Bridgestone technicians have confirmed just how fortunate Mark Webber was to finish third and retain his championship lead in Sunday night’s Singapore Grand Prix, with the Australian having made contact with Lewis Hamilton and almost knocked his right-front tyre clean off its rim.
Following the Memorial Corner contact on Lap 36, Red Bull's Webber proceeded to finish behind winner Fernando Alonso and team-mate Sebastian Vettel although the extent of the Australian’s blessed escape was revealed in Parc Fermé.
“He was very, very lucky – the tyre was just five millimetres from slipping off,” Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone’s Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, explained to Autosport.
“If it had slipped off, 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.
“I have seen that happen a few times for a few laps, but for over 25 laps is incredible.”
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