Pirelli hit with fresh tyre concerns at the F1 Qatar GP

08:32, 29 Nov

byOlly Darcy

Fresh tyre concerns have hit Pirelli after Friday's free practice and sprint qualifying sessions at the Qatar Grand Prix.

"Obviously, if you expose the construction and you pass continuously on this gravel, then you can risk having a puncture.”

- Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra

It comes after several deep gravel cuts were spotted in the rubber of tyres that were inspected by the Italian company after Friday's proceedings took place at the Losail International Circuit.

As a result, there will be a ramp-up in the monitoring of the tyres from Pirelli for the rest of the weekend.

According to The Race, Pirelli's chief engineer, Simone Berra, believes that the cuts occurred due to the loose pieces of gravel that were scattered around the track and on several kerbs due to cars running wide.

Oscar Piastri took sprint race pole position on Friday at the Losail Circuit, while championship rival and teammate Lando Norris only finished P3 - Photo: Race Pictures

“I've seen a couple of cuts that were quite deep,” the Italian stated. “They reached the construction, but they didn't cut any cords, luckily.

“Obviously, if you expose the construction and you pass continuously on this gravel, then you can risk having a puncture.

“It's quite sharp because it has generated these cuts quite easily. It seems sharper than other circuits.”

Tyres continue to be a talking point

This discovery continues the discussions about tyres in Qatar this weekend after mandatory pit stops and a maximum of 25 laps per stint were enforced for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Now, the addition of new gravel beds at Turns 6, 10 and 16 appear to have not been rounded off, resulting in easy cuts and lacerations in the tyres.

But there is not so much concern from Berra and Pirelli that will result in any significant changes before Saturday's sprint race. However, the Italian admitted that Pirelli and the FIA must be observant for the rest of the weekend.

Max Verstappen could only qualify P6 during sprint qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

“At the moment, we are not, let's say, concerned. But, obviously, we need to take into account any possible implications during the sprint and during the race if the situation can create some issues with the tyres, or potentially some punctures.

“Obviously, the FIA also will monitor the situation in terms of gravel on track, and they can possibly use a red flag or a safety car to clean the track."

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