Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene insists Sebastian Vettel's one-stop strategy in the Belgian Grand Prix "was absolutely right".
Vettel was running in third place on a set of 28-lap old medium tyres when his right rear failed just after the exit of Eau Rouge on the penultimate lap. With Vettel furious with Pirelli for the failure, Pirelli hit back by saying he was trying to run too long on one set of tyres.
Arrivabene insists Ferrari was right to try and complete a one-stop race, saying there was "zero warning" from Pirelli prior to the incident that it could be a risk.
"The strategy was absolutely right – the one-stop," Arriabene said. "I want to clear up immediately that when we do the strategy we have the data and the data is based on the strategy. Just to clear up that point. Seb, of course, was disappointed. When you are one and a half laps from third position on the podium and you are going to lose it suddenly, of course you are disappointed.
"I tell you, the strategy normally, even if aggressive is based on clear data that you have, so you are not so stupid or so crazy to take a risk for the driver if you are not reading the data quite right. Don’t worry, our job was right."
And Arrivabene says it wasn't a case of Ferrari reacting to the race situation with its strategy, having agreed on the one-stop on Sunday morning.
"It was our Plan A strategy – the main plan before the race. We decided that at 11 o’clock [in the] morning. Precisely. Normally, when you do the strategy at that time during the strategy meeting it is based on data that you have in your hands."
Vettel livid at 'bullshit' from Pirelli after failure
Click here for Sunday's gallery of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
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