• As expected, the re-worked Albert Park track was very ‘green’ and slippery at the start of the weekend, with the cars sliding a lot on the untreated new asphalt and a high degree of track evolution as more rubber was laid onto the surface. Ferrari led the way in both sessions, with Charles Leclerc setting the best time of the day in FP2 using the P Zero Red soft: 1m18.978s.
• The track conditions led to some graining as the cars struggled for grip in comparatively cool weather: the afternoon FP2 session got underway in ambient temperatures of 21 degrees centigrade and track temperatures of 30 degrees centigrade. Although it was cloudy, there was no rain ­– and it's likely to stay dry for the rest of the weekend.
• Two key elements that all the teams focussed on today was learning the new layout of the circuit and assessing the performance of the different nominated compounds – with a bigger step than usual between the medium and soft compounds this weekend.
• So far, the performance gap between the P Zero White hard tyre and the P Zero Yellow medium is in the region of 0.8 seconds, with a similar difference between the medium and the soft. With track evolution remaining high, that could still come down in the next two days.

 
“Today was an interesting day as we saw the new track layout in action for the first time and also the teams trying out the bigger step in the compounds between medium and soft. This has turned out to be the right nomination this weekend so far, given the performance gaps we measured between the tyres today, so that’s something we might do again at other races in future. We observed some graining on the medium and soft in particular during both sessions. As this obviously has a direct effect on degradation, managing it will be a key element to the race strategy; although we’d probably expect the teams to focus on the two harder compounds, using the soft for qualifying. With the track evolution here, we’ve not quite seen the full picture yet so the final data we get from FP3 tomorrow will also be important in terms of strategy.”

• Ferrari’s championship leader Charles Leclerc went fastest on the P Zero Red soft C4 tyre today thanks to a lap time of 1m30.074s in FP2. Leclerc was also quickest in FP1 on the same compound, both times preceding Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who set the second fastest time in FP1 using the P Zero White hard C2 and in FP2 using the P Zero Yellow medium C3. 
• FP2, which took place three hours later than FP1 in track conditions that were around 10 degrees cooler, was the most representative practice session, run in similar conditions to those expected for qualifying and the race with temperatures of 22 degrees centigrade ambient and of 29 degrees track at the slightly delayed start. 
• The drivers used the two hour-long free practice sessions to get to grips with new 18-inch tyres on this track, which has been slightly modified since the last visit to Jeddah four months ago. Strong to moderate gusts of wind affected the aerodynamic balance in FP1 and FP2, while dust and sand on the track reduced grip, causing some graining on the soft compound in particular. 
• So far, there’s an estimated performance gap of around 0.9 seconds between the hard and medium compounds, and 0.6 seconds between the medium and soft: the latter slightly higher than expected. 

 
“It’s hard to get an exact read on tyre performance as there was plenty of track evolution today, in FP1 and also in FP2, with sand blowing onto the track and the cars sliding around, especially at the start of each session. We saw some graining throughout the day, particularly on the softer compound, due to the track layout here with big lateral loads and sand reducing the grip. That obviously increased degradation and wear; even though certain drivers were still able to control it well. The track evolution we saw today should continue, especially if the wind calms down. We’ve seen the majority of long runs on the medium tyre, which the teams probably consider to be a strong race tyre along with the hard, which showed plenty of consistency. The soft is probably less suited to this circuit as the graining will lead to increased degradation, but it's only Friday and we’re yet to see the full picture this weekend.”

MP Motorsport’s Felipe Drugovich was the fastest Formula 2 driver of the day, claiming pole position in the evening qualifying session after also going fastest in the afternoon free practice. All the drivers used two sets of P Zero Red soft tyre throughout qualifying, which was interrupted by three red flags. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Jake Hughes was quickest before the first two stoppages, but he was then toppled by Drugovich in the final five-minute sprint. Hughes eventually qualified P10, which means that he will be on pole for tomorrow’s sprint race.
In the hotter free practice session this afternoon, which was shortened by two red flags as well, all drivers used the P Zero Yellow medium, nominated alongside the soft this weekend. Both compounds provided good levels of grip, but the delays restricted opportunities for drivers to maximise their performance on the soft and learn more about the medium. In terms of performance, there was only a small gap observed between the two nominated compounds.

• Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was quickest in free practice today, going fastest in FP2 on the P Zero Red soft C3 tyre with a time of 1m31.936s, ahead of both Ferraris. The AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly topped the time sheets in FP1 on the same compound.
• The FP2 session, which in Bahrain is usually most representative of qualifying and the race, got underway at 6pm today but temperatures were cooler than those usually seen in Bahrain (at 18 degrees centigrade ambient and 22 degrees on track) with the race expected to take place in warmer conditions. The drivers used mainly the hard compound during FP1, while in FP2 they focussed on the medium and soft; considering them as probably the best options for the race.
•  The tyres showed good levels of degradation that were lower than expected, and no graining in the relatively cool conditions of FP2 in the evening.
• Although it’s still early in the weekend, with plenty of track evolution still to come, the gaps between the compounds are in the region of one second per lap between the hard C1 and medium C2, and approximately 1.2 seconds per lap between the medium C2 and soft C3: a wider gap than the agreed targets.

 
“Conditions in the key FP2 session were quite cool, while the race will probably take place in warmer temperatures. The performance gaps between the compounds are definitely bigger than the targets agreed and it will be interesting to see what effect this has on strategy, when it comes to deciding whether to use the soft or the medium tyre to start the race. We saw no graining in the cool conditions of FP2, despite the abrasive surface in Bahrain. Although they had a brand new package, the teams carried out their usual run plans this evening, with performance runs at the beginning of FP2 before concentrating on long runs in the final part. The FP2 lap times so far look impressive, with the cars only around 1.2 seconds off the equivalent times from the same session last season – when they had a compound that was one step softer than this year.”

• The Formula 2 pole was taken by Virtuosi driver Jack Doohan using the P Zero Red soft compound (nominated together with the P Zero White hard this weekend). The 2022 drivers took to the track for the first time for free practice in the much warmer conditions of the afternoon, with MP Motorsport’s Felipe Drugovich going fastest on the hard, which showed a considerable performance gap to the soft; a pivotal consideration in terms of race strategy.
• Van Amersfoort Racing and Frankie Colapinto – both making their Formula 3 debut – claimed pole in Bahrain, using the P Zero White hard tyre that has been nominated this weekend. Trident driver Roman Stanek was second, having gone fastest in free practice earlier. Carlin’s Zak O’Sullivan qualified 12^th and so will start from reverse grid pole for tomorrow’s opening race. The hard provided a one-lap peak of performance in qualifying, while still performing consistently over longer runs.

MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“We’re pleased with how these two days of testing went, and with the behaviour of the new 18-inch tyre in general. Today marked the final chapter in a development story that started back in 2019, leading to a completely new range of tyres and compounds for 2022. We saw some graining during the first day on the front tyres that led to a bit of understeer: especially with the softer compounds, which were run most often as they were best suited to this track. After analysing the data from day one, we saw it was possible to reduce the front tyre pressure by 1.5 psi, which improved the situation – particularly for the C3 compound. But we need to keep in mind that mule cars were used and that the goal of this test was to allow the teams a chance to gather data to analyse over the winter. We’ll only get a true picture at the start of next year, when the teams will be able to test these tyres with 2022 cars, which will have completely different aerodynamics, different brakes, and wheel rim covers as well. According to the latest simulations from the teams, the new cars will be around five tenths of a second slower than the current cars: a gap that they will probably manage to overcome anyway by the end of next season. Throughout the course of next year, we have 25 test days scheduled that will allow us to refine the tyres, if necessary, for the following season. So now, all that’s left to do is wait to see the new 18-inch tyres in action on the latest cars!”

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his first world title in dramatic fashion at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with three pit stops: taking the lead on the final lap after stopping for P Zero Red soft tyres during a safety car.
• Verstappen started from pole on the soft compound but was passed by his title rival Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) who began the race on the P Zero Yellow medium. Verstappen was the first of the two to make his stop from soft to P Zero White hard on lap 13, followed one lap later by Hamilton, who switched from medium to hard. Verstappen then made a second stop for hard tyres under a virtual safety car on lap 36 before his third and final stop for softs under a full safety car with five laps to go.
• There was a wide variety of strategies seen throughout the race, with five different run plans in the top five at the finish, influenced also by the safety car periods.
• Eight drivers – including the polesitter – began the race on the soft compound, with nine on the medium and just two (AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Alpine driver Fernando Alonso) on the hard tyre: both of whom finished in the points.
• The race got underway in warm and dry conditions with 28 degrees centigrade asphalt and 25 degrees ambient: similar to qualifying and staying consistent to the finish.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C3: Instrumental to the race, this compound completed some long stints while offering very good and consistent performance; also allowing Verstappen to set the fastest race lap. The two drivers who started on the hard completed a 36-lap stint on them with full fuel while Hamilton did 44 laps on this tyre, with low wear and degradation.
• MEDIUM C4: Used during the first stint by around half the field, with Hamilton able to take the lead off the line on this compound. His team mate Valtteri Bottas did 30 laps on them during his opening stint (a total of 35 laps on that set, as it was also used in qualifying).
• SOFT C5: With similar behaviour to the medium, this proved key to Verstappen’s title and win, when he used it for the final racing lap to move in front after the safety car re-start. This compound performed in line with expectations, with very few signs of abrasion.

FORMULA 2: FEATURE RACE AND SPRINT RACE

In the second 23-lap Sprint Race held on Saturday evening, UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou won ahead of Prema’s Robert Shwartzman and Campos driver Ralph Boschung. The drivers all used the P Zero Yellow medium tyre but the fastest lap was set by DAMS driver Roy Nissany, who boxed to put on the P Zero Purple supersoft.
Half of the drivers began the 33-lap F2 Feature Race, which took place before the Formula 1 Grand Prix and features a compulsory pit-stop, on the supersoft compound, with the other half choosing the alternative strategy by starting on the medium. Piastri reclaimed the lead to win, having started from pole, with UNI-Virtuosi’s Felipe Drugovich in third on the alternative strategy. Both compounds performed well, as per expectations.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“We had a tense and strategic battle for the championship, when a virtual safety car and then a full safety car provided two pivotal moments. Max Verstappen pitted for new tyres on each occasion and tried to hunt down Lewis Hamilton, who stayed out and managed his tyres well to the finish, but could do nothing about the effect of Verstappen’s fresh soft tyres on the final lap. From the beginning, the two title protagonists had diverging strategies, starting on different compounds and adopting different strategies, which we saw all the way down the field; thanks also to the unpredictable nature of this race. All three compounds played an important role, standing up extremely well to the challenge of this new track layout and contributing to a thrilling finale. Congratulations to Max Verstappen for his first title and to Mercedes for clinching the constructors’ championship. It’s been an absolutely incredible season with some of the most intense competition we can remember: a fitting way to close the chapter on 13-inch tyres before starting a new one with 18 inches.”

Although the Yas Marina circuit now has a faster and more flowing layout that puts more lateral energy through the tyres than before, a one-stopper is still the fastest way to approach the 58-lap race (the total distance has been increased by three laps compared to previous seasons, on account of the shorter lap).
Both medium to hard, as well as soft to hard, are about as quick as each other over the full race distance. Starting on the soft helps to enable a quick getaway – which could be an advantage on a circuit where track position is still important – but starting on the medium gives a bit more flexibility around the pit stop window.
A two-stopper is slower but might play a role if there is a safety car. In this case using all three compounds could be an option or (for the drivers with two medium sets available) an opening and closing stint on medium with a middle stint on hard.

FOCUS ON

• Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took pole position on the P Zero Red soft C5, setting the track record for the remodelled Abu Dhabi circuit on his first Q3 run. Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez will start the race on the same compound, as both used the soft to set their fastest times in Q2. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s title rival Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas will start on the medium C4.
• The two teams fighting for the world title have consequently opted for two different race strategies, with Red Bull aiming to take advantage of the speed of the soft at the start. If Verstappen manages to keep the lead, he will be advantaged by running in free air and not having to follow anyone: meaning that he can maintain a consistent load through the tyres and reduce overheating.
• In total, three drivers in the top 10 of the grid will be starting the race on the medium: both Mercedes plus the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda.
• Qualifying got underway with 27 degrees centigrade ambient and 29 degrees on track. Temperatures fell slightly over the course of the hour-long session as sunset turned into evening.
• All the drivers ran the soft tyres in Q1 and Q3 apart from Ferrari, which also used the medium for the first runs in Q1.

FORMULA 2: RACE 1

The opening 23-lap sprint race was won by Carlin driver Jehan Daruvala from reverse grid pole, with the entire field using the Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium tyre for a race that was held in the hot conditions of the afternoon with no compulsory pit stops. By virtue of qualifying first yesterday, Prema’s Oscar Piastri started from P10 but worked his way up the field, managing his tyres perfectly, to eventually finish third ahead of his team mate Robert Shwartzman and claim this year’s Formula 2 title: one year after clinching the Formula 3 title in 2020. The medium was a flexible tyre that performed well in these challenging conditions, requiring a moderate degree of management to avoid abrasions.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“This was an interesting qualifying session where tyre choice played a key role. We’ve seen a mixture of tactics, with the two title protagonists starting on different compounds and set to follow different strategies at the championship decider tomorrow. On paper, a one-stopper using the hard for the second stint is the fastest way. In theory, the soft should give a slight advantage off the line but the medium-hard combination should be a slightly faster option overall. If Max Verstappen manages to keep the lead off the grid, he can run in free air and reduce overheating by maintaining a consistent load through the tyres. We’re expecting a tactically intriguing race, where tyre management will definitely be a factor. Last but not least, I’d like to congratulate Prema and Oscar Piastri for winning the F2 title in such spectacular fashion earlier today, and Max Verstappen for being the poleman of the year, with 10 Pirelli Pole Position awards.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• After Friday free practice at the amended Abu Dhabi circuit for the title decider, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has gone quickest on the P Zero Red soft C5 tyres, with a best FP2 time of 1m23.691s. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was second-fastest in FP2, also on the soft tyres, while Hamilton’s title rival Max Verstappen was fourth after going fastest in FP1 on the same compound.
• The Yas Marina circuit has been redesigned since last year, with five fewer corners and a more flowing layout to aid overtaking. As a result, the fastest FP2 time was around 13 seconds faster than the equivalent time last year.
• The new circuit layout puts more energy through the tyres, shifting the emphasis towards lateral loads rather than traction and braking.
• The second free practice session, held in the evening, was the only representative session before qualifying, with track temperatures of 29 degrees centigrade and ambient temperatures of 27 degrees at the start. This was about 10 degrees cooler than the track temperatures in FP1.
• The soft tyre, which is not considered key to the race by the teams, was most often used in FP1 as the drivers learned the new circuit and asphalt. During FP2 they focussed on a comparison between the soft and medium compounds, mainly doing short stints.
• The performance gaps so far between the compounds on this new layout are an estimated 0.4 seconds between the P Zero White hard and P Zero Yellow medium, while the gap between the medium and soft is a bit bigger than expected at around 0.6 seconds.

