From PlanetF1.com:



Bridgestone's Hirohide Hamashima has revealed that Mark Webber was extremely lucky to finish the Singapore GP as his tyre was on the verge of coming off its rim.

Webber, who pitted on lap 4 of the 61-lap Singapore GP, suffered a collision with Lewis Hamilton on Lap 36, causing his front right tyre to come loose of its rim.

In fact, in the hours after Webber crossing the line in third place, Bridgestone inspected his tyre and found that it was just 5mm away from slipping off entirely.

"He was very, very lucky. It was just 5mm from slipping off," Bridgestone's director of motorsport tyre development Hamashima told Autosport. "If it had slipped off then the pressure would probably have gone down.

"So Mark was lucky there, but also with the track too. If there were very high-speed left hand corners here, then the tyre would have moved a little bit more and then it would have been finished."

Asked whether he had ever seen a tyre remain inflated like that in those circumstances, he said: "No. A few times I have seen it for a few laps, but over 25 laps is incredible."

 

Interesting read. Very lucky. I guess you can do a good job mounting, and balacing the wheel/tire. When you have the load shifts, and temp changes, anything can happen. One aspect that makes auto racing so interesting.

 

scerry sits

 

you need luck on your side sometime to win WDC, it seems like Mark may have that luck on his side this year

 

A very interesting read, indeed. I'm amazed that he kept his pace with a tire/wheel in that condition.

 

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