Sebastian Vettel Puts Pirelli Row Behind him, for Now

Sebastian Vettel put his row with Pirelli behind him, at least for now, on Thursday after the Italian rubber company released the findings of its investigation into the cause of his high-speed tyre failure during last month's Belgian Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion, who suffered a spectacular puncture on the penultimate lap as he tried to exploit Ferrari's one-stop strategy, said Pirelli had done a very professional job, adding that he was satisfied and it was now time "to move forward".

Fellow-German Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, who also suffered a high-speed puncture, said he was confident that Pirelli had done what was necessary.

"This has been done with extreme precision and a lot of energy has gone into it," he said.

Pirelli said the spate of tyre failures was due to "exceptional circumstances" and said it had recorded 63 cuts in tyres at Spa-Francorchamps, compared to an average of 1.2 cuts per circuit at the previous 15 events.

Both drivers maintained their position, with some reservations, when answering a series of questions during a pre-race news conference ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, the fastest race of the season.

"I said in Belgium that it was not acceptable to have a blow-out at that speed just out of the blue," said Vettel, who was running third when he suffered his puncture.

"But this is on-going and now the most important thing is to make progress. Pirelli have been very professional and taken great care and this is going the right way."

He added that after discussions with Pirelli he was expecting to run with reduced tyre pressure and a change to the camber of his tyres in this weekend's event.

"It's one thing, this is for the short-term," he explained. "But I think that long-term, we really need to understand what has happened."

Both the sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA) and Pirelli issued statements on Thursday as the F1 circus gathered in a crowded paddock at Monza.

The FIA said it was "satisfied with the thoroughness" of the Pirelli probe and the conclusions and that it "is willing to consider any safety recommendations made by the tyre supplier for the Italian GP and for the remainder of the season."

Pirelli said: "Tests have shown that the failures at Spa were down to the exceptional combined effect of debris on the track and prolonged tyre usage on a circuit that is particularly demanding."

It added: "Since the start of 2015, 13,748 slick tyres have been used, including on especially severe tracks like Sepang, Barcelona and Silverstone. No problems have ever been discovered, underlining the fundamental solidity of the product."

Pirelli added that due to the "the exceptional number of cuts to the tyres" found after qualifying, in Belgium, it asked for the circuit to be cleaned and now proposes "a study to evaluate the way in which circuits can be cleaned most effectively."

It added, in a passage that pointed to Ferrari's risky strategy, also that Vettel had only 30 per cent of his tread remaining on his tyre at the time of his puncture, "making it more susceptible to damage from small pieces of debris."