FORMULA 2: LATEST NEWS

Qualifying for Formula 2 took place straight after free practice in Formula 1, with Prema’s championship leader Oscar Piastri going fastest on the P Zero Purple supersoft, used by all the drivers, to claim pole for Sunday’s feature race. Jack Doohan, the son of bike legend Mick Doohan, was runner-up in only his second F2 qualifying session, after switching from Formula 3.
Piastri also set the best time in free practice earlier on the P Zero Yellow medium tyres – nominated as the other choice this weekend and providing good grip – with only 0.035 seconds separating the top three in the single free practice session.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The FP1 session was all about familiarisation with the new circuit layout and the fresh asphalt on the new sections using the soft tyres, while the more representative conditions of FP2 allowed the teams to concentrate more on realistic race and qualifying simulations using both soft and medium compounds for a direct comparison. There was some abrasion on the softest compound in the morning with higher temperatures, which as usual improved with more running and a high degree of track evolution – thanks also to the support races. The track is obviously faster than last year, putting more energy through the tyres. Of some concern here are the kerbs, especially at exit of turns 5 and 9, as they are quite high and pointed. We are talking with the FIA about this, in order to avoid anything unexpected over the weekend.”

Pirelli first ran an 18-inch tyre on a Formula 1 car back in 2014, at a test at Silverstone with Lotus reserve driver Charles Pic. Initially, Formula 1 planned to adopt 18-inch tyres from 2021 as part of a package of new technical regulations but this was pushed back to 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, Pirelli successfully ran 18-inch tyres in Formula 2 since the 2020 season and completed 36 days of 18-inch testing with Formula 1 cars that were modified to accommodate the new size.

Tyres in 13-inch size have raced for nearly the entire history of the championship to date, from the 1960s. Nonetheless, at the time – and into the subsequent decade – there was still a lot of regulatory freedom around wheel size. In the 1980s, 13 inches finally became the definitive size. Pirelli first ran a 13-inch tyre in Formula 1 at the 1981 San Marino Grand Prix with the Toleman team consisting of Brian Henton and Derek Warwick. Then, in the same season and subsequent ones, other teams adopted the Italian rubber for their cars.

The first win for Pirelli’s 13-inch tyres came at the 1985 French Grand Prix courtesy of Nelson Piquet with Brabham-BMW. Pirelli was then back with a new generation of 13-inch tyres from 1989 (two years after the P Zero name was born) until 1991, before the current return from 2011 as Global Tyre Partner: when Sebastian Vettel claimed the first championship for a Pirelli 13-inch tyre with Red Bull.

Since Pirelli returned to the world championship as sole supplier, more than 400,000 13-inch tyres have been produced from the factories at Izmit in Turkey and Slatina in Romania.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“This weekend will mark a pivotal moment in Formula 1 history with the definitive farewell to the 13-inch tyres that have been part of the pinnacle of the sport for decades. Pirelli has played a starring role in that era, just as it has done since the inaugural championship back in 1950. We’re proud of everything that has been achieved over the years. At Pirelli, we’ve always focussed on innovation to be a valued partner to the championship. We saw this back in 2011, when we accepted the first technical challenge that was put to us to create high-degradation tyres. Then again when we created the tyres for the very first hybrid F1 cars in 2014, and once more when we made the move to much wider F1 tyres – for the fastest generation of cars seen in the sport – from 2017. Now, thanks to the biggest rule change in decades, we take on this latest revolution with brand new tyres that are more similar to those used on the road by everyday motorists. This means that we have the best chance to transfer the technology derived from Formula 1 into our road car product. It’s time to say thanks to 13-inch tyres for all the emotions they have given us, as we look forward to a new era with the 18-inch tyres.”

• The longest-ever Formula 1 season concludes with its 22nd race, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After two new venues in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Yas Marina circuit is a more familiar challenge – although the track has been quite significantly modified this year. Nonetheless, based on simulation and other data, the same tyre compounds have been nominated as in 2020: the C3 as the P Zero White hard, C4 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C5 as the P Zero Red soft.
• The changes to the track, which have been designed to provide more overtaking opportunities, will increase speeds and loads through some corners. However, as the circuit will still be smooth, with average stress on the tyres in terms of wear and degradation, the three softest compounds in the P Zero range remain a suitable choice.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• Several changes have been introduced to the circuit layout, which was previously unaltered since its debut in 2009. Early in the lap, the chicane that formed Turns 5 and 6 will be bypassed with a straight. The following hairpin has been brought forward and widened, increasing the speed carried onto the subsequent straight. A long and slightly banked turn has been created to replace the technical complex of corners (Turns 11-14) that existed previously. Near the end of the lap, the four tight corners that route the track around the Yas Marina hotel (Turns 17-20) have all been opened up and made faster.
• These changes have shortened the circuit by 273 metres, which means the race distance has been increased from 55 to 58 laps and lap times will fall by an estimated 14 seconds.
• As usual, the race will begin just before sunset and run into darkness, with track temperatures falling quite quickly: in turn affecting tyre behaviour. FP2 and qualifying are the only two relevant sessions, with the other two free practices run in the heat of the day.
• Last year’s winning strategy, with the same tyre nomination, was a medium to hard one-stopper: the same tactic used by all the top three. Only three drivers stopped more than once, and it was the sixth consecutive time that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had been won from pole.

FORMULA 2: WHAT TO EXPECT

The Formula 2 season also comes to a conclusion in Abu Dhabi. The tyre nomination will be the same as at the previous rounds in Jeddah, with the P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Purple supersoft available. This will be F2’s first visit to Abu Dhabi since 2019, and therefore the first time racing there on 18-inch tyres. As usual, drivers have six sets in total (four mediums and two supersofts) to use over the weekend. A post-season test for F2 will take place from Thursday to Saturday after the race.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The Yas Marina circuit is a familiar venue for the final race of the year, but the modifications to the track will provide a new twist and promises to give us an exciting conclusion to what has been a thrilling season. This will be the first time we face the new configuration, including some areas with new asphalt, but we have been able to rely on simulations and other information in advance to prepare. In general, with the creation of some quicker turns, the track is now faster and with more overtaking opportunities. The result of these changes are bigger vertical loads, especially on the front tyres. But we don’t expect the overall severity for the tyres to change significantly, which is why we’ve nominated the softest tyres in the range. After the race, the teams will have the chance to test with the final specification of 18-inch tyres for 2022 using mule cars. The first time we’ll see the definitive package of new tyres with 2022 cars in action will be during pre-season testing next year at the end of February.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• There will be two days of post-season testing on Tuesday and Wednesday after the grand prix. On both days teams will be able to test the new 18-inch 2022 tyres, while they have to choose just one of the two days for the test dedicated to young drivers using 13-inch tyres.
• The final round of the Pirelli-equipped Intercontinental GT Challenge at Kyalami in South Africa has been rescheduled. It was due to be held last weekend but was postponed due to COVID-related travel restrictions. It will now take place on February 3-5: three weeks before the 2022 GT season begins in Bathurst, Australia.

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won a dramatic race characterised by two red flags, as well as extensive safety car and virtual safety car periods that interrupted the action and disrupted strategy. Hamilton changed from medium to hard tyres (on lap 10) before the first red flag period, and then maintained them until the end.
• His title rival Max Verstappen, who finished second for Red Bull, swapped from the hard tyres he had selected during the first stoppage to mediums during the second red flag period, making one more change than Hamilton.
• The race was red-flagged for the first time after the Haas of Mick Schumacher hit the wall. The teams were allowed to change tyres as well as carry out other maintenance. After a second red flag, Hamilton re-started on the hard, with Verstappen able to use the extra speed of the medium to get past him off the grid.
• Apart from Hamilton, nine other drivers used just two sets of tyres. Seven drivers used three sets of tyres, and two drivers used four sets.
• Weather conditions remained consistent with the rest of the weekend and throughout the grand prix: the almost two and a half hour race started in 29 degrees ambient and 31 degrees of track temperature.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C2: This was the key to the race, showing very low levels of degradation and enabling a consistent performance over a long final stint after the second red flag period. Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race on this compound on his penultimate tour.
• MEDIUM C3: The most popular starting tyre on the (original) grid, with all but four drivers choosing it to begin the race – including nine in the top 10. This also held up well to the challenge, but required more management towards the end of the stint compared to the hard due to higher degradation.
• SOFT C4: McLaren’s Lando Norris was the only driver to start the 50-lap race on the soft rubber, which required more management and so was not suited to long stints. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso ran the soft for a final five-lap stint.

FORMULA 2: RACE 3

Following a long delay to the start and a red flag after an accident on the grid, the duration of the Feature Race was reduced to just 20 minutes: still with the obligation to make at least one pit stop and use both compounds. Thirteen out of the remaining 20 drivers re-started on the P Zero Purple supersoft, including Prema’s championship leader and poleman Oscar Piastri. Another red flag as the pit stop window opened stopped the race definitively, with Piastri declared the winner at the end of lap five on count-back.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“We witnessed an action-packed race that was filled with drama, incidents and safety cars. Under those circumstances, strategy becomes a question of reacting to rapidly changing events as quickly as possible and making the right calls under pressure, also considering the individual allocation available. With such an unpredictable situation, there were a number of unknown factors, and the track was also extremely dirty with a lot of debris from all the incidents. In the end, we saw a spectacular duel with no holds barred between the two championship protagonists, on different tyres. The hard tyre was one of the keys to the race win thanks to its low degradation level and consistent performance until the very end. Now we look forward to a thrilling championship finale at the last race for our 13-inch tyres in Abu Dhabi”.

The 50-lap Saudi Arabia Grand Prix should be a one-stopper. The fastest one-stopper should be from P Zero Yellow medium C3 to White hard C2, which the majority of drivers look set to select – as can be seen by nearly all the frontrunners who chose to get through Q2 on the medium compound. Starting on the medium gives more options as it leaves the door open to either a one or a two-stopper, and it also enables drivers to run a relatively long first stint, with a wide pit stop window. An alternative is a soft to hard strategy, which is just as quick on paper but might need a little bit more management, depending on the car. 
A two-stopper is distinctly slower, but the fastest should be using all the compounds: one stint on the medium, followed by one on the hard and the last on soft.
However, it might not be as straightforward as that. With Jeddah being brand new circuit, there are still a number of unknown factors to consider: and one of them might be the seemingly high probability of a safety car – as is the case at any street circuit with little run-off area. If that’s the case, then it could make a ‘free’ pit stop possible.

FOCUS ON

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position on the P Zero Red soft tyre, setting an inaugural track record of 1m27.511s: very close to the simulated pole time of 1m27.150s.
• Hamilton will start the race on the P Zero Yellow medium tyres tomorrow, having used these to set his fastest time in Q2. This was the most popular choice for the Q2 session, with nine of the top 10 drivers on the grid starting on this compound in order to target a one-stopper. Five drivers ran the soft in Q2, but only McLaren’s Lando Norris set his fastest time on this compound.
• The track offered plenty of grip from start to finish, with a good degree of evolution during the course of qualifying, as the rapid times on the medium tyre in Q2 proved.
• Conditions throughout qualifying were similar to how they had been in free practice, with around 30 degrees ambient and on track, remaining consistent throughout the session.

FORMULA 2: RACE 1 AND RACE 2

DAMS driver Marcus Armstrong claimed a debut victory in the opening 20-lap Sprint Race, in which all the field used the P Zero Yellow medium tyres and did not make a pit stop (apart from two drivers who were involved in early incidents). 
Armstrong took the lead from P2 on the opening lap and managed the two safety car re-starts perfectly, with some drivers struggling to get their front tyres up to temperature at the second safety car re-start (with just three laps to go) as a result of heavy abrasion. Drivers also had to manage the rear tyres as well throughout the race, with consistently warm track and ambient temperatures in excess of 30 degrees centigrade.
For the second 20-lap sprint race, held after F1 qualifying, all the drivers once again used the P Zero Yellow medium tyre – in conditions that were slightly cooler. There was a lengthy safety car period right at the start of the race, which had the effect of minimising tyre wear and degradation with the cars heavy on fuel. Championship leader Oscar Piastri (Prema) won the race from P2 after overhauling Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala in the closing stages. The race also ended under the safety car for the final two laps – with Piastri setting the fastest lap just before it came out and extending his championship lead.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“With this being the second-longest lap of the season, the teams and drivers had a relatively limited window of opportunity to get it right, in terms of preparing for a flying lap. The medium tyre was favoured by nearly everyone in Q2, with Lando Norris being the only driver to start on the soft in the top 10. It’s going to be fascinating to see what he can do, surrounded by so many cars starting on mediums. The two fastest strategies on paper are medium to hard or soft to hard, but the latter needs a bit more careful management. So we expect the majority of drivers to target a one-stopper but there are many unknown elements that could influence the strategy.” Despite the length of the lap the margins were incredibly close, with 10 drivers covered by just a few tenths of a second on this brand new circuit.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• Lewis Hamilton went fastest in both free practice sessions today as Jeddah – the fastest street circuit in the world – made its debut. In FP1, the Mercedes driver went quickest on the P Zero Red soft C4 tyre while he set the fastest time of the day on the P Zero Yellow medium C3 in FP2, ahead of his team mate Valtteri Bottas.
• With similar temperatures, both sessions could be relevant to what the teams will face in qualifying tomorrow and the race on Sunday. As expected, the weather was warm and dry all day, with around 29 degrees ambient and 30 degrees of track temperature.
• Although there was a high degree of track evolution, the track was surprisingly grippy right from the start of the day also thanks to high-pressure water cleaning (as was the case in Turkey).
• With Jeddah being a brand new circuit, the drivers concentrated on understanding the balance of the car with different tyres and fuel loads. Qualifying is set to be particularly important, so many teams focussed their efforts on outright lap times.
• The performance gaps up to now between the compounds are in line with expectations, with an estimated difference of around 0.6 seconds between P Zero White hard C2 and medium, and approximately 0.3 seconds between the medium and soft. The combination of the small gap between soft and medium and the management required on the soft could lead to many drivers selecting the medium in Q2 tomorrow.

