Pirelli blame ‘abnormal conditions’ for Vettel crash

Paul Hembery has downplayed suggestions that Pirelli’s wet weather tyres are not up to scratch, insisting Sebastian Vettel’s recent crash was the result of “extremely abnormal conditions.”

Vettel was reportedly left bruised when he crashed into a barrier at Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit.

The German was putting Pirelli’s 2017 wet weather tyres through their paces on the artificially wet track when he lost control and crashed into the barriers approaching the fast left-hander.

The crash has raised concerns about Pirelli’s tyres, which last year came in for a great deal of criticism as they were unable to cope with heavy rain.

Hembery, though, is adamant that it was only “extremely abnormal conditions” that factored in the crash.

“It was very cold on that day,” F1i reports the Pirelli motorsport boss as having told German broadcaster RTL. “It was extremely abnormal conditions that made testing very difficult and delicate.

“It was only 4 degrees, which is unusual. To get the tyres to work in those temperatures is the problem.

“The biggest challenge for us is not having seen the new cars. We’ll probably only see if our data corresponds to reality on Saturday night in Melbourne.”