Pirelli rule out tyre issues as cause of Kvyat accident at Silverstone

Pirelli have finished their investigation into Daniil Kvyat’s high-speed crash last week at the British Grand Prix – concluding that the AlphaTauri's wheel rim overheated as the Russian went through the Maggotts/Becketts string of corners, and the Pirelli tyre itself wasn’t the cause of the accident.

Kvyat’s off on his 12th lap of the British Grand Prix sent him spinning into the wall on the outside of the Maggotts bend, a high-speed corner that is now taken at full throttle by the drivers.

READ MORE: New kerb and tyre barrier added at Silverstone after late tyre drama and Kvyat crash in British GP

At first glance the cause of the crash appeared to be a puncture – but Pirelli sent the deflated right-rear tyre back to their laboratory in Milan to investigate. And on Thursday, ahead of the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, the findings were revealed.

“Together with Scuderia AlphaTauri, Pirelli has concluded an investigation into the precise cause of the incident that resulted in Daniil Kvyat hitting the wall during the British Grand Prix on lap 12,” a statement said.

“A separate mechanical issue led to the inside of the right-rear wheel rim overheating, which in turn burned the bead of the tyre (the part of the tyre that connects the rubber to the wheel). As a result, the bead was no longer able to seal the tyre onto the rim. This is what caused the subsequent deflation, with the tyre itself playing no part in the cause of the accident.”

Late tyre failures for race winner Lewis Hamilton as well as Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz saw a hugely dramatic finale to last week's race, but Pirelli have taken steps to reduce the likelihood of a repeat this time around by increasing tyre pressures.

READ MORE: Williams ready to 'capitalise' on softer tyre strategies at 70th anniversary GP

Furthermore some extra kerbing has been added on the exit of Becketts after concern was raised that debris might have been trapped in the kerb and contributed to the failures last week. A new tyre barrier has also been added at the spot where Kvyat hit the wall.

The tyres will also be different this weekend, as the new allocation is one step softer than at last week’s Grand Prix.