incision, ”said Paul Hembery, Pirelli's motorsport boss. “We assume that a metal particle remained on the track, which then got stuck between the suspension, the wheel and the brakes at Hamilton, and overheated the tire, which caused the tread to fall off.
The tire remained full, which in turn caused damage to van der Gard's tire. We are currently still reviewing telemetry to understand what exactly was going on. Here we have our own lab where we saw overheated patches on the fallen tread. This has warmed over 200 degrees, which is a rare and unusual phenomenon, ”explained Hembery.
If you wish, you can donate to us quickly and securely via PayPal. Every contribution helps us, your team World of Speed!
You can donate at this link ->Donate