FORMULA 2: LATEST NEWS

Championship leader Oscar Piastri claimed his fourth successive pole position, leading a Prema one-two in qualifying under the lights at Jeddah. The track was cleaner and had more grip than was expected right from the start of the day, with all drivers avoiding risks during the single practice session due to the short time remaining until qualifying. Like everyone else, Piastri used the P Zero Purple supersoft in qualifying, setting the best time in the closing seconds using only one set of tyres (the only driver to do so). For the majority of the qualifying session, his team mate Robert Schwartzmann was fastest, having also gone quickest in the single free practice session – where the cars ran only the P Zero Yellow medium in the heat of the day.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Free practice today was especially important at this brand new venue with such high speeds, but most of the drivers were surprised by how much grip there was right from the start of the day, although the track continued to evolve. With an emphasis on data collection, the teams ran all three compounds in both sessions today. In FP1, we noticed some graining, especially on the soft, and some blistering on all compounds, which was reduced in FP2 as the teams improved their knowledge of the circuit and optimised car setup. This trend is set to continue over the rest of the weekend. The drivers seemed particularly confident on the hard and medium tyres, which enabled them to push hard, whereas the soft tyre requires a bit more management and was less favoured, probably due to tread movement. The first read that the teams have on the tyres confirms the reasonably small performance gap here between the soft and the medium tyre, which will definitely have an effect on qualifying strategy tomorrow.”

• For the first visit to the spectacular new Jeddah street circuit in Saudi Arabia, the 34^th country to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, Pirelli is bringing the three compounds in the middle of the range: the C2 as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft: the most commonly-selected nomination this year.
• Jeddah is the second consecutive brand new circuit this year after Qatar two weeks ago, although the two tracks are completely different in terms of stress on the tyres – with Qatar being one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar for lateral forces. Jeddah is even more of a novel experience as the track has only just been completed, with very little data to rely on.
• Existing data and simulations from teams suggested the three middle compounds in the range are the best option for Jeddah and they should be well-suited to the demands of this very fast and flowing street race, run over 50 laps.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• The track has been designed by well-known circuit architect Hermann Tilke and is located in Jeddah’s Corniche area. This is the first proper street circuit since Baku in June.
• This 6.174-kilometre track – which runs alongside the coast – is the longest street circuit on the calendar (the second-longest of the entire year, after Spa) and is also set to be one of the fastest too, with an average speed of over 250kph predicted in simulations. That’s only just behind Monza, well-known as the ‘Temple of Speed’.
• One of the most demanding of the 27 corners is Turn 13: a left-hander featuring 12-degree banking that should place high g forces on the tyres. Jeddah has more corners than any other track on the calendar, which will keep the tyres working hard.
• Many parts of the circuit are quite narrow and unforgiving, with the walls close to the side of the track. This could lead to a reasonably high safety car probability, affecting strategy.
• Jeddah is a night race, like all the last three races of the season, with the grand prix getting underway at 20:30 local time. This means that the pattern of track temperature is different to a normal race, with temperatures dropping over the course of each session. FP1 and FP3 are held just before sunset, with only FP2 on Friday and qualifying on Saturday (both starting at 20:00) likely to be representative of the race.
• Conditions are set to be warm but humid, with the track located right along the northern coast at Jeddah. As it's never been used before, drivers can expect a slippery and ‘green’ track at the start of the weekend. Formula 2 and a Porsche competition are running as support events, which will help track evolution.

FORMULA 2: WHAT TO EXPECT

Formula 2 returns in Saudi Arabia, for the first of its final two race weekends, following a lengthy absence since Russia in September. The P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Purple supersoft compounds have been chosen, which is also the most commonly-used combination this year.
Prema’s Oscar Piastri (confirmed as Alpine’s reserve driver in F1 next year) currently leads the standings by 36 points from Uni-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou, recently announced as an Alfa Romeo F1 driver for 2022. As usual, the F2 drivers have six tyre sets in total (four mediums and two supersofts) available for the weekend’s three races. They can use their tyre allocation in any order they like throughout the weekend.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Jeddah is probably the biggest unknown we face all year, as with the track being completed very close to the race. As a result, we can only rely on simulations from F1 and the teams, along with other information we’ve collected, to come up with our nomination. This street circuit looks set to be quite different to anything else, and the high speeds with fast corners will obviously play a big part in the way that the tyres behave. Jeddah has more corners than any other track on the calendar, and one of them – Turn 13 – also has 12-degree banking, so there are plenty of different elements that will keep the tyres working hard.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• Sebastien Ogier claimed his eighth world rally title at the Monza Rally two weeks ago, and his first title on Pirelli tyres since the Frenchman claimed the Junior World Rally Championship back in 2008. Ogier will now end on his full-time career, completing only a part-time programme in 2022 as the WRC adopts a new hybrid formula with the latest Pirelli rally tyres.
• The final round of the Pirelli-equipped Intercontinental GT Challenge, due to take place this weekend with a nine-hour race at the South African circuit of Kyalami, has been postponed due to Covid-related travel restrictions. A new date will be announced shortly, with Audi currently leading the manufacturers’ standings from Ferrari.

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix from pole, with two stints on the P Zero Yellow medium C2 tyre and one stint on the P Zero White hard C1. He started on the medium before switching to the hard and then finishing the race on the medium again: predicted beforehand as the fastest strategy.
• He finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who was following a similar strategy before making a third stop for P Zero Red soft C3 tyres under a virtual safety car to claim an extra point for fastest lap on the very last lap.
• Both drivers finished more than 30 seconds ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, who started on the soft from third on the grid and then finished on the hard to complete the podium with just one stop. As a result, the top three drivers on the podium adopted three different strategies.
• There was a mix of drivers starting on the soft and the medium tyre, with a mixture of one, two and three stoppers as well. The race started in ambient temperatures of around 27 degrees centigrade and track temperatures of around 30 degrees, with conditions remaining quite stable for the whole race.
• Four drivers (Valtteri Bottas, George Russell, Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi) experienced puntures on their front-left tyres, which could be the result of very high wear combined with high-speed impacts against kerbs that are very aggressive at Losail.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C1: This compound was used by all the drivers apart from seven for the second stint of the race. It performed as expected, with low degradation, also for those on a one-stop strategy.
• MEDIUM C2: Four of the top 10 on the grid started on this compound: including Hamilton and Verstappen. This enabled them to run the best strategy, while those behind stopping just once were forced to run longer stints than expected.
• SOFT C3: As predicted, this had high level of degradation and wear in the demanding conditions of Losail. However, it was chosen by the half of the drivers outside the top 10 on the grid (with free tyre choice) to start the race on, aiming to gain an advantage in the initial part of the grand prix. Alpine’s drivers in particular (who both finished in the top five) completed some long opening stints on this compound and managed it well.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“With Losail being a new and relatively unknown track, featuring some high energy corners, the teams headed into the race lacking all the information they would ideally want, with only one representative practice session. However, it became clear during the race that a one-stopper was very marginal in terms of tyre wear, requiring a high degree of management. Some drivers encountered tyre problems towards the finish: this was probably due to a combination of very high wear as a result of long stints, and impacts at high speed against some aggressive kerbs, but we’ll obviously find out specifically what happened with a full laboratory analysis back at base in Milan. By contrast, Hamilton and Verstappen were able to push to the limit with the strategy that they had selected, finishing more than half a minute ahead of Alonso in third, who made a one-stopper work for him.”

The optimal strategy for the 57-lap Qatar Grand Prix should be a two-stopper. The best tactic on paper would involve one stint on the P Zero Yellow medium C2 tyre followed by a stint on the P Zero White hard C1 and a final stint on the medium again.
Close to that is another two-stopper, but this time with one stint on P Zero Red soft C3 followed by two stints on the mediums.
All three compounds could also be used in alternative two-stopper (maybe starting on the medium and running the hard in the middle before moving to the soft for the final part of the race) but this is likely to be slower. As always, all these stints could be run in any order.
With Losail being a brand new venue, there hasn’t been an ample bank of data gained in free practice – with two of the sessions not held in representative conditions anyway.
As a result, the teams certainly haven’t yet seen the full picture, and there could still be some surprises, particularly if track temperatures are lower. A one-stopper is still not advised though, just because tyre wear appears to be quite high.

FOCUS ON

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed a spectacular pole on the P Zero Red soft C3: the only driver to get into the 1m20s bracket, with a time that was a full two seconds quicker than the simulated pole position benchmark.
• All the drivers used only the soft tyre in Q1, with the exception of AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, who used just the P Zero Yellow medium. In Q2 – which determines the starting tyres for the grand prix – both Mercedes drivers, the Red Bull of Verstappen, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz set their best times on the medium (although a total of eight drivers attempted to do so). This means that of the top 10 qualifiers, six will be starting on the soft – all outside the front row.
• The circuit is smoother than expected but still with a good level of grip, featuring a massive track evolution during each session. That’s also why Hamilton was faster in Q2 with the medium tyre than he was in Q1 with the soft, before improving again with the soft in Q3.
• Temperatures stayed consistent at around 26 degrees centigrade ambient and 28 degrees on track throughout qualifying, with similar conditions expected for tomorrow’s race.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Track evolution remained high today, also with no support races on the schedule, which meant that we saw the fastest times right at the end of qualifying, and some medium tyre times in Q2 that were faster than the soft tyre times in Q1. With just short stints in qualifying, and FP3 this morning taking place in the heat of the day (with a focus on qualifying) the teams can only rely on FP2 for relevant long-run information, which is crucial when it comes to formulating the strategy. Under these challenging circumstances they will want to keep their options as open as possible, which is why the championship contenders chose to start on the medium tyre. However, as Q2 showed, it wasn’t easy to get through the session on the medium, so we’re set for an interesting mix of strategies tomorrow with many factors still relatively unknown.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• The Formula 1 drivers and teams got their first taste of Losail today, the latest arrival on the calendar. There was one free practice session in the early afternoon, held in the heat of the day, followed by a second session after dark, which was more representative of qualifying and race conditions.
• Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas set the best time of the day in FP2 (1m23.148s) while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fastest in the morning: on each occasion using the P Zero Red soft C3 tyre. All three available compounds were used in each session, with the teams focussing on data collection over this challenging new track.
• The crucial FP2 session got underway with 28 degrees centigrade ambient and 30 degrees on track, with moderate wind gusts up to 25kph. The track temperature in FP1 was around 15 degrees higher than in FP2.
• The track was slippery and ‘green’ throughout the day, especially with sand blowing onto the track from the surrounding desert. A few drivers also went off, dragging more dirt onto the surface. There was a high degree of track evolution seen throughout each session.
• So far, the gap between the P Zero White hard C1 and Yellow medium C2 tyre is around 0.7 seconds, with a similar gap between medium and soft. The lap times were quite fast: already close to those estimated for qualifying.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“It was a busy couple of sessions today as the teams concentrated on learning as much as they could about Losail in the time available. There was a high degree of track evolution already during FP1, and this is a pattern we would expect to continue tomorrow. In these challenging conditions with a dirty track and high-energy corners, the initial data shows high wear on the left-front, especially for the soft compound: probably also due to the set-up used by the cars on this circuit. It will be interesting to see how that evolves as the weekend goes on. In the warmer conditions of FP1, the hard tyre worked particularly well as we expected, but in cooler and more representative conditions during FP2, the soft and the medium came into their own. As usual with a new track, there will be plenty of data analysis tonight as the teams begin to work out the weekend’s qualifying and race strategy based on what they have learned today.”

• For the very first Qatar Grand Prix, held over 57 laps, Pirelli’s C1 compound has been chosen as the P Zero White hard, C2 as the P Zero Yellow medium and C3 as the P Zero Red soft. This is the fifth and last time this year that the three hardest compounds in the range have been nominated.
• Existing data and simulations from teams point to Losail being a high-severity circuit with very demanding corners – similar to Silverstone or Mugello – and quite aggressive asphalt. The grip might also be affected by sand from the desert surrounding the track. With Qatar also being a completely new venue for Formula 1, Pirelli has opted for the three hardest compounds: capable of handling all of Losail’s varied demands.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• There’s a start-finish straight that’s just over a kilometre long, but also a quick succession of 16 corners to make up the rest of the lap, which means that the tyres are always working hard. This is expected to lead to a reasonably high degree of degradation.
• The track still has its original surface from 2004, which offers high grip and has become quite abrasive over time, accentuating wear and degradation.
• Despite the presence of strategically-placed artificial grass around the circuit to keep away the sand from the desert, the asphalt could still become very dusty thus affecting grip.
• Turns 12 to 14 form a triple-apex right-hander, making up almost a single high-energy 5.2g corner that is slightly reminiscent of the famous Turn 8 in Turkey – only in the opposite direction.
• Qatar is just one of four races held in the evening under floodlights this year. This means that the evolution of track temperature over the course of the grand prix should be quite different compared to a standard afternoon race, with the potential for a big drop-off as the race goes on. In the desert, there’s a big difference in temperature between day and night. While the race takes place at 5pm local time, FP1 and FP3 happens during the heat of the day, so only FP2 and qualifying provide a truly representative picture of the likely race conditions.
• There are no support races at all on the schedule and the circuit hasn’t been used a lot recently, which will mean that there’s no rubber laid down prior to F1 cars running. As a result drivers can expect a slippery track at first and a high degree of track evolution. The surface could also be ‘reset’ by sand blowing onto the track over the weekend.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Qatar will provide a thrilling new challenge at a unique venue with its own special character, so we’re very much looking forward to our first visit. Coming to a new circuit isn’t a novel experience for us though, and we rely on simulation data as well as track information that we collect in advance to select the nomination that will be used. We haven’t had the chance to measure the roughness of the asphalt with our instruments but the promoter provided us with very useful information on the asphalt characteristics. From what we can see, the hardest tyres in the range will be well-suited to Losail, due to the quite abrasive asphalt and the very demanding corners. But as we’ve never actually raced there before, we’ll only get a true picture of how the tyres really work on this circuit once we arrive.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• The final round of the World Rally Championship takes place this weekend at the Rally Monza: Pirelli’s home event. Toyota driver Sebastien Ogier starts as favourite to wrap up his second consecutive title using Pirelli tyres. Three types of tyre have been nominated, including the Sottozero snow tyre in case of extreme weather.
• Four female drivers recently got their first taste of Formula 3 machinery at Magny-Cours in France, as part of an initiative from the championship organisers that is supported by Pirelli. The four young women taking to the track were Nerea Martin and Irina Sidorkova from the W Academy, as well as Maya Weug and Doriane Pin from the Iron Dames squad.

