Pirelli responds to Verstappen comments: "Max can say what he wants"

New rear tyres for the remainder of the 2021 season were tested in Austria on Friday. Pirelli hopes to use the new rubber as early as the British Grand Prix to ensure that rear tyres don't explode like Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll did at the Baku City Circuit.

Verstappen was very clear in his words when the Italian tyre supplier revealed that it wanted to introduce new rear tyres in Formula One. The Red Bull Racing driver questioned why Pirelli would want to do that if they were so sure it was not their fault in Azerbaijan, but that of the teams. Pirelli said that the incidents took place because of tampering with the tyre pressures.

Pirelli conducts its own investigation

That was the conclusion of the investigation that was started after the crashes. Pirelli's investigation showed that Pirelli wasn't the culprit. The Telegraph Mario Isola asked why there was no independent party who did the investigation. "I get that people think this. But the reality is that we have all the tools, machines and the experience. And it's not like we sent in one A4 sheet with a nice little story and a conclusion."

The Italian top executive further argues that there is sufficient ground to prove that the report contains factual truths. "No, it was twenty pages of evidence. We are a professional company and we represent the Pirelli brand. Let me say first of all that something like what happened in Baku should not happen. And especially in Formula 1 the stress after something like that is enormous. Then it's up to us to react quickly and come up with a solution."

Isola not angry with Verstappen

And what does he think of the statements of Verstappen, who clearly believes that Pirelli is to blame? "Max can say what he wants, of course. Drivers can ask me anything and I will always answer them. In my opinion, we have been very transparent during and after our investigation after the blowouts in Baku", Isola said.