Pirelli boss reveals 'frustration' of criticism in wake of blowouts

Pirelli

Pirelli boss reveals 'frustration' of criticism in wake of blowouts

Verstappen was highly critical of Pirelli in the aftermath of his failure

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Sunday 20 June 2021 12:30

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Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola has conceded criticism of the Italian tyre company in the wake of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix blowouts has been "frustrating".

Max Verstappen, who was robbed of victory in Baku by a tyre failure, was critical of Pirelli in the immediate aftermath and following the conclusion of the investigation, claiming the findings were "vague".

Pirelli's conclusion from the events in the Azeri capital stated there was no sign of tyre fatigue or delamination, instead claiming the teams concerned - Red Bull and Aston Martin - were running pressures beyond expectations but not illegally.

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Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton stood by Pirelli, insisting the failures were not the supplier's fault whilst seemingly insinuating teams had been pushing the boundaries of the parameters given.

"It is not my job to define whether [the teams] were running outside the rules or within the rules," said Isola.

"What is important is that we supply the product and we ensure the product is in the framework that is necessary to operate the tyres in the right condition.

"Is it frustrating? Sometimes it is but for me, from Baku, not only for me but for the whole Pirelli team, was to identify the causes of the failures and to come to Paul Ricard with actions in place to guarantee that this doesn't happen again.

"This was my priority. I have read a lot of stuff from the media and obviously, not all are very nice to read but it is what it is. My priority was to find the real causes."

Pirelli can only "rely on data" given by teams

The suggestion that tyre pressure restrictions have been flaunted is not a new theory in the Pirelli era, with Mercedes investigated at the 2015 Italian Grand Prix for breaching minimum tyre pressures pre-race.

Asked what tricks the teams could do to push the boundaries, Isola responded: "That's a question for the teams.

"What I can answer is we receive data from all the teams, this was a package that was agreed some years ago.

"We receive simulations, we make our assumptions, we come back with a preview with prescriptions. We check what happened during the races but we have the data a couple of days later.

"We react accordingly, adapting our prescriptions to the data that we receive. Then, if we see that there is a parameter that is not in line with our expectation then obviously, we ask ourselves what can be.

"At the end of the day, we have to rely on the data that has been given. We cannot find what the teams are doing or are not doing."