F1 | Pirelli say debris likely cause of Stroll and Verstappen crashes, as they reveal cut found in Hamilton tyre

A pair of high-speed crashes for Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and race leader Max Verstappen – from which both drivers emerged unharmed – turned the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on its head. But with both drivers appearing to have suffered left-rear blowouts, Pirelli boss Mario Isola told media after the race that he believed debris on track at Baku was the cause.

On Lap 30 of the race, Stroll had just passed the site of his Q1 crash from Saturday when he appeared to suffer a blowout near the pit entry and spun violently into the wall, bringing out a Safety Car.

Following the subsequent race restart, Verstappen was then leading with five laps to go when he suffered his own blowout going down the main straight, the Dutchman also spearing into the wall after his left-rear tyre appeared to let go.

But Pirelli’s Head of F1 and Car Racing didn’t believe that tyre wear had been the issue in either incident, with Mario Isola telling the media: “I believe I can exclude that failures were due to tyre wear, because it’s not a matter of tyre wear…. The rear-left tyre is not the most stressed tyre in Baku because… it’s obviously the rear-right.  —read more/watch the crashes—