• British Grand Prix - FP3

Perez tyre issue not due to delamination

Sergio Perez suffered a blow out exiting Copse © Getty Images

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• Race:
• British Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Sergio Perez

• Teams:
• McLaren

Pirelli has revealed that Sergio Perez's tyre failure in final practice was caused by a cut to the sidewall and was not related to the previous issues it has been suffering with delaminations.

A Pirelli spokesperson confirmed the reason to ESPN but could not say exactly what had caused the cut. The remains of the tyre will be sent back to Milan for further investigation, but Pirelli is confident it is not related to its previous issues.

Perez experienced the blow out as he exited the high-speed Copse corner and the tyre debris caused damage to the floor of his car. McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said McLaren was working with Pirelli to piece the tyre together.

"When you see a tyre with that much damage on it it is really hard to tell what is cause and what is effect," Neale told ESPN. "Once the tyre loses its shape and start moving around it's free to touch bodywork and everything. Our guys are working with them as well and we're just stepping through our data and theirs. We need to get all the tyre back to see if anything is missing."

Neale explained that Perez's late spin in FP3 was caused by a balance issue, most likely a result of hasty repairs to the bodywork to get him back on track.

"He had a moment and we couldn't rebuild the car at that speed in exactly the same configuration. He had a slight balance issue and had a moment, but he'll be okay for qualifying."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.