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Monza, Italy - Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton warned on Thursday (September 3) of potential "disaster" if tyre pressures were increased substantially in response to dramatic 2015 Belgian Grand Prix blowouts two weeks ago.
Pirelli, who blamed debris and excessive usage for failures suffered by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton's Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg two weeks ago, have recommended changes to pressures and camber for the 2015 Italian GP.
NEW TYRE PRESSURE
Drivers expected an increase from 18 PSI (pounds per square inch) to 22 on the front and 21 on the rear, or even as much as 23 and 22 respectively.
Hamilton told reporters: "In terms of putting the pressures up I don't personally think it's the right way. I don't think any of us have tried five PSI more on these tyres because they're not designed to have five PSI more.
"We would be moving out of the optimum range of the tyre, we'll be using a different part of the tyre which means there will be more wear, less grip. It's going to be a disaster. So I hope they don't put five PSI more. A couple is OK."
Vettel said in the immediate aftermath of the race at Spa, when his tyre exploded on the penultimate lap, that the failures were unacceptable.
The four-times world champion, preparing for his first Italian race as a Ferrari driver after moving from Red Bull, moved to mend fences on Thursday even if he stuck to his original statement.
'GOING THE RIGHT WAY'
Vettel told a news conference: "I think it is not acceptable to have a blowout at that sort of speed, out of the blue. But I think the investigations that have been going on, the stuff that obviously has been analysed and talked about, explains some of it, maybe not all of it yet but it's still ongoing.
"The most important thing is that we make sure that we make progress. At the moment, from Pirelli's side, it looks very, very professional, they handle it with extreme care, and I think things are going the right way."
The governing FIA said it was satisfied with Pirelli's explanations while the commercial rights holder also expressed full confidence in the sole supplier bidding for a new three-year deal.
Formula 1 Management said in a statement: "We are entirely satisfied Pirelli was not at fault for any tyre-related incidents during...the Belgian Grand Prix."