Brake manufacturer Brembo has denied reports that Sebastian Vettel's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix was caused by a failure of its brake system.
The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his left-front wheel. Brembo – Red Bull's brake supplier – issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes. The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the left-front axle and wheel has been lost.
"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," the company said. "Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the left-front axle and wheel was lost.
"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pit stop, as well as other possible causes of the fault. The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."