Piastri and Russell debate Qatar GP tyre safety after Pirelli concerns raised
Oscar Piastri has played down fears of a 'catastrophic' tyre failure in Qatar.
Oscar Piastri and George Russell have both eased concerns there could be a “catastrophic” breakdown of tyres during the Qatar GP after the sprint race.
Long before the cars arrived in the Middle East, tyres were the focus after Pirelli announced a lap-limit for each set but even that has been suggested as not enough.
Drivers debate tyre safety after Qatar GP sprint
The adhesive nature of the Lusail International Circuit, combined with jagged pieces of gravel close to the trac,k means tyre longevity is at a premium for this weekend’s race and Pirelli’s concerns were only raised after the first day of running.
PlanetF1.com understands the FIA is monitoring the situation and could take further action ahead of Sunday’s grand prix.
For now, the drivers have been giving their verdict on the potential danger but sprint winner Piastri did not believe the tyres were on the edge of a ‘catastrophic’ collapse.
“When have you got a vibration that sort of comes from driving and not doing anything, you know, no lock ups or anything. It’s never a great sign,” he said in response to a question posed by PlanetF1.com. “I think, in terms of safety, I think it’s the front tyres that are the main problem.
“I think the risk of having a catastrophic shunt from a rear puncture is probably pretty low but whenever you’ve got to put a limit in for things like this, obviously it’s a little bit of a concern.
“But everything was fine. In the sprint there was a bit of a vibration. It’s not the first time we’ve had a vibration from just driving, but I think it should be fine. I think they’ve taken the measures.”
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Piastri was joined by George Russell who defended Pirelli, suggesting they face a tough task in creating a tyre fit for F1 racing.
“I guess when we see the tyre wear after the race, we’ll get an indication,” he said. “You see in those corners, if you probably saw a slow motion replay, the front left is all going to be sort of rolling over onto the outside edge of the tyre, and that’s the bit that’s going to give up first.
“So I think it’s required to put this limit in, because at the end of the day, if you make a tyre for a 24 race season that is specifically designed for a track like Qatar, you’ll then struggle everywhere else or you’ll have different issues everywhere else.
“So I don’t think we should be putting any heat on. Probably they’ve made the best tyre possible for 24 races, but it’s just the nature of this track being so quick, they need to introduce something like that.”
