Double F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen says he “can understand” why Sebastian Vettel lambasted Pirelli after suffering a high-speed tyre failure at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver was defending his third position against Lotus’ Romain Grosjean when his rear right compound suddenly went at the top of Eau Rouge on the penultimate lap of the race.
Vettel was fuming in the immediate aftermath of the incident, which triggered a public spat between his team and Formula One’s official tyre supplier.
“I can understand why a driver would react vehemently after such an issue, especially at Spa-Francorchamps where speeds are very high and a puncture is thus always dangerous,” Hakkinen said in his latest Hermes blog entry.
“I remember once in testing for McLaren in 1997, I had a suspension failure on the car going at around 330 kph on Kemmel Straight, right after Eau Rouge. When that happens at such speed, you don’t forget it easily.”
Hakkinen further explains that unexpected failures at high-speed can leave an indelible scar on the driver’s mind.
“For any racer, 80% of his performance level derive from his mental strength. If this is considerably eroded, then his self-confidence begins to falter and the effect can be seen on the lap times.”
Vettel’s misfortune was not the sole high-profile incident last weekend, with Mercedes' Nico Rosberg also having a massive moment when his right-rear tyre blew out as he approached the fast Blanchimont corner in FP2.
Click here for a lighter look at the Belgian Grand Prix, courtesy of F1i special contributor Eric Silbermann.
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