Pirelli expects high wear levels at Monza

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says notable level of wear and degradation are expected at the Italian Grand Prix.

When nominating its compounds for the final set of European races, Pirelli opted to go one step softer than usual at Monza, selecting the medium and soft tyres. Following the Belgian Grand Prix - where Sebastian Vettel's right rear tyre failed late in the race due to what Pirelli claims was it reaching the end of its wear life - Hembery says teams will have to be wary of wear levels in Italy.

“Monza is always one of the highlights of our season, with an incredible history and atmosphere," Hembery said. "We have the medium and soft compounds, a step softer than our nomination last year, which should be well suited to Monza and the emphasis on speed that this circuit always places.

"We’re expecting a fair degree of wear and degradation, so as always the work done during free practice will be very important when it comes to calculating the optimal strategy. With the two compounds potentially quite closely matched in terms of pace, this opens up a few options.

"The cars run low downforce at Monza and that actually increases the work for the tyres considerably under acceleration and braking, because with less force pushing down on top of the car, it’s the tyres that are providing all the mechanical grip. Allied to the kerbs at Monza, this provides our tyres with a wide-ranging all-round challenge, requiring consistent durability and performance."

Pirelli says it will release the full results of an investigation in to Vettel's failure at Monza this weekend.

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