Amid exploding tyres, Nico wins in Silverstone
SILVERSTONE: Nico Rosberg won, but his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton took as many plaudits when he recovered from a massive tyre explosion to finish fourth in a thrilling British GP at Silverstone on Sunday.
In a race marred by four tyre failures and two Safety Car interventions, Hamilton lost the lead before fighting back from last place and then led the calls for urgent attention to this year’s controversial problems with the fastfailing low-durability Pirelli tyres.
“The safety is the biggest issue, it’s unacceptable...,” said the 28year-old 2008 world champion.
“We had that tyre test (in Spain in May) to improve the tyre and to have four blowouts is unacceptable. It’s only when someone gets hurt that someone will be doing something about it. I think it’s a waste of time talking to the FIA, and if they don’t do anything that says a lot about them.”
SAFETY CONCERNS
His former team-mate Jenson Button of McLaren concurred: “There is nothing to be said — everyone can see what happened.”
Button, the 2009 world champion but who has never won his home race in 14 years, said that the tyres issue had to be sorted out.
“We’ve had five tyres fail over the last few days, so it’s a big issue and something that needs to be sorted out.
“It doesn’t change how you drive, but of course it’s on your mind. Happening at 300 kph, like for Checo (Perez), it’s not right. It’s not just dangerous for the driver in the car, it’s dangerous for all the other cars.
“The cars behind get hit by rubber that has metal in it. It’s got to change. I don’t think anything needs to be said. We all know the situation.”
As the drivers’ reflected on the dangers of Pirelli’s succession of tyre failures in the aftermath of the race, and the controversy that followed Mercedes’ ‘secret’ test with Pirelli last month in Spain, the FIA’s president Frenchman Jean Todt held emergency meetings with the Italian suppliers.
Rosberg had words of conso- lation for Hamilton.
“With Lewis, I feel sorry for all the British fans,” said the German, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday. “It would have been great for Lewis. It’s always a massive disappointment, but that’s racing. Sebastian (Vettel) stopped, I won’t lie, I wasn’t disappointed by that one. From then on, it was just a great race.”
Rosberg survived huge late pressure from retirement-bound Australian Mark Webber of Red Bull to claim his second win of the season.
It was Mercedes’ first victory in Britain since Stirling Moss won in 1955 at Aintree and Rosberg’s second in three races and third of his career.
Rosberg, who won earlier in the season in Monaco, said it was a wonderful moment for him to win a race his Finnish father the 1982 world champion Keke never won.