Pirelli's Tyre issues in Silverstone

Pirelli have of course been the topic of huge conversation and debate this season with the teams placing increasing scrutiny on the tyre manufacturer leveling the blame on them for all manner of issues.  The failures seen today however differ from the ones we have seen before with the tyre exploding rather than delaminating.  The upshoot of the situation is that Pirelli unable to make changes to the construction of the tyre without unanimous consensus from the teams has instead changed the bonding process for the tread platform.


In previous races we have seen that when the tyres have got cut or damaged the tread platform strips off (often in spectacular fashion) but as the rear tyres have a steel band running through them it enables the driver to return to the pits with the carcase of the tyre intact.

With the tread platform now adhered to the carcass of the tyre in a more restricted capacity should a cut or damage occur the tread won't simply lift off the carcass of the tyre but instead stay attached, heating the tyre as the plaform moves around.  The integrity of the tyre is compromised by the heat and as the platform refuses to strip away un impeded it takes the carcass of the tyre with it.  (Pirelli's change in bonding process is like sticking a plaster over a problem, the dominoes are just falling in a different direction)


Many are questioning the reason we see the damage to these tyres in the first place and I have a theory for this too.  The tyres have suffered damage on the same circuits that the GP2 series races have been conducted at on the same weekend. Bahrain, Barcelona and now Silverstone so without meaning to be Inspector Clouseau we would have to assume that this has some bearing.  Whether it be that the track simply isn't being swept well enough between the sessions with shards left around the track or whether it's a problem caused by Pirelli's GP2/3 tyres leaving debris on the circuit that's in turn damaging the F1 tyres I don't know.  It cannot in my opinion however be simply a coincedence.

The other explanation (I tweeted during the race) is something we have seen teams do in the past and that's run outside of the parameters set by Pirelli.  Camber and Tyre pressure is something the teams will always try to find advantages from and has caught out the likes of Red Bull in the past (Spa)

The quick fix for Pirelli will be to return to the bonding process used before Silverstone which allowed drivers sustaining cuts/damage to their tyres to return to the pits with their cars unscathed.  The long fix is something that was debated during #TyreGate and that's the problem of no in-season testing.  Changing the construction will lead to an advantage swinging in one teams favour, something I think we can ill afford at this stage in the Championship.