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Brazilian Grand Prix with a two-stop medium-hard-hard strategy: the same tactic used by all the top three drivers.
• Hamilton started from P10 on the grid and worked his way up through the field, making his first pit stop one lap before race leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull) but his second stop three laps later. He subsequently passed Verstappen to win the race and narrow the gap in the championship.
• Most drivers stopped twice, but there was also three one-stop and two three-stop strategies seen during the race, with seven different combinations of compounds. This underlines the variety of tactics implemented.
• All the drivers started the race on the P Zero Yellow medium C3 tyre (with a free choice allowed, following Sprint Qualifying rules). The only exception was AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who opted for the P Zero Red soft. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was the only other driver to use the soft during the race, fitting it on the penultimate lap to claim the point for fastest lap at the end.
• The grand prix started in warm ambient temperatures of 24 degrees and track temperatures of 50 degrees: around 20 degrees hotter than the cool track temperatures seen yesterday (and similar to FP2 on Saturday morning). The temperatures remained quite consistent throughout the race.
• Within the first 15 laps there was a safety car period, followed by other two virtual safety cars in the first half of the race, helping to minimise tyre wear at a crucial point with the cars on full fuel.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C2: This was key to the race: used by all the drivers, with the frontrunners running two new sets despite not having driven them at any other point during the weekend. In these high temperatures, this compound performed extremely well, being very fast and quite consistent. It was also able to offer good flexibility in terms of pit stop window.
• MEDIUM C3: Nearly all the drivers chose this tyre to start the race. The first safety car followed by two virtual safety cars allowed a longer initial stint on this compound, giving more options to the drivers for the following stints.
• SOFT C4: Not seen a lot during the race today, with the high temperatures meaning that the softest compound (used extensively in Sprint Qualifying) wasn’t suitable for longer stints. Perez sealed the fastest lap with this compound at the end, finishing fourth.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Strategy was at the forefront of this finely-balanced grand prix, with similar performance between the frontrunners and a number of strategies that were on paper very closely matched. Track temperature was the biggest influence on the strategy today, with temperatures that were around 20 degrees higher than yesterday’s Sprint Qualifying, shifting the balance away from the softer compounds towards the harder compounds. The hard was the main race tyre, performing very well with some impressive lap times in these challenging conditions. With the first stint lasting a little longer due to safety cars, the drivers were able to gain more flexibility for the second stint. There was a clear tactical battle involving the ‘undercut’, especially among the frontrunners, and that’s the reason why the central stint on the hard tyre was so short for some of the top drivers. Lewis Hamilton did a very impressive job over the weekend: from the back of the grid in Sprint Qualifying all the way to the top step of the grand prix podium.”

Tomorrow all the compounds can play a key role. The fastest strategy for the 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix should be a two-stopper but a lot will depend on track temperature; the weather should be a little warmer. Today the P Zero Red soft and P Zero Yellow medium tyres showed similar performance but higher levels of wear than expected. On paper, a two-stopper using the medium followed by two sets of P Zero White hard should be the fastest option. Another possibility (really close in terms of overall race time) is to use all three compounds: starting on the medium and then using the hard for the central stint, before finishing on the soft. But a one-stop is another possibility. This could be medium to hard, to benefit from a long opening stint and gain track position, or alternatively soft to hard (although this would require more management, with the cars full of fuel at the start of the race). Under Sprint Qualifying regulations, the drivers are allowed to start the grand prix on whichever compound they choose, irrespective of the tyres used in Sprint Qualifying today.

FOCUS ON

• Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the third and final Sprint Qualifying this year, having started from second on the grid with three-lap old P Zero Red soft tyres. The Finn took advantage of its extra speed to claim the inside of the first corner and take the lead from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (on pole with a new set of P Zero Yellow mediums). Bottas then managed his tyres successfully to the finish.
• Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished third, also on the soft tyre, making it two soft tyre runners on the Sprint Qualifying podium.
• The other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton was sent to the back of the grid for a technical infringement but made up 15 places during Sprint Qualifying after starting on the medium tyre. He will begin tomorrow’s grand prix with a five-place grid penalty following an engine change.
• There was a wide split of starting tyres for the 24-lap Sprint Qualifying, with 11 of the drivers on the medium C3 and the other nine on the soft C4.
• Sprint Qualifying weather conditions were similar to yesterday’s FP1 and 20 degrees lower than FP2, getting underway in 18 degrees centigrade ambient and 30 degrees of track temperature.
• The final free practice session took place this afternoon, with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso going fastest on the soft tyre ahead of Verstappen. Most of the work in that session concentrated on preparation both for sprint qualifying, with the teams assessing whether to start on the soft or the medium, and for tomorrow’s race.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The high level of track evolution together with the average track temperatures brought back the soft as an option for Sprint Qualifying. The extra speed of the soft tyre might have helped at the beginning, with the Mercedes of Bottas as well as the Ferrari of Sainz making excellent starts to move into the top two positions. It then became a question of managing the soft tyre in the later stages of the race, which Bottas achieved brilliantly to win Sprint Qualifying and start tomorrow’s grand prix from pole. For tomorrow, due to forecasted warmer track temperatures, we’re expecting what should in theory be a two-stop race with all compounds able to play a role. With both soft and medium compounds used extensively during Sprint Qualifying and many teams splitting their strategies, there will be plenty of data to analyse tonight.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton dominated qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, which determines the grid for Sprint Qualifying tomorrow. However, Hamilton faces a five-place grid penalty for the race on Sunday following an engine change. The Englishman also went fastest in FP1 earlier today – as he did in every qualifying session – on the P Zero Red soft tyre.
• As per the Sprint Qualifying regulations, all the drivers had to use the soft compound from start to finish during Friday’s qualifying session. For the 24-lap Sprint Qualifying race tomorrow they can use whichever compound they prefer, and they are also allowed to start Sunday’s grand prix on any of the three compounds nominated this weekend.
• For being the fastest qualifier, Hamilton received the Pirelli Speed King award, which replaces the Pirelli Pole Position Award at races with Sprint Qualifying.
• Conditions remained mild but dry during the crucial hour-long session, although there were some drops of rain between FP1 and qualifying. The latter session got underway in temperatures of 16 degrees ambient and 24 degrees on track: nearly 10 degrees cooler than the track temperature seen in FP1 earlier.
• Today the P Zero White hard tyres and P Zero Yellow mediums could only be used during FP1, while just the soft was run in qualifying. The high degree of track evolution made it a bit harder than usual to accurately assess the performance gaps between the compounds. So far there’s an estimated gap of around 0.4 seconds between the hard and P Zero Yellow medium, and 0.3 seconds between the medium and soft. These will need to be confirmed tomorrow, as today suggests that these gaps could alter.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“We saw a lot of track evolution throughout FP1 and also qualifying today. The quite cool conditions on a slippery track also led to a bit of sliding and consequent light abrasion, especially in free practice. Compared to qualifying at previous Brazilian grands prix, today was a different strategic challenge, with all the drivers having to run the soft tyre from start to finish under the sprint qualifying rules, which also use a different tyre allocation compared to conventional weekends. As is often the case, the weather looks set to remain somewhat unpredictable at Interlagos for the rest of the weekend, which will be a decisive factor when the teams come to consider which tyres they will run in Sprint Qualifying and the race. Tomorrow’s final free practice session will provide yet more valuable information on tyres ahead of the racing action, before the teams finalise the strategy – which seems likely to revolve around the medium and the hard.”

Stefano Domenicali commented: “Pirelli is a highly valued technical partner of Formula 1 who do an incredible job for the sport over the whole season. It was fascinating to visit the Circuito Panamericano, a very technological track where Pirelli tests road car tyres, making the most of its expertise learned on the F1 track. Today I got the chance to learn how the sporting activity in F1 has a direct relevance to the tyres we all drive on the road every day.”

Mario Isola said: “The Circuito Panamericano is the largest multi-track complex in Latin America. It was a pleasure to host Stefano Domenicali and show him the close relationship between the continual development of race tyres and our road tyres.”

For a number of years, Pirelli has been the market leader in Brazil – the biggest country in South America – with a long-standing industrial presence including several factories. A key part of Pirelli’s stake in the country has been the important investment in the Circuito Panamericano, which is now Pirelli’s most sophisticated test facility. The track is the latest addition to Pirelli’s proving ground facilities, following on from the company’s historic site at Vizzola Ticino in Italy and the Sottozero Centre in Sweden. These all form a key part of Pirelli’s research and development department, which includes 12 local working units all over the world with a total of almost 2000 employees.

With seven possible track configurations totalling 22 kilometres, the Circuito Panamericano, located close to Sao Paulo and Pirelli’s Campinas factory, is the largest multi-track complex in Latin America, with cutting-edge technology for advanced tyre testing. This includes facilities for dry and wet handling as well as off-road performance: all essential elements when it comes to producing state-of-the-art tyres. In total, 15 different types of test can be carried out at the same time, while the circuit is also used for driver training, product launches, and filming.

The dry handling track was constructed by renowned circuit architects Studio Dromo from Italy, who have also been responsible for building or remodelling many of the tracks currently seen on the Formula 1 calendar: most recently, Zandvoort in Holland.

The circuit has already hosted tests for stock cars and Formula 3 alongside its main role of developing tyres for road use, highlighting Pirelli’s traditionally close relationship between track and road regarding tyre development.

Pirelli has invested 90 million Brazilian reals – around 14 million euros – in the Circuito Panamericano, underlining the company’s reputation as a tyre manufacturer that puts the most back into research and development through motorsport: a real open air laboratory, where the lessons learned on the track eventually filter down to everyday tyres seen on the road. Motorsport is also a focus that Pirelli has in common with all the key supercar manufacturers, with the Italian firm supplying one out of every two new supercars with original equipment.

• The Brazilian Grand Prix will use the C2 compound as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft: the same tyre choice as has been made for all the races on the American continent this year. This is a step softer than the tyre choice nominated for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos when it was last run in 2019 (with C1, C2, and C3 selected).
• With the hard tyre not being used extensively in 2019, this year’s choice should allow a more even use of all the compounds and potentially wider variations in strategy.
• Brazil is the final race this year run to a sprint qualifying format, leading to a different tyre allocation than normal. Rather than having 13 sets of tyres for a weekend, there will be just 12 sets. These consist of two sets of P Zero White hard, four sets of P Zero Yellow medium, and six sets of P Zero Red soft. In addition, the teams will have up to six sets of Cinturato Green intermediates and three sets of Cinturato Blue full wets available in case of wet weather.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• The short and intense Interlagos lap is one of the relatively few anti-clockwise layouts on the calendar, with a non-stop succession of corners that keeps the tyres working hard: particularly the front-right. The short lap means that traffic can be an issue and there’s also a high safety car probability, so any sprint qualifying or race strategy needs to bear that in mind.
• Apart from the long uphill Arquibancada left-hander, all of the 15 corners are reasonably short, meaning that the lateral loads on the tyres are contained and the energy demands quite low: it’s more about traction and braking.
• The weather in Brazil at this time of year can range from intense heat to torrential rain, with some grooves having been cut in the asphalt to help drainage in the event of heavy rain.
• In 2019, when the last Brazilian GP was held, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Brazilian Grand Prix with a three-stop strategy, following two safety cars at the end of the race. There were three different strategies in the top four, with McLaren’s Carlos Sainz (fourth at the flag) stopping just once from last on the grid. Without the safety cars, a two-stop strategy would have been the favoured tactic.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“This year we return to a nomination more similar to the choice made up until 2018, using the C4 as the soft option. In 2019 we decided to go a step harder, trying to prevent graining and degradation on the soft, but as a result the hard tyre was not used much. Interlagos is an old-school track that keeps drivers and tyres busy and often produces some dramatic races, as we saw last time. The weather is another variable factor: we’ve experienced some of the hottest track temperatures of the season in the past, and also the complete opposite. As a result, this year’s more versatile tyre selection should be able to cope with all the wide-ranging demands of the Brazilian Grand Prix and provide some different strategies. Although the race takes place at around the same time of year as it did last time, the teams have not experienced sprint qualifying at Interlagos before, so there will be plenty to discover.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• Formula 3 recently completed a three-day test at Valencia in Spain looking ahead to next season. Reigning Formula Regional champion Gregoire Saucy – a series also supplied by Pirelli – got his first taste of Formula 3 testing with ART Grand Prix and emerged fastest, underlining the ladder of opportunity that goes all the way from the grass roots to Formula 1.

• Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix with a one-stop strategy, swapping from P Zero Yellow medium to P Zero White hard tyres on lap 34. This was the most frequently-used strategy in the 71-lap race, adopted by the majority of the field (and the strategy that Pirelli calculated as the fastest one).
• Lewis Hamilton finished second for Mercedes after pitting on lap 30 for hard tyres, fighting off Red Bull’s Sergio Perez for the runner-up spot in the closing stages – with the Mexican on hard tyres that were 11 laps younger.
• All the drivers started the race on the medium tyre, with the exception of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who began the race on the P Zero Red soft from the back of the grid.
• McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and polesitter Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) both switched to the hard tyre under a safety car on lap one. Both ended up stopping again for medium tyres, while Bottas made two additional stops for soft tyres at the end of the race to set fastest lap.
• Track temperature was 48 degrees at the start of the race: the highest it has been all weekend.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C2: Key to the race in Mexico, with nearly all the drivers running the hard for the second stint and benefitting from low wear and degradation.
• MEDIUM C3: This compound provided optimal flexibility and a wide pit-stop window. McLaren’s Lando Norris – who had started from the back of the grid – ran the longest medium stint with 45 laps, ending up 10th at the flag.
• SOFT C4: Ocon ran the soft tyre before finishing the race on the hard, the only driver to use this strategy. Bottas also took this tyre with five laps to go, to deprive Verstappen of fastest lap and set a new lap record. Today’s warm track temperatures made the soft susceptible to overheating, which meant it was not really used (as was expected).

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“It was a reasonably straightforward one-stop race for the majority of competitors, with the medium and hard delivering great results in these high track temperatures. The medium stood up very well to some long initial stints, showing a strong combination of performance and consistency, with a little help from a four-lap safety car period at the start. The hard tyre showed good race pace, with low degradation, which made it central to today’s grand prix in these conditions. As a result, Max Verstappen was the first driver to beat the fastest race lap from 2019 (the last time that the Mexican Grand Prix was run) on used hard tyres, on a track that was still quite dusty.”

The fastest way to approach the 71-lap Mexican Grand Prix is definitely a one-stopper, as there’s quite a high time loss in the pit lane (around 22 seconds on top of the actual stop) and it’s hard to overtake on this circuit.
P Zero Yellow medium C3 followed by P Zero White hard C2 is the optimal tactic, which is why so many drivers wanted to get through Q2 on the yellow tyre. This also allows for quite a wide pit stop window.
P Zero Red soft C4 followed by the hard is also feasible (although slower) but there’s not so much flexibility, as the soft tyre will need to be managed over a shorter first stint compared to the medium runners.
The best two-stopper would actually be medium-hard-medium but this is slower than a one-stopper. As always, track temperature will be a key factor, with warm conditions expected for tomorrow’s race. With more rubber now laid down on the circuit, there should be less sliding than was seen on Friday.

