Rosberg’s 320 km/h Incident – Pirelli Speaks Out
Nico Rosberg mentioned an incident during the Pirelli private tests through a concerning tweet. This Thursday, December 19, the German driver experienced a loss of control of his Mercedes "at full speed at 320 km/h [...] on a straight" due to "a tire blowout, without warning."
Rosberg had quite a scare on the Bahrain circuit. He ended his message with “now I need toilet paper.” It’s the only explanation for the accident. The tweet was deleted shortly after.
Very little information filters out about these very private tests in which Red Bull, Ferrari, and Toro Rosso participated. Secrecy is the golden rule, as confirmed by a Pirelli spokesperson: “The Bahrain test is a private tire test, so the vast majority of data extracted is confidential.” However, due to the seriousness of the situation, the FIA is said to have requested explanations from the Italian manufacturer. The Federation was present during these test days at the Sakhir circuit to ensure compliance with the defined rules, such as the use of 2013 cars and not those under development.
Several prototypes of tires (new structures, new components) have been used by the different teams. This allows Pirelli to save time on technological choices to follow for 2014.
While awaiting the results of the investigation, which will be communicated to the FIA and the teams, a Pirelli representative provided some details. Nico Rosberg was participating in a safety test with one of these prototypes, a tire only tested in the lab and which will no longer be used. Similarly, according to the BBC, these safety tests will no longer be conducted on track. They will be carried out on test benches before being used on the circuit to evaluate reliability and performance.
These private tests were reintroduced at the insistent request of Pirelli, for whom these real-world tests are essential for the development of the 2014 Formula One tire. No one wants to see those dangerous tire blowouts during races that were witnessed in 2013. Especially not Pirelli, whose brand image took a hit. Furthermore, the arrival of the turbo complicates the lives of the Italian company’s engineers. With greater torque than the naturally aspirated V8, the new engine will impose greater stresses on the drivetrain. The 2014 regulations confirmed that Pirelli would be the sole manufacturer for F1 for the next three seasons.
Nico Rosberg gets away with a big scare. As for the Mercedes team, the damage caused to the car prematurely halted their test day. Pirelli’s testing schedule is maintained.
