Sebastian Vettel "lucky" after surprising Monza brake failure

Ferrari

Vettel "lucky" after surprising Monza brake failure

A brake line explosion is still under investigation

Ian Parkes

Friday 11 September 2020 10:19

Sebastian Vettel has conceded to being "lucky" following his surprising brake failure during the Italian Grand Prix.

Vettel had been warned of brake issues on lap five of the race at Monza before the failure occurred on the approach into Turn One, sending him straight on through the chicane and the polystyrene blocks that serve as a makeshift deterrent.

The incident, coupled with Charles Leclerc's crash midway through the race, gave Ferrari its first double DNF on home soil since 1995.

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Vettel, who has confirmed an investigation with brake supplier Brembo is still ongoing, but that for the most part the cause has been identified, recognises such an issue could have taken part on a more vulnerable part of the circuit for a driver.

"I think we have understood what went wrong," said Vettel. "The brakes got hot, especially the rear brakes, and then at some point the rear line exploded.

"We were monitoring the failure a couple of laps before, we tried to take action, to the point where the brakes failed.

"Of course, we were surprised. One thing is what we can do better in these scenarios, and the other is obviously to understand why the brakes failed, why the brakes got hot.

"As I've said, on that the investigation is still ongoing, but we have high confidence it shouldn't happen again.

"We got a bit lucky because at Monza having a brake failure is usually not what you want to have. Mine was into Turn One where there was a lot of run off, so that was fine."

Leclerc, meanwhile, has confirmed he carries no ill-effects from his accident, which saw him hurtle off the track at the Parabolica and into a tyre barrier.

Although Leclerc was given the all clear following an examination in the medical centre at the track, he required a second check up the following day, notably as he was struggling with some discomfort in his back in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

"I'm feeling okay," said Leclerc. "I did some further medical checks on Monday, but everything is okay. I had some back pain after the crash, but already from Monday I was perfectly fine."

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