Ferrari blew whistle on tyres
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The FIA have confirmed that it was Ferrari who tipped them off about the tyre dispute that has rocked Formula One.
Ferrari, which uses Bridgestone tyres, believes Michelin-using rivals Williams and McLaren have been gaining a performance advantage from the rubber.
At the last Grand Prix in Hungary, Ferrari, who saw the lead in the title race of their reigning champion, Michael Schumacher, reduced to a single point with three races left, complained to the FIA technical delegate, Charlie Whiting.
In a statement, the FIA said: "As Ferrari have confirmed, it was they who pointed out to the FIA Technical Delegate that tyres which had a tread width of 270mm when new, appeared to be using a greater tread width when in use. Having checked this information, Charlie Whiting warned the relevant tyre company informally immediately after the race in Hungary. On his return to the office three days later he wrote to inform all the teams.
"The rules are not concerned with parts of the tyre which make occasional contact with the track or kerbs, but parts which are in regular or systematic contact with the track and thus constitute tread. There is reason to believe that the tyres in question may not be identical to those in use at the start of the season. There may also have been changes to car set-up, ie changes to the way the tyres were being used.
"The tyres in question either comply with the regulation or they do not."
Ferrari's technical director, Ross Brawn, was quoted as saying yesterday: "It was us who told the FIA at the end of the race that their treads were too big, we are not going to accept losing this way anymore."
He added that photographs obtained by Bridgestone "showed in an unequivocal way that the front Michelin tyres had an excessively large tread at the end of the race or after being used".
*Ralf Schumacher was sent home yesterday after being discharged from hospital following a crash on Tuesday in testing at Monza in preparation for the Grand Prix there on 14 September.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments