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Pirelli assure tyre safety after Rosberg blowout

Nico Rosberg has had a great qualifying session in China AP Photo/Andy Wong
Roar Guru
22nd December, 2013
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Formula One’s sole tyre supplier, Pirelli, have assured the public there are no safety concerns over the 2014 tyres, after Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg suffered a high-speed blowout during a test being conducted in Bahrain.

The incident occurred last Thursday, when four teams were taking part in a test to sample the 2014 prototype tyres.

Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and Toro Rosso were the only teams present for the test at Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.

Rosberg took to Twitter to announce he had “Just spun at full speed 320km/h on Bahrain straight cause my tyre blew up without warning. Thanks to that need to get some toilet paper now…”

Since then the tweet has been removed and a spokesperson from Pirelli made an official statement which said “This morning Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes was fitted with one of these prototypes, a tyre which had only been tested in the laboratory and which will not be proposed again.

“Thus, the safety of the tyres which will be supplied for the next championship is not in question.”

After a series of tyre failures in the middle of the year (most notably at the British Grand Prix) the FIA made it mandatory for Pirelli to conduct extra testing before 2014.

Mid-year, the Italian tyre manufacturer was forced to change its construction of the 2013 tyres back to the 2012 spec, which was considered safer.

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