Pirelli and the FIA find no cause for tyre blow-outs, but they do find a new test

Although Pirelli have not come up with a clear cause for the tyre blowouts in Azerbaijan, it seems clear what direction they are thinking in. The FIA has introduced a new test to check the pressure of the tyres after a session.

Blown tyre in Azerbaijan

Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to a blowout, and at full speed on the straight, it could have turned out very differently. Pirelli came out with the results of the investigation on Tuesday, but to the dismay of many presented no clear cause.

In a technical regulation sent to the teams prior to the race at Paul Ricard, the FIA said that it had Motorsport.com the teams that it is their responsibility to adhere to the tyre pressures prescribed by Pirelli. So it seems that the FIA and Pirelli suspect teams to have less pressure in the tyres than prescribed, which caused the bursts.

New FIA test

They can't prove it though, and teams will never admit it. The FIA and Pirelli are now trying another way to get more insight into the tyre pressures. Until now it was only a pre-session check, but now also after a session tyres are randomly selected to be checked on the correct pressure.

Teams would then no longer be able to cheat with the tyre pressure, which will especially be the case during longer races. The new checks by the FIA come a year before it should become completely clear. In fact, from 2022, there will be a fixed system on the car that will allow the FIA and Pirelli to monitor the tyres at any time, and see if the guidelines are being met.