Pirelli say not their fault

Pirelli have ruled out a structural failure of one of their tyres as the cause for Sebastian Vettel’s puncture in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi GP.

The incident occurred just two corners into the 55-lap race, forcing the double world champion off track and causing suspension damage that led to him retiring for the first time in 20 grands prix.

Pirelli chief Paul Hembery said: “We can confirm a structural failure was not the cause of Sebastian’s deflation in Abu Dhabi. It is a conclusion we have arrived at together with Red Bull Racing following a detailed examination and analysis of the remains of the tyre.

“We cannot rule out debris causing damage to the tyre, which then provoked a deflation, but having looked at the track closely there is no direct evidence of this.”