Pirelli and Ferrari to 'clear the air' at Monza

Following Sebastian Vettel's scathing attack on Pirelli after last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari's Maurizio Arrivabene and James Allison will meet with Pirelli's Paul Hembery next week when Formula 1 sets up shop at Monza.

Ferrari defended Vettel's one-stop strategy which led to the German's rear tyre failure at the exit of Eau Rouge on the penultimate lap of the race, but Hembery believes the Scuderia took a gamble and made clear that 'pure wear' was the root cause of Vettel's demise at Spa.

While Pirelli's racing boss says he understands Vettel outburst, as the failure cost him a place on the podium and could have led to dire consequences had it occurred through Eau Rouge, Hembery refuses to concede any ground with regard to the company's accountability associated with the incident.

"We're always the stupid ones," Hembery told Germany's Bild. "The engineers push the cars to narrower limits, at the expense of the tyres. We must now consider whether to impose a limit on the number of laps for each compound."

Pirelli vowed to steady the conflict however, and meet with Ferrari's representatives at Monza in order to 'clear the air'.

"Our aim is to always have a good cooperation with Ferrari," commented Hembery. "So we'll sit down at a table and find the solution."

In the interim, Ferrari will also look into the matter on its side. “We first want to do some checking on the technical side," emphasized Arrivabene, "because we want to be fair and certainly not open an argument between us and Pirelli.”

Click here for Sunday's gallery of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. 

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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