Silverstone chaos ’shouldn’t happen’ in Germany

After the tyre-explosive British grand prix, formula one can look forward to a calmer weekend at the Nurburgring.

Pirelli has announced that in Germany it will supply teams with kevlar rather than the steel-belted tyres that exploded at Silverstone.

The Italian marque also said the teams’ habits of swapping the left and right rear tyres, and running unrecommended tyre pressures and cambers, caused the problems.

And Germany’s Bild newspaper published a photo of a sharp kerb, covered with black tyre markings, that could have contributed to the rear tyre failures seen last weekend.

Silverstone boss Derek Warwick, however, slammed as "absolute rubbish" the suggestion the Northamptonshire circuit was to blame for the chaos.

"These kerbs have been in since 2009 and we have had thousands and thousands of cars go over them and were absolutely fine," the track-owning British Racing Drivers’ Club president told Sky.

Retired F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello, however, believes the unique characteristics of Silverstone may have contributed to the tyre failures.

"The concern at Silverstone is about the high speed corners and the (effect they have on the) tyre temperatures," he told Brazil’s Totalrace.

"It shouldn’t happen at the Nurburgring," added Barrichello.

Ferrari reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa agrees.

"For sure, tyres will play a major role in Germany," the Spaniard is quoted by Speed Week.

"But in general, the tyres are less stressed at the Nurburgring than they are at Silverstone.

"For that reason alone I can’t imagine we get a repeat of the events of England," he added.

In the heat of the Silverstone tyre crisis, teams and drivers admitted a boycott of this weekend’s action in Germany was a possibility.

The Nurburgring organisers, however, are not worried.

Insisting that safety is "of course important", a spokesman for the circuit said tyre problems have nothing to do with the circuits.

"It’s up to the FIA and formula one itself to solve this problem," the spokesman told Germany’s Sport1.

"Our preparations for the weekend are uninterrupted and in full swing, and we expect that everyone will be at the start as planned on Sunday."