Here Is Proof That Not All Race Tyres Are Evil

This weekend's German Grand Prix saw Sebastien Vettel continue his charge towards the title, but if the on-track action has become predictable, incidents around the track kept the audiences interested. For a nation renowned for having no sense of humour, the Germans certainly provided a race that was a comedy of errors.

Marussia have continued their charge of mediocrity, but their advertisers got some much needed airtime after a massive engine blowout. Not content with holding up the pack briefly, Jules Bianchi made a schoolboy error and forgot to engage the handbrake on a hill. After running away from his fiery ride, gravity took control and rolled his car back across the track, as a recovery tractor looked on helplessly.

Fortunately nothing was in its path, which cannot be said of Mark Webber's loose wheel. On lap 9, the Australian stopped for a change of tyres, but his right rear wouldn't budge. As the engineers flapped about trying to remove it, the man in control of releasing Webber thought they'd given the all clear. The untethered tyre immediately broke loose, sending rival pit crews scampering for cover.

Camera man Paul Allen works for the official F1 television production company, FOM. Standing in the pits, the Brit was filming a pitting Lotus when the tyre struck him on the back. The impact was sickening, and Allen was immediately carted off to hospital where he was found to have a broken collar bone and cracked ribs.

In light of this incident, and Pirelli's minor issues with exploding rubber, we fear tyres are getting a bad name. We endeavour to cover all topics in a fair, unbiased manner, so here we present to you further proof that tyres are evil renegades, but, like with humans, they can be well behaved when the mood suits them.

First up we have evidence that destructive tyres have been around for a while. At what appears to be a '90s Formula Something street track, a driver loses a wheel in a fast right hander. Hurtling straight on at the next hairpin, the tyre hits a safety wall and is launched over the outside catch fencing onto the road outside. Crossing the road without looking both ways, the tyre lands on the roof of a parked car, smashing the rear screen and causing expensive damage to the roof.

But they're not all bad. This tyre at an Australian V8 Supercars race in 2008 just wanted a relaxing afternoon chilling with its buddies trackside. After breaking loose from its Ford Falcon and rolling down the track, it manages to keep nicely off the racing line. As it approaches the chicane, our friendly tyre waits until a group of battling racers have passed before rolling in behind them, jumping the kerb and joining its friends.

So there you have it, don't hate on tyres, they're just misunderstood.