FOCUS ON

• Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas took pole on the soft tyre ahead of his team mate Lewis Hamilton, but he will start the race tomorrow on the medium tyre that he used to set his fastest time in Q2.
• Nearly everyone used the medium to get through Q2, to aim for the fastest one-stop strategy tomorrow. As well as Bottas, all the other drivers in the top 10 of the grid will start the Mexican Grand Prix on the medium tyre. Although AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda set his best time on the soft in Q2 and qualified in the top 10, he will start from the back of the grid on the red tyre.
• Tsunoda is not the only driver to be affected by penalties for engine changes: Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, McLaren’s Lando Norris, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll will also start from the back of the grid, while Williams driver George Russell has a five-place penalty for a gearbox change.
• Temperatures stayed warm throughout qualifying, with around 22 degrees centigrade ambient and 45 degrees of track temperature, which fell progressively throughout the elongated qualifying session.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Practically all the drivers tried to get through Q2 with the medium tyre in order to run the fastest strategy tomorrow, which is definitely a medium-hard one stopper, as there’s quite a significant time loss in the pit-lane and it’s difficult to overtake. This option also gives a lot of flexibility around the strategy. As expected with more rubber laid down, the soft tyre showed a very solid performance in qualifying and so it could play a role in the final stint of the race tomorrow.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• On a very dirty and slippery circuit with lots of dust, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen eventually emerged fastest in Friday free practice, with a best time of 1m17.301s in FP2 on the P Zero Red soft C4 tyres. Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was fastest in FP1, also on the soft tyres.
• The track improved considerably in the afternoon as more rubber was laid down, following two years when it was not used a lot. The famous stadium section was particularly dusty in the morning, with both Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez going off and damaging their rear wings.
• With downforce reduced by around 25% in Mexico owing to the thin air at more than 2000 metres above sea level, the cars were sliding more and generating tyre surface overheating, which placed an emphasis on tyre management.
• Conditions were warm and dry all day, with FP2 getting underway in 24 degrees ambient and 40 degrees on track. Similar conditions are expected for the rest of the weekend.
• So far, the performance gap between P Zero White hard C2 and P Zero Yellow medium C3 is around 0.6 seconds, while the gap between medium and soft C4 is similar, as expected.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The drivers had to deal with an extremely ‘green’ and dirty track this morning that generated some abrasion and graining, especially on the front and rear-left with the soft compound, but there was a high degree of evolution all day as more rubber was laid down and the times greatly improved. A lot of the running today took place on the soft tyre, especially in the morning, as the drivers wanted to preserve their allocation of medium tyres for the more representative conditions of FP2, and also to keep two sets of this compound for tomorrow, with some drivers likely to try to get through Q2 on the medium and opt for a one-stop strategy in the race. We expect further track evolution tomorrow and we’ve seen that the battle at the front is extremely close in terms of race pace, so this could be a grand prix where strategy makes a particular difference.”

• Like the United States Grand Prix, the Mexican Grand Prix is back on the calendar after a two-year absence. The tyres in the middle of the range have been selected for this race: C2 as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft. This is the same selection as was made in 2019, when the race was held few days earlier, but a step harder than in 2018 (when it was noticed that the C5 soft tyre was too aggressive a choice for Mexico).
• Although this is also the same tyre nomination as made for COTA a fortnight ago, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez is very different in character, being much smoother, with two tight and twisty final sectors as well as a long start-finish straight as part of a rapid opening sector. This puts particular emphasis on braking, with traction a key element as well. The versatility of the P Zero tyres in the middle of the range makes them well-suited to the specific demands of the Mexico City track.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• This is one of the historic circuits in Formula 1, with its roots back in the 1950s, but it has since been extensively updated – most recently by renowned circuit architect Herman Tilke – before returning to the schedule in 2015.
• At around 2285 metres, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez sits at the highest altitude of any track on the calendar (by more than 1000 metres). This means that the air is very thin, so although the cars run high levels of downforce to try and generate aerodynamic grip through corners, in reality the downforce effect is extremely minimised, which can lead to some sliding.
• The top three in 2019 all ran a one-stop medium-hard strategy (with some long stints seen on the hard) although Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth with a two-stopper that featured two medium stints. The soft C4 wasn’t used extensively due to graining – although this was reduced between free practice and the race, with drivers starting on soft generally able to complete the grand prix using two stops.
• The track has not had a lot of running over the last couple of years. As a result, the drivers can expect a particularly ‘green’ and slippery surface at first, which should evolve rapidly over the weekend. The weather is also unpredictable at this time of year in Mexico City, with the possibility of showers that can ‘reset’ the asphalt.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The high altitude in particular, as well as the circuit layout itself, always throws up a number of interesting challenges and surprises in Mexico, so it’s often an unpredictable race with a wide variety of strategic options. Last time, the medium and the hard were the main tyres that the teams focussed on during the race: depending on the amount of graining and sliding seen on the soft, this might be the case again this year. So understanding the performance gap between the soft and the medium will be key for qualifying. Mexico is a historic and exciting circuit, so after a two-year absence, we’re delighted to be heading back. The race is held at roughly the same time of year as it was two seasons ago and there are no significant track alterations since then – apart from one small bit of resurfacing before Turn 1 to level out a bump – but the cars have changed a lot so it’s hard to say if the data from 2019 is still relevant.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• Oliver Solberg, the son of 2003 World Rally Champion Petter, will drive a Hyundai i20 WRC on the Monza Rally (19-21 November) after being confirmed for a factory seat with the team next year. The 20-year-old has been with Pirelli since the start of his career, making his debut in a World Rally Car at the Bologna Bettega Memorial Rallysprint in 2017 aged just 16.
• The Indianapolis 8 Hour, the penultimate round of the Pirelli-equipped Intercontinental GT Challenge, was recently won by the Audi crew of Christopher Haase, Patric Niederhauser, and former F1 driver Markus Winkelhock. Ferrari can still beat Audi to the title but must win the final round at Kyalami in South Africa.
• One of the support races in Mexico is the NACAM Formula 4 championship, which has been supported by Pirelli since its inception in 2015. One of the best-known graduates of the championship is Indycar star and Red Bull protégé Patricio O’Ward, from Mexico.

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won an intensely tactical race with a two-stop strategy, having started from pole. After losing the lead to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton at the start, Verstappen made his first pit stop from P Zero Yellow medium to P Zero White hard on lap 11, with a successful ‘undercut’ to gain the lead from his rival, who stopped three laps later.
• At the second round of pit stops, the Dutchman again stopped before Hamilton: who went eight laps longer to have much fresher hard tyres at the finish and race the Red Bull driver hard over the final laps, closing to within less than a second at the flag.
• Verstappen and Hamilton both adopted the same medium-hard-hard strategy, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in third (who only had one fresh set of hards available) did two stints on the medium followed by just one on the hard.
• Wear and degradation were quite high and at the same significant levels seen in free practice at the demanding COTA track: noted for its bumps, aggressive surfaces and very fast first sector.
• Despite some drizzle earlier in the day, conditions were warm and dry for the race, but with some wind too. The race got underway with 31 degrees centigrade ambient and 39 degrees of track temperature.
• All the drivers began the race on the P Zero Yellow medium tyre, with the exception of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda on the P Zero Red soft (which they had used to set their best Q2 times on Saturday).
• As expected, it was a two-stop strategy for everyone, with just two drivers stopping three times.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C2: The main compound used during the race, with the majority of drivers completing two stints on the white tyre and managing its relatively minor degradation in these demanding race conditions. Verstappen’s final stint on this compound lasted 27 laps, while Hamilton used it to claim the extra championship point for fastest lap.
• MEDIUM C3: Chosen by nearly everyone at the start. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completed the longest first stint on these, with 18 laps, while his team mate Sebastian Vettel did the longest middle stint on the mediums: 21 laps. As expected, this tyre needed more management in race conditions.
• SOFT C4: As per expectations, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz completed a 11-lap stint at the beginning of the race on this compound, having been one of just two drivers to start on it. Both he and Tsunoda finished in the points after a short opening soft stint followed by two longer stints on the hard.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Tyre wear was high as we expected on this hot and abrasive circuit, which led to nearly everyone choosing the medium to start the race on and then focussing on the hard as the main race tyre. This stood up extremely well to the demands on it, with some long stints that helped to set up a thrilling finale to this race between the championship protagonists. Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had exactly the same tyre allocation left before the race but used it in very different ways, with Hamilton making the most of his younger tyres at the end, and Verstappen capitalising on the track position gained by his ‘undercuts’. The result was a fantastic strategic duel that led to a thrilling finale between two drivers absolutely on top of their game, managing their tyres perfectly.”

With the high temperatures and high abrasion at COTA, a two-stopper looks optimal tomorrow, especially as the warm weather is expected to remain for the race.
The exact strategy that each driver selects will also obviously depend on the tyres that they have left in their individual allocations, but the fastest way on paper to tackle the 56-lap race involves one stint on the P Zero Red soft or P Zero Yellow medium and two on the P Zero White hard. These two options appear to be very close.
Managing the wear and degradation on the soft tyre is going to be crucial, so those wanting to try a one-stop strategy will only be able to do this using medium and hard, but this appears not to be easy to achieve.
As can be expected at this stage of the season, there are a few drivers starting out of position due to engine change penalties: they might be tempted to fit the hard tyre at the start and run a long first stint to gain track position. However, COTA is a circuit with several overtaking opportunities and a reasonably small pit lane time loss, so the advantage of a one-stop strategy could be slightly less than usual.

FOCUS ON

• Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed pole position on the soft tyre but he will start the race tomorrow on the medium tyre, with which he set his fastest time in Q2. All the drivers used only the soft in Q1, saving the mediums for later.
• Including Hamilton, a total of eight drivers got through Q2 on the medium tyre, meaning that this will be the compound on which they start the race tomorrow. Only Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda set their best Q2 times on the soft, starting from fifth (considering a five-position grid penalty for Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas) and 10th on the grid respectively.
• Temperatures remained high today, with qualifying (which started at 4pm local time, two hours later than the race start at 2pm) beginning in 32 degrees centigrade ambient and 36 degrees on track. During the qualifying hour there were some gusts of wind, affecting aerodynamic balance, with gathering rain clouds and slight drizzle in the closing seconds. Possible showers could arrive during the night but the weather is expected to be similar or slightly warmer tomorrow, with the race beginning earlier in the afternoon.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The medium tyre was favoured by the majority of the top 10 on the grid, as starting on this compound allows more flexibility in terms of strategy. Managing the softs to avoid overheating ­– especially at the rear – is crucial in these warm conditions, and this makes the medium and the hard the key choices for the race. A two-stop strategy is the more likely, with the high speeds and abrasive surfaces here taking a lot out of the tyres. At the same time the relatively low pit stop time loss and number of overtaking opportunities mitigate the advantages of a one-stopper. There are a number of different two-stoppers that are quite closely matched, depending on the race circumstances, so this looks set to be an intense strategic battle.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was fastest of all today, with a time of 1m34.874s set in the morning FP1 session, using the P Zero Red soft tyre. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was slightly slower than him in the warmer conditions of the afternoon to set the fastest time of the FP2 session, also on the soft tyre. This was also due to the comparatively low levels of track evolution in FP2, and the fact that most drivers concentrated their work on the medium tyres.
• Around 40% of the track has been resurfaced since Formula 1 last raced at the Circuit of the Americas in 2019. However, this has not made a significant difference to the way that the tyres behave, with relatively high levels of abrasion. Several bumps are also still present despite some surface ‘milling’: a process designed to smooth out the asphalt.
• The afternoon FP2 session, run in comparable conditions to the race, got underway with ambient temperatures of 31 degrees centigrade and track temperatures of 39 degrees: around 20 degrees higher than two years ago. Exploring the capabilities of the soft tyres in the unseasonal heat was one of the key jobs for the teams during FP2, with the drivers mostly starting the session on the C3 medium and finishing it with some longer runs on the same compound. The P Zero White hard tyre was run less today, perhaps also due to drivers wanting to save the limited allocation of this compound for use later in the weekend.
• The estimated performance gaps so far are quite hard to calculate between the hard and the medium tyre in particular, which should be in the region of 0.5 seconds (based on the running so far). There’s a gap of around 0.6 to 0.7 seconds between the medium and soft up to now: marginally higher than expected.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Despite the circuit having been resurfaced for around 40% of its total length, there’s not a huge difference in terms of abrasion compared to our last visit in 2019, and it's also even more bumpy. The biggest difference has instead been the weather, with both track and ambient temperatures considerably warmer than the cool conditions experienced a couple of years ago. As expected in today’s warm temperatures, there was a bit of overheating on the soft C4 compound rear tyre, which is quite stressed given the severe traction demands of this circuit in the final sector especially. Managing the soft tyre looks to be key, and this is something that the teams will be looking at in more detail tomorrow, with some likely to try and get through Q2 on the medium tyre in order to start with it on Sunday and open up a wider range of strategic possibilities for the race. However, with a bigger performance gap compared to the soft than we saw this morning, the soft certainly has its advantages too: especially with a two-stopper looking likely.”

• Following a year out due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Austin returns to the Formula 1 calendar this year with a slightly new look. During 2020 the track underwent a partial resurfacing, involving around 40% of its total length. Although the roughness of the new asphalt has not been measured yet, Pirelli has confirmed the same nomination as two years ago in Austin based on the available data, with the three compounds in the middle of the range: C2 as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft.
• These tyres are well-matched to the wide range of demands imposed by the famous Texan circuit, which first joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2012. The track contains a bit of everything, with the layout having been inspired by different corners from some of the most famous tracks in the world.
• The weather in Texas at this time of year can be unpredictable. The selection of compounds chosen is consequently quite adaptable to a wide variety of temperatures, although this year’s race is being held earlier in the season than last time.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• The circuit has been resurfaced in quite few place: the start-finish straight (including the pit lane exit) to the exit of Turn 1, the exit of Turn 9 through to Turn 10, the exit of Turn 11 through to Turn 12, and Turn 15 through to Turn 19.
• Some depressions in the asphalt (between Turn 2 and Turn 3, as well as near Turns 4, 6, 10 and 14) have been fixed using a “milling” process, to make the surface more even.
• One of the most unusual features about COTA is the distinctive Turn 1, which is an uphill left-hand hairpin. This makes it quite hard to judge the braking point: especially at the start. Austin is one of the most demanding tracks of all in terms of lateral energy, with several high-speed corners between 250 and 270kph in the first sector and lateral forces up to 4.5g (especially in Turn 6, for three seconds).
• The Circuit of the Americas hasn’t been used extensively recently, which should lead to quite a ‘green’ track at the beginning of the weekend. However, Formula 4 and W series are on the menu (rather than Formula 2 or Formula 3) so this means a high degree of track evolution as more rubber is laid down.
• The winning strategy in 2019 was a two-stopper (medium-hard-medium) from Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, while his team mate Lewis Hamilton finished second with a medium-hard one-stopper. All three compounds played an important role during the race.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Although the teams have quite a lot of experience of Austin, this year they face a track that has changed a bit compared to 2019, when we last raced here. Around 40% of the track has been resurfaced but due to COVID-19 restrictions we were not able to send our personnel to analyse the new asphalt, so its characteristics are a question mark for everyone and we will only discover the final effects on tyres and car performance in general when we are there. As usual, the tyre nomination was done based on data obtained before the race, with the compounds in the middle of the range well-suited to the circumstances. With the championship battle so finely poised as we enter the final few races of the season, it’s clear that every element of strategy will count – as we saw at the last race in Turkey.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• This year’s GT World Challenge concluded in Barcelona, with Audi plus its drivers Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts being crowned overall champions. The Intercontinental World Challenge continued with the Indianapolis 8 Hour last weekend, which was won by the Lamborghini crew of Marco Mapelli and Andrea Caldarelli.
• The penultimate round of the World Rally Championship, the Catalunya Rally in Spain, took place last weekend, with Pirelli introducing its new P Zero RA WRC HA hard compound tyre for asphalt. This tyre is aimed the new generation of hybrid rally cars next year, which generate extra power and torque, but already made its debut on this year’s Spanish event – won by Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville.
• Newly-crowned Formula 3 champion Dennis Hauger recently took part in a Formula 3 tyre test at Barcelona in Spain, trying out some of next year’s tyres, while the Norwegian himself plans to graduate to Formula 2 next year. Next year’s Formula 3 tyres are aimed at making the races more demanding and giving the teams a new challenge in finding the right set-up from one year to another.
• Pirelli recently announced an agreement to supply the Formula 4 series in Britain from next year, underlining the ladder of talent that helps take promising young drivers from the grass roots of car racing all the way to Formula 1.

• Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the Turkish Grand Prix from first on the grid, using a one-stop strategy with two sets of Cinturato Green Intermediates. The same strategy was adopted by nearly all the drivers. Bottas then took the lead from Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc with 11 laps to go, with Leclerc having stayed out much longer on his original set of starting intermediates.
• Many drivers undertook very long opening stints on the intermediate tyres, with the track featuring a range of wet and damp conditions from start to finish. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton stopped after 50 laps for a second set of intermediates, eventually finishing fifth from 11^th on the grid following a grid penalty (having set the fastest time in qualifying). Alpine’s Esteban Ocon did not stop at all for a tyre change, finishing the race in 10^th on just one set of intermediates.
• Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz made up 11 places with two stints on the intermediates, coming from 19^th on the grid (after an engine change penalty) to eighth at the finish. The Spaniard was voted driver of the day.
• Conditions were cool with intermittent rain throughout the race, finishing with 17 degrees centigrade ambient and 19 degrees on track.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• INTERMEDIATE: Used for the entire race by every driver, with Ocon taking just one set from start to finish. There were several long initial stints ranging from 35 to 50 laps on this compound, which proved to be extremely adaptable to the changing mixed conditions, delivering both grip and performance.
• MEDIUM C3: Only one lap was run on this tyre by Vettel, 20 laps from the end, but the conditions were still too damp, despite some drier lines emerging on the track.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Following wet conditions in Saturday’s free practice, we had wet weather from start to finish of the grand prix today. However, this was never heavy rain that required the full wets: instead it was perfect territory for the intermediates, which showed themselves to be very well-suited to a wide range of changing wet conditions. The drivers who changed their tyres in the final stages of the race found a slightly drier track, leading to a bit more graining. Those stopping earlier were able to limit graining on a wetter track, and this was a key advantage in the intermittent rain conditions. Bottas ran the perfect strategy under the demanding circumstances: a one-stopper with two runs on the intermediates. Many other drivers delayed their pit stop: also because it wasn’t clear to what extent the track would dry out before the end of the race, perhaps even allowing a final run on the slicks. Going for the whole race on the intermediates though was not what we would advise, and in fact we alerted some teams to the potential risk of doing that. Nonetheless, the performance of the intermediates was very strong here, without a single driver retiring despite the slippery conditions over all 58 laps.”

The fastest way to approach the 58-lap Turkish Grand Prix is a two-stopper, with one stint on the P Zero Yellow medium and two on the P Zero White hard. This is because two stops minimise graining and wear, allowing drivers to push harder during shorter stints.
Next-quickest is a one-stopper, going from the medium to the hard (and the next-fastest strategy after that involves doing two stints on the medium and one on the hard). So the nine drivers who got through Q2 on the medium tyre, and will therefore start the race on this compound tomorrow, have a few options available to them (depending on which tyres they have available).
However, a more aggressive two-stop ‘sprint’ strategy using the P Zero Red soft tyre to start the race might also pay off under the right circumstances – so the strategy is finely balanced. Those starting on the soft tyre will need to stop relatively soon into the race due to the high wear rates on this compound (also because of the pressure-washed track surface) but after that they also have options.
The pit stop time loss penalty in Turkey is one of the lowest of the year at 20 seconds, which works in favour of a two-stopper: especially if it turns into an eventful race.

FOCUS ON

• The pole position lap was set by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, using the soft C4 tyre to beat last year’s pole (set in wet weather) by 25 seconds and break the Istanbul Park track record that he set yesterday. With Hamilton dropping out of the top 10 tomorrow due to an engine change penalty, pole position effectively belongs to his team mate Valtteri Bottas, who qualified second.
• The weather was one of the main influences on the action today, with drivers jockeying for position in Q1 to set a banker time, after heavy rain was predicted shortly after the beginning of qualifying. This never materialised although conditions remained humid and cool, with the session getting underway in ambient temperatures of 20 degrees ambient and 23 degrees on track. The Mercedes duo were the only drivers to get through Q1 on just one set of soft tyres.
• The drivers all ran the soft tyre in Q1 and Q3, but the P Zero Yellow medium was seen in Q2: which dictates the tyres the top 10 on the grid use for the race start. All 15 drivers in Q2 set their best time on the medium compound, with the exception of Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas driver Mick Schumacher. Only Tsunoda managed to get in the top 10, so he will be the sole driver who qualified in the front half of the grid to start on the soft. Tsunoda was also the only driver to run the medium in the first part of Q3.
• The FP3 session in the morning was held in wet conditions from start to finish, with the drivers running the Cinturato full wets and intermediates.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The rain had the effect of re-setting the track, but even in the wet conditions of free practice, the drivers reported a lot more grip compared to last year. The drivers then got to grips with the rapidly-evolving track on slicks again during qualifying, with nearly all of them choosing the medium for Q2. A two-stopper using the medium for one stint and the hard for two stints is on paper the fastest strategy tomorrow, but a medium-hard one-stopper or a ‘sprint’ strategy using the soft can’t be discounted either, so there are some interesting possibilities. The weather will also have a part to play, with the risk of rain still present. If this turns out to be the case, the wet running in FP3 will have been extremely valuable. The crossover points between both wets and intermediates as well as intermediates and slicks are lower than other tracks, and this will have an influence on strategies in changeable conditions.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the pace in free practice at the Turkish Grand Prix, with his best time in FP2 on the P Zero Red soft C4 tyre (1m23.894s) breaking Juan Pablo Montoya’s circuit record from 2005, which had already been surpassed in FP1. In the morning, Hamilton was also fastest on the soft, with a time of 1m24.178s. Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were the only drivers to get under the 1m23s barrier.
• The Istanbul Park track – which isn’t used much during the year – showed improved grip compared to last year. Hamilton’s best FP2 time was around 4,5 seconds faster than the equivalent time in 2020, when the tyre nomination was a step harder.
• The FP2 session was run in conditions that peaked at 23 degrees centigrade ambient and 32 degrees on track, with some gusting winds as well: especially at the crucial Turn 8. However, the weather forecast is more uncertain for the rest of the weekend, with a chance of rain tomorrow and drier conditions expected on Sunday.
• Istanbul remains one of the biggest challenges of the year for the tyres, which are subjected to a 4.5g load under braking following the long run to Turn 1, while the multi-apex Turn 8 is taken flat out, with the tyres under maximum load for around six seconds. The entry to Turn 12 is another heavy braking area at 5g.
• The estimated performance gaps so far between the three compounds are reasonably small here: around 0.5 seconds between P Zero White hard C2 and P Zero Yellow medium C3, and 0.4 seconds between medium and soft. With track evolution (and no major support races on the schedule) those gaps may change over the course of the weekend as more F1 rubber is laid down.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“From the beginning it was clear that track conditions were much better than last year, with drivers reporting improved grip, and times in both sessions considerably faster than 2020. It’s hard to compare this year to last year, because the weather conditions are different and our tyre nomination is a step softer. The track has also been pressure-washed recently, and this has washed off the surface bitumen, although the level of roughness seems to be unaltered. As a result, we’ve seen consistent grip throughout the lap – albeit slightly affected by today’s gusting winds – and all three tyres providing solid performance, with a bit of graining as expected, especially on the front-right. With so many new aspects compared to last year, the teams will be relying heavily on the information collected today to work out the optimal strategy, rather than the data from 2020. However, there’s a risk of rain tomorrow that could cause yet another variable. For the race, what we’ve learned today is that the hard and medium tyres could be favoured to achieve a one-stop strategy, but the soft could also come into play if the teams are able to mitigate wear.”

• For the Turkish Grand Prix, which was added to the calendar to replace Singapore this year, the three tyres in the middle of the range have been nominated: C2 is the P Zero White hard, C3 is the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 is the P Zero Red soft. This is one step softer than the nomination made for the Turkish Grand Prix last year, which was held in November after a nine-year absence from the calendar.
• The decision to go one step softer is based on the data collected last year, which demonstrated a track with average levels of abrasion and low grip, resulting in an extremely slippery surface that nonetheless showed rapid track evolution.
• The track was entirely re-asphalted just prior to the Turkish Grand Prix last year. Since then, the asphalt may have matured slightly and it’s also been completely cleaned with a high-pressure water jet. So this year drivers should benefit from better grip as a consequence of the softer compounds, higher asphalt roughness, and the likelihood of higher temperatures compared to last year.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• The best-known corner at Istanbul Park is Turn 8, which has been described as one of the great corners in Formula 1. It’s very long, at 640 metres (or 12% of the entire lap) and taken at high speed, with several apexes that place forces peaking at more than 5g on the cars and tyres.
• As a result, Turkey is a tough track for tyres: with plenty of force going through the tyres. The cars consequently run high downforce to help push the tyres onto the ground.
• Many other corners place considerable demands on the tyres as well: Turn 1 is approached with a significant descent before heading uphill, and the back straight also contains a swooping uphill kink nicknamed ‘Faux Rouge’ in homage to Spa. The entire track layout makes plenty of use of the area’s natural elevation.
• This year’s weather remains a question mark, with the race being held more than a month earlier than it was in 2020. With rain dominating proceedings last year, the teams don’t have much relevant tyre data – especially as the softest C4 compound has never been taken to Istanbul before.
• The winning strategy last year, at the grand prix in which Lewis Hamilton won a record-equalling seventh title as well as the race, was a one-stopper with eight laps on the Cinturato Blue full wet followed by 50 laps on the Cinturato Green intermediate. Hamilton was one of only four drivers to stop once, as the majority stopped twice.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Turkey was one of the most dramatic and unpredictable races of last season, mostly due to a very slippery track as a consequence of low grip from the new asphalt. The slipperiness of the circuit, exacerbated by the rain, caught many people by surprise, and that’s why this year we’ve opted for a softer tyre nomination, also with the race taking place more than a month earlier, which should result in higher temperatures. Following our tyre nomination, the track has undergone a high-pressure water cleaning process, which should lead to greater roughness and more grip, so there’s also the possibility that with softer compounds we will face higher wear levels compared to last year. That’s something we will only find out when we get there, so the work done in free practice will be very useful. Because everything was so new last year, we took the conservative option of coming with the hardest tyres. Going a step softer this weekend will probably open up the possibility of a few different strategies as well.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• On October 18 at Paul Ricard in France, Alpine will carry out the day of testing with 18-inch intermediate and full wet tyres that was originally scheduled for Magny-Cours.
• Rally Finland – the fastest round of the World Rally Championship – took place last weekend based in Jyvaskyla, with the cars using Pirelli’s Scorpion gravel tyres, in hard and soft compounds.
• The final round of the Pirelli-equipped GT World Challenge takes place during the same weekend as the Turkish Grand Prix, at Barcelona in Spain. Audi currently leads the manufacturers’ standings heading into the finale, with its drivers Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts topping the drivers’ standings.
• Pirelli recently celebrated 50 years of supplying tyres to the iconic Lamborghini Countach. The Italian firm equipped the original 1971 car with its P7, and now supplies the most recent 2021 hybrid Countach LPI 800-4 (limited to just 112 examples) with bespoke P Zero and P Zero Corsa tyres.

• Starting from fourth on the grid, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed his 100^th Formula 1 victory and regained the world championship lead. Like almost every driver, he completed a two-stop strategy, switching from the P Zero Yellow medium C4 to the P Zero White hard C3 on lap 27 and then to the Cinturato Green intermediates in the final laps as rain fell. He hunted down McLaren’s Lando Norris, who led for the bulk of the race from pole but only went onto intermediates on the final lap, falling down the order and eventually finishing seventh.
• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen went from 20^th on the grid to second, starting on the hard tyres before switching to the mediums and then the intermediates with three laps to go.
• The majority of drivers started on the medium tyre, with seven beginning on the hard. Before the rain, all the drivers ran the two theoretically fastest strategies: medium to hard, or hard to medium.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C3: Used for the opening stint by most of the drivers starting from close to the back of the grid, as well as Alpine’s Fernando Alonso who started from P6 and finished in the same position. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came from the back to second during his opening stint on this compound. This tyre allowed Sergio Perez, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alonso to complete 36 laps in the opening stint. This tyre showed a very good warm-up and solid consistency throughout the race.
• MEDIUM C4: The most popular starting tyre, with the top five on the grid beginning on this compound. The medium showed good durability, although with graining from some cars on the front-left. Nonetheless, Norris completed 28 laps on the medium before switching to the hard for his final stint.
• SOFT C5: Not ideally suited to the conditions today, with the cool and ‘green’ track leading to some graining. The only driver to use it today was AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who ran it for two laps at the end before switching to intermediate.
• INTERMEDIATE: A key element to the race outcome, with the drivers who moved onto this tyre promptly as rain fell, such as Hamilton, being handed a crucial advantage in the final laps.

FORMULA 2: RACE 3

The 28-lap Feature Race, which contained an obligatory pit stop, was won by polesitter and championship leader Oscar Piastri (Prema). All but five of the drivers started on the P Zero Purple supersoft tyre, with Hitech’s Liam Lawson using the extra life of the P Zero Yellow medium to move into the lead after the supersoft runners in front of him pitted. After 17 laps, he made his own stop for the supersoft – with Piastri moving back into the lead shortly afterwards, to resume his battle with ART driver Theo Pourchaire, on a similar supersoft-medium strategy but with a slightly longer first stint. Lawson finished eighth (where he started) as the highest-placed driver to start on the medium.

FORMULA 3: RACE 3

Trident won the teams’ championship, thanks to victory for Jack Doohan from pole. The Australian battled hard against his team mate Clement Novalak, with both urged to fight cleanly so as not to risk losing the title to Prema – whose driver Dennis Hauger claimed the driver’s crown yesterday. Today’s result also ensured that Doohan finished runner-up in the final standings. Once again, the drivers used the P Zero White hard throughout the 20 laps, which demonstrated a high level of durability and consistency. However, Novalak’s tyres had suffered in the intense battle against Doohan, which meant that ART’s Frederik Vesti was able to slip past for second place close to the finish.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“After yesterday’s wet conditions, the rain held off until the final few laps – and it decided the race. Up until then, the drivers had made the most of dry conditions with maximum tyre freedom, as they could choose their starting tyres and they all had a full unused allocation of slicks. The ‘reset’ track following the rain led to a bit of sliding and graining at the start of the race, but this was soon overcome. The hard tyre’s resistance to abrasion proved very well suited to the conditions, with some very long stints of more than 35 laps, while the medium also did 28 laps in the hands of Lando Norris. Ultimately though, it was the intermediate tyre that made the difference, with the teams able to use their experience from a wet qualifying to extract the maximum performance from it when it mattered at the end.”

If it’s dry, the 53-lap Russian Grand Prix should be one-stop race, unless there’s a safety car or any other anomaly.
The pit lane time loss is quite big in Sochi at around 25 seconds: another factor that drives teams towards a one-stopper. Tomorrow they should all be able to run the theoretically optimal tyre strategy, as wet conditions in qualifying mean that every driver has a free choice of start tyre, rather than having to go with their Q2 best time tyre.
Medium C4 to hard C3 is set to be the preferred strategy, also because this allows the greatest degree of flexibility, with a wide pit stop window that maximises opportunities to take advantage of safety cars or other race circumstances. Soft C5 to hard C3 is also a viable possibility, while soft C5 to medium C4 is marginal in terms of wear.
As always, there’s the option to do something completely different and start on the hard compound before switching to a softer compound much later in the race, but that is more of an unknown quantity. This might be a good option for those starting lower down the grid, to carry out a longer first stint. With two of the frontrunners starting at the back due to engine changes, it will be interesting to see which tactics they choose.

FOCUS ON

• As heavy rain meant that there was no medical helicopter cover this morning, FP3 was cancelled and drivers went straight into qualifying today. They used the Cinturato Green intermediate tyres for the bulk of the session, before moving onto the P Zero Red soft C5 for just the final run in Q3 – which set up a dramatic finale. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso was the only driver to use the Cinturato Blue full wet, at the beginning of Q1.
• With the track improving rapidly, McLaren driver Lando Norris using the softs claimed his debut pole on the final run ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Williams driver George Russell.
• As the wet-weather tyres were used during Q2, drivers will have a free choice of starting tyre tomorrow.
• Conditions were cool and damp throughout qualifying, finishing off with temperatures of 13 degrees centigrade ambient and 16 degrees centigrade on track. With a threat of rain hanging over the session, drivers started by concentrating on long runs and registering some lap times as quickly as possible, in case conditions worsened.

FORMULA 2: RACE 1

The Formula 2 sprint race was won by Carlin driver Dan Ticktum from reverse grid pole, ahead of Hitech’s Juri Vips, who started from second. All the drivers, apart for Alessio Deledda, used the P Zero Yellow medium tyre throughout the 18-lap race, which started off in slippery conditions following heavy rain for most of the day. This meant that this morning’s scheduled F2 race was cancelled, with tomorrow’s feature race going ahead as planned with Prema’s championship leader Oscar Piastri on pole.

FORMULA 3: RACE 1

Race 1, brought forward to yesterday afternoon as a result of Saturday’s rain, was won by Charouz driver Logan Sargeant, while second place for Prema’s Dennis Hauger sealed the championship for the Norwegian, who will graduate to Formula 2 next year with the help of a scholarship budget from Pirelli. Hauger started from fourth on the reverse grid but fought his way to the runner-up spot over 20 laps, with all the drivers running the P Zero White hard tyre, enabling them to push at the maximum from start to finish. As a result of the weather-inflicted schedule changes, there will be just one more Formula 3 race tomorrow at 09:55, run over 20 laps again.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Qualifying was tricky, with a low-grip surface that took a long time to dry and made it difficult to determine the crossover point, until right at the end of Q3 when it was finally dry enough for slicks. Tomorrow’s conditions look set to be dry, meaning that teams will have to rely on the data accumulated on Friday, with one session less of running compared to usual. All drivers will have a free choice of tyres at the start, which means that they should be able to run the optimal one-stop strategy. With some fast drivers starting from the back, who might try something different, plus a slightly different top three on the grid, it should be a very intriguing race.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• Valtteri Bottas led a Mercedes one-two in both free practice sessions today, using the P Zero Red soft C5 tyre on each occasion. The Finn, who also topped both Friday sessions last year in Sochi, went faster than he did last year in FP1, but couldn’t quite match his 2020 benchmark in FP2.
• However, it was a slightly different pair of practice sessions compared to normal. With persistent rain expected tomorrow, the drivers concentrated on collecting data across all three compounds for Sunday, when weather conditions are expected to be still variable.
• Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will be starting at the back of the grid due to engine changes – which meant that qualifying simulation was not a priority for them in free practice.
• Conditions were reasonably cool today, with ambient temperatures around 22 degrees centigrade and track temperatures up to 32 degrees during FP2.
• A red flag interrupted the FP2 session with 20 minutes to go, disrupting some of the long runs. This made it harder to assess the performance gaps between the compounds, but so far there is around 0.8 seconds between P Zero Red soft and P Zero Yellow medium, and an estimated 0.5 seconds between medium and P Zero White hard.

FORMULA 2: LATEST NEWS

Prema’s championship leader Oscar Piastri took pole position in Formula 2 qualifying, with all the drivers using the P Zero Purple supersoft tyres. Carlin’s Dan Ticktum will start on pole for tomorrow’s first race – expected to be held in wet conditions – having qualified in P10 for this afternoon’s session. Earlier today, UNI Virtuosi’s Felipe Drugovich went quickest in free practice, using the P Zero Yellow medium tyre.

FORMULA 3: LATEST NEWS

Trident’s Jack Doohan claimed pole position in qualifying, helping to keep his title hopes alive. Prema driver Dennis Hauger headed to Sochi’s first race 39 points ahead of him in the standings, having only qualified in ninth. All the drivers used the P Zero White hard tyre, which was originally intended for the final round that was scheduled for Austin, Texas, before it was moved to Sochi. As a result, the drivers had to concentrate on tyre warm-up, especially in today’s cool conditions. Due to a risk of rain tomorrow, the first race was moved forward from Saturday morning to Friday afternoon, with Hitech Grand Prix’s Roman Stanek starting from reverse grid pole (after qualifying 12th today).

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Tomorrow’s expected weather influenced free practice today, with the drivers concentrating more on collecting plenty of data over all three compounds as well as setting a lap time just in case FP2 has an influence on the grid positions for the race, with a strong chance that tomorrow will see wet conditions all day. The circuit actually offered quite good grip and, as expected, plenty of track evolution, although the rain tomorrow is likely to reset the asphalt, which adds to the question marks. Under these circumstances, the red flag in FP2 was unfortunate, with the teams likely to head into Sunday’s race with a distinct lack of dry running.”

• For the first time since Austria, the three softest compounds in the range have been nominated for this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix: C3 as the P Zero White hard, C4 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C5 as the P Zero Red soft. This is the same nomination that was made in Russia last season, when the event was held at a similar time of year.
• Sochi is a low severity track and the track surface has been steadily maturing since the asphalt was originally laid nearly a decade ago. As a result, the softest rubber in the P Zero range is the perfect choice for the Russian track.
• The weather should be quite mild at this time of year, so helping to reduce thermal degradation, although this aspect is more related to the track’s layout and roughness.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• The corners located around Sochi’s Olympic Park are generally slow to medium speed, with a number of 90-degree turns. In general, the circuit is all about traction and braking, so it’s rear-limited. The most demanding corner (and the only front-limited corner) is Turn 3: a multi-apex left-hander that is similar in some ways to Istanbul’s famous Turn 8 in Turkey, which is next grand prix on the calendar.
• Teams tend to run medium to low downforce, on account of Sochi’s quite long straights, which places the emphasis on mechanical grip from the tyres.
• The track is not used a lot during the season, so it’s often particularly ‘green’ and slippery towards the start of the weekend. This can sometimes cause the tyres to slide rather than grip, especially during Friday’s free practice sessions but, as was the case last year, graining usually reduces a lot between free practice and the race due to track evolution.
• Russia has traditionally been a one-stop race, and this was mostly the case last year as well. The top two finishers used a medium to hard strategy, but there was plenty of variation further down the order with some drivers starting on the soft, and three competitors using all three compounds in a two-stopper as well.

FORMULA 2 AND FORMULA 3: WHAT TO EXPECT

Unusually, both Formula 2 and Formula 3 will take place at Sochi, following a calendar change for Formula 3, which now hosts its final round (of seven) at the Russian circuit. Formula 2 hosts round six of eight during the same weekend, with the P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Purple being nominated. This is the same nomination that will be used for the final two rounds, and also the same nomination as F2 in Russia last year. Formula 3 returns to Sochi for the first time since 2019 (when Robert Shwartzman claimed the title on home territory) with the P Zero White hard tyre. With both championships and six races taking place across Formula 2 and Formula 3 this weekend, as well as Formula 1, Pirelli will bring more than 3500 tyres to Sochi.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“We’ve seen in the past that there’s been quite a lot of different strategic thinking, with all three compounds on the grid at the start of the race and varying tactics during the grand prix. Last year, the soft C5 performed better than expected and graining levels were reduced over all compounds between free practice and the race, due to high track evolution. In the past, some drivers have even tried a very early switch to the hardest compound and attempted to run all the way to the end, but last year this wasn’t quite possible as these days the asphalt has matured and is not as smooth as it was in the past. With the extra rubber on track from the very full schedule of support races this time, track evolution and grip should be further enhanced.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• The final round of the Pirelli-equipped GT World Challenge Sprint Cup takes place during the same weekend as the Russian Grand Prix, at the permanent Valencia circuit in Spain.
• The World Rally Championship – exclusively supplied by Pirelli – has announced that the final round of this year’s series will take place at the Monza Rally from November 19-21, using stages located on and around the home of the Italian Grand Prix.
• Pirelli recently displayed its very first FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) road car tyre at the Munich Mobility Show, created with the accent on sustainable production.

• McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo won a dramatic Italian Grand Prix ahead of his team mate Lando Norris, in a race that was characterised by a collision between title contenders Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) on lap 26, which brought out a lengthy safety car.
• Both McLarens used the same P Zero Yellow medium C3 to P Zero White hard C2 strategy, stopping only once. This was the most popular strategy used during the race.
• The highest-placed driver to use an alternative strategy was Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, who started from the back following an engine change (despite claiming pole in Friday’s qualifying) and ran an opening stint on the hard tyre before switching to the faster medium at the end of the race. As the only driver in the top 10 to be running the medium tyre in the closing stages of the race, he was able to make the speed advantage count, eventually finishing third. Hamilton was on a similar strategy, prior to his retirement.
• The sprint qualifying format in Italy meant that all drivers had a free choice of tyres at the race start. All the drivers chose the medium C3, apart from Mercedes, Alfa Romeo’s Robert Kubica, and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, who decided to start on the hard C2.
• The weather was warm throughout the 53-lap Italian Grand Prix, with ambient temperatures of around 30 degrees centigrade and track temperatures in excess of 40 degrees, practically right up to the end of the race.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C2: This compound was a key ingredient to the race, with the vast majority of drivers using it for the final stint. One notable exception was Bottas, who used it at the start of the race to eventually climb to third by the finish. The warm temperatures today helped to favour this compound, which allowed drivers to push to the maximum with almost no degradation. Ricciardo also claimed the extra championship point for fastest lap on this compound, on the final tour.
• MEDIUM C3: Another essential tyre to the race, used mostly in the first stint. This compound showed a very good balance between degradation and performance.
• SOFT C4: The only driver to run this compound during the race was Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, who made three pit stops. Conditions were generally too warm to make the most of this tyre.

FORMULA 2: RACE 3

Prema driver Oscar Piastri won the feature race from pole, which contains a compulsory pit stop, after a 30-lap encounter that was characterised by multiple safety cars. This was also a reason why tyre wear and degradation were not really a factor. Most drivers started on the P Zero Red soft tyres and then switched to the P Zero Yellow medium on lap eight, taking advantage of a 'free' pit stop during the second safety car. Carlin’s Dan Ticktum gambled on the exact opposite strategy: taking a long 22-lap initial stint on the medium and then switching to the soft, hoping for a late safety car. He got his wish with eight laps to go and was able to convert eighth on the grid into third at the finish, having overtaken eight cars after making the most of the extra speed of the fresh soft rubber. The race ended under a fourth and final safety car, with second place for UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou (from third on the grid) meaning that he trails Piastri by 15 points in the title race.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“Both McLaren drivers used the same medium to hard strategy that was adopted by the majority of the field, but Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes also showed what was possible with the opposite strategy. The performance of the hard tyre here was underlined by the fact that Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap on the final lap, having managed the race perfectly since the restart. Today’s warm weather certainly favoured the hard and medium compounds, which both showed minimal degradation, while at the opposite end of the spectrum, it was a bit too warm for the soft to show its speed advantage.”

The fastest strategy on paper for the 53-lap Italian Grand Prix is a one-stopper, starting on the P Zero Yellow medium C3 and then going onto the P Zero Red soft C4. However, also switching from the soft or the medium to the P Zero White hard C2 can be a very good option, so all the compounds can play an important role. The information from sprint qualifying showed how both the soft and medium are valid choices as starting tyres, and the teams will have gained vital information from their performance during this afternoon’s race.
A two-stopper is distinctly slower, but the best option in this case would be a soft-medium-soft strategy. The possibilities are in fact more open than usual at a sprint qualifying weekend, as nobody is locked into starting the grand prix on the tyres with which they set their fastest times in Q2.

FOCUS ON

• Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the second sprint qualifying race in Formula 1 history, having started first on the grid after topping qualifying yesterday. This would earn him pole for the Italian Grand Prix, but he will start down the grid due to an engine change. As a result, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – who finished second in sprint qualifying – will be effectively promoted to pole.
• There was a wide range of starting tyres for the 18-lap sprint qualifying race, with McLaren, Aston Martin, Alpine and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda on the soft tyre. Everyone else was on the medium, with no pit stops.
• Ambient temperatures were 29 degrees centigrade at the start of the race with track temperatures of 42 degrees. Despite the warmth, the degradation on the soft was lower than expected, probably helped by the fact that the cars carried only around a third of their usual fuel load for a full race distance, therefore helping to reduce the energy going through the tyres - along with an early safety car.
• Sprint qualifying was preceded by one free practice session this morning, during which Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two on the soft tyre.

FORMULA 2 – RACE 1 AND RACE 2

Race 1 this morning was won by ART Grand Prix’s Theo Pourchaire, from sixth on the grid, while his team mate Christian Lundgaard claimed third after a strong run on mediums from 19^th on the grid. The drivers all started the 21-lap race on the medium tyres but the race was affected by two safety cars and two virtual safety cars. The top four used the medium from start to finish, with Hitech’s Liam Lawson being the highest-placed driver to make a pit stop (from medium to soft) classified fifth. Also in Race 2, claimed by Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala, all the drivers chose the medium from start to finish, but due to warmer temperatures the management of the tyre was more relevant as the degradation was higher than in Race 1.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“It was interesting to see both the soft and the medium tyres on the grid today, with the teams given free choice. Although free practice time is reduced compared to a normal weekend, the teams were able to collect a good quantity of data today during sprint qualifying, which was run in conditions similar to those expected for tomorrow’s grand prix. The early safety car in sprint qualifying gave the tyres some respite, but the soft performed better than expected, with very low levels of degradation despite the warm temperatures. For tomorrow’s grand prix we expect all three compounds to have a valid role in the race strategies.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas went fastest in Friday qualifying – which will put him on pole for tomorrow’s sprint qualifying race that determines the grid for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. All the drivers had to use the P Zero Red soft C4 tyre for qualifying today, as per the regulations.
• The fastest driver in Friday qualifying during sprint rounds is given the Pirelli ‘Speed King’ award, which replaces the Pirelli Pole Position Award on events with sprint qualifying. The name of the award is particularly apt this weekend, as Monza is popularly known as the ‘Temple of Speed’.
• Just one hour of free practice on Friday afternoon preceded qualifying, with the teams condensing their usual data collection programmes into just one hour and running all three nominated compounds. The other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton was fastest in free practice, this time on the P Zero Yellow medium C3 tyre. Hamilton qualified second on the grid, just behind his team mate but ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
• Qualifying today took place at 18:00 – later than the usual slot – with 27 degrees ambient and 33 degrees of track temperature at the start of the session.
• With limited running, it’s harder than normal to work out the performance gap between the three compounds. The indications so far suggest around 0.4 seconds between medium C3 and soft C4, and 0.3 seconds between medium C3 and P Zero White hard C2.

FORMULA 2: LATEST NEWS

Prema driver Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the second consecutive time in Formula 2 (following the last round at Silverstone) right at the end of the session, taking advantage of an evolving track and an optimal tow. The championship leader used the P Zero Red soft to set his time, nominated together with the P Zero Yellow medium this weekend for Formula 2. Just 0.057 seconds separated the top three on the grid, while Campos Racing’s David Beckmann will start first for tomorrow’s opening race, having qualified 10^th.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“As we’ve seen before at Monza, qualifying was a very strategic session, with cars trying to benefit from a valuable tow on the long straights in order to improve their overall lap times. The overall strategy was made more complex by the fact that the teams also had to consider sprint qualifying for the first time at Monza, as they are free to run whichever tyre they like tomorrow – as well as start the grand prix on whichever compound they like. We saw different strategic approaches in FP1, with the majority of teams using three sets of tyres and all the compounds in just one hour to maximise data collection, while Mercedes, for example, focused only on the medium tyre: which might be a good option for tomorrow’s sprint qualifying. Today’s qualifying was instead more straightforward than usual as the teams could only run the soft tyre. This coped well with the heavy traction and braking demands of Monza, also providing the mechanical grip needed in the absence of high levels of downforce.”

• For Pirelli’s home race – on one of the fastest tracks of the season – the three compounds in the middle of the range have been chosen: the most popular selection of the season. The P Zero White hard is the C2, P Zero Yellow medium is C3, and P Zero Red is the C4.
• The same compounds were selected for the last two years at Monza, offering a good balance for all the different demands of the Italian Grand Prix.
• Monza is the second race this year that will host the new sprint qualifying format, pioneered at the British Grand Prix in July. As a result, the usual tyre allocation has changed.Rather than having 13 sets of tyres for a weekend, there will be 12 sets. These will consist of two sets of P Zero White hard, four sets of P Zero Yellow medium, and six sets of P Zero Red soft. In addition to this, the teams will have up to six sets of Cinturato Green intermediates and three sets of Cinturato Blue full wets available in case of wet weather conditions.
• During Friday qualifying, only the soft tyre can be used. In sprint qualifying, drivers will have a free choice of tyres with no obligatory pit stop. At the end of this race, they will hand back the set of tyres that has completed the most laps. Tyre rules for the grand prix on Sunday remain unaltered, apart from every driver having a free choice of tyres for the start.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• Monza is best-known for its flat-out straights preceded by heavy braking areas, but with some slower and more technical sections as well.
• The long straights also have the effect of cooling down the tyres, which can affect the precision of the turn-in during the following corners. But this of course depends also on the weather, which can vary at this time of year.
• The teams run a low downforce package at Monza, in order to minimise drag and so maximise top speed on the straights. This puts the emphasis more on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip.
• The long straights also make it advantageous to try and gain an aerodynamic tow on the straights, which a number of the drivers tried last year during qualifying.
• The Italian Grand Prix was delayed by a red flag last year, which disrupted the planned tyre strategy, making it effectively a 26-lap sprint race on fresh tyres at the end (with the top six all selecting the medium). The year before at Monza, using the same tyre nomination, soft to hard was the winning strategy – although the other two drivers on the podium went from soft to medium.

FORMULA 2: WHAT TO EXPECT

Formula 2 resumes at Monza for round five with the P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Red soft tyres nominated for the race: the first and only time that this particular selection has been made this year. As usual drivers have six sets in total (four mediums and two softs) available for the weekend. The 2021 medium Formula 2 compound offers more performance compared to its 2020 equivalent, bringing it closer in outright performance to the soft, which is unchanged from last year.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“We have seen from the past that a number of different strategies are possible at Monza, and with sprint qualifying adding another big variable into the mix, the teams are forced to re-think their entire tyre strategy for the weekend. It’s a rear-limited circuit with the focus on traction, so the particular challenge is to stop the rear tyres from sliding and overheating too much, as the low-downforce set up means that there is not much pushing them into the ground. The weather plays a part as well, as this issue is emphasised if temperatures are higher.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• The Acropolis Rally, round nine of the Pirelli-equipped World Rally Championship, takes place during the same weekend as the Italian Grand Prix. Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier currently leads the championship, with Pirelli’s Scorpion gravel tyres nominated for Greece.
• Pirelli’s 2022 18-inch tyre test programme continues after Monza, with Alpine completing three days of testing with next year’s prototype intermediate and wet tyres at Magny-Cours in France. This is the final test prior to the 2022 tyre specification being fixed.
• Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres recently set a new production car record for compact cars at the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany, fitted to the latest Audi RS3.

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his home grand prix with a two-stopper using all three compounds perfectly: starting on the P Zero Red soft C3, before moving onto the P Zero Yellow medium C2, and finishing on the P Zero White hard C1.
• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who finished second, opted for a different strategy: starting on the soft and then running two stints on the medium. He added an unscheduled third stop right at the end of the race for softs, to claim the fastest lap championship point.
• The top five finished in the order in which they started on the grid. However, there were five different strategies in the top six, demonstrating the different tactical approaches that many teams took to the race.
• Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was the only driver to start on the hard compound, from the pit lane. He went from hard to medium to soft, finishing eighth and being voted as driver of the day.
• There was a mixture of one and two-stoppers during the race, with seven drivers stopping twice and the rest stopping once. Hamilton was the only driver to stop three times.
• Today was a bit warmer than previous days, with track temperatures that peaked at 32 degrees.

HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED

• HARD C1: A key component in Verstappen’s victory, with most drivers using the white tyre for the final stint. Several drivers completed more than 40 laps on this compound, with Williams driver Nicholas Latifi doing 47 laps.
• MEDIUM C2: McLaren’s Lando Norris completed a long 42-lap opening stint on this compound, with the top three all using the medium for the middle stint. Hamilton came close to setting the fastest lap on a used set of mediums, before switching to the softs right at the end to ensure the extra point.
• SOFT C3: The majority of the drivers started the race on this compound, with both Mercedes cars switching to the red tyre at the end to secure consecutive fastest laps. Despite degradation being in line with expectations, the wear rate was higher than predicted.

FORMULA 3: RACE 2 AND RACE 3

Yesterday’s Race 2 was won by MP Motorsport driver Victor Martins, who fought his way up from fifth on the grid to take the lead. Reverse grid polesitter Ido Cohen (Carlin) got a poor start to let Trident’s Clement Novalak past, but Novalak was eventually overhauled by his fellow Frenchman after a race affected by two safety cars. Today’s Race 3 was claimed by Prema’s championship leader Dennis Hauger, who started from pole, while Trident’s David Schumacher lost second following some contact, bringing out a virtual safety car and promoting Novalak to runner-up once more. The P Zero White hard tyre was nominated this weekend (each race lasting 24 laps with no compulsory pit stops) providing a strong performance. The next and final round of the championship has been moved forward from Austin to Sochi.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“All three compounds that we nominated for the race played a prominent role, underlining how there was a big variety of successful strategies today on this brand new and very exciting circuit, with the drivers pushing to the maximum all the way to the end. Along with the warmer weather today compared to previous days, this meant that there were plenty of demands placed on the tyres – so it was the right decision to come here with the three hardest tyres in the range. Wear was higher than predicted due to a lack of long runs before the race, while degradation was in line with expectations. Prior to the final stops for the soft from Mercedes at the end of the race, a used medium tyre showed its capability to set the fastest lap. Congratulations to Max Verstappen and Red Bull for an extremely popular home victory.”

The 72-lap Dutch Grand Prix is quite a step into the unknown for everyone, but on paper a two-stopper and one-stopper seem quite closely matched – although this obviously depends on a number of different variables such as track temperature as well as tyre degradation.
In practice, the teams will always gravitate towards a one-stopper as the default option if they can: especially as the tight and twisty confines of Zandvoort seem to make it quite hard to overtake. The optimal one-stop strategy consists of an opening stint on either the P Zero Yellow medium C2 or the P Zero Red soft C3, followed by a longer final stint on the P Zero White hard C1. Soft to medium seems a bit marginal, considering the expected wear and degradation rates.
However, there are a few question marks that could bring a two-stopper into play as well: especially if it’s hot or if degradation is higher than expected on the soft tyre in particular.
The number of stoppages seen so far also suggest that a safety car period or even a red flag could be possible during the race, which would alter the complexion of the planned strategy entirely.

FOCUS ON

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen became the first Dutchman to claim pole for the Dutch Grand Prix, completing his fastest lap on the P Zero Red soft C3 tyres at the very end of the Q3 session. Verstappen was also fastest in free practice this morning, ahead of both Mercedes as he was in qualifying, again on the soft tyres.
• All the drivers used the soft from start to finish of the qualifying session, with the exception of both Mercedes drivers, who ran the P Zero Yellow medium C2 tyres to set their best times in Q1 (having one less set of soft tyres after FP3). Consequently all the top 10 on the grid will start on the soft tyre tomorrow.
• The Q2 session was interrupted by two red flags, which brought it to a premature end, for two separate incidents involving both Williams drivers, causing a delay of about half an hour.
• Conditions were warm and dry throughout qualifying, with 23 degrees ambient and 34 degrees on track halfway through the session. However, there was some wind that affected the aerodynamics and gave the drivers an extra challenge.

FORMULA 3 – RACE 1

Prema’s Arthur Leclerc, the younger brother of Ferrari star Charles, won the opening Formula 3 race on Saturday morning, with all the drivers using the P Zero White hard compound. Leclerc made a fantastic getaway to take the lead at the exit of the first corner, which he defended to the end of the 24-lap race, winning by less than a second. There was a safety car with seven laps to go, with a number of drivers including Prema’s championship leader Dennis Hauger taking advantage of the re-start to make up more places. Carlin’s Ido Cohen finished 12^th, and so started Race 2 from pole position.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“It was a bit of a stop-start qualifying session, in keeping with what we have seen during most of the sessions here so far, with two red flags in Q2 and a few surprises throughout. There was plenty of track evolution seen in qualifying, with the fastest times coming right at the end of each session – so this had a clear impact on the qualifying strategy, with teams trying to set their times as late as possible. In terms of race strategy, everything is still somewhat open, with both a two-stopper and one-stopper possible. However, the teams will want to focus on a one-stopper if they can, which is achievable using either the medium or the soft tyre to start, followed by a final stint on the hard. Without a lot of prior information to fall back on, there’s also scope for drivers to gamble on doing something different – which might just pay off.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• With just 20 minutes run of FP1 (following delays in recovering Sebastian Vettel’s stricken Aston Martin) FP2 was the crucial session today, run at exactly the same time as qualifying and the race (15:00). Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc went quickest in the session ahead of his team mate Carlos Sainz, with both cars using the P Zero Red soft C3 tyre to set their best times. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton topped the times in the short morning FP1 session.
• With Zandvoort returning to Formula 1 for the first time since 1985, the emphasis today was very much on learning the track and how the three hardest tyre compounds in the Pirelli range – selected for this weekend – interact with it.
• The afternoon FP2 session got underway in 25 degrees centigrade ambient and 30 degrees on track, with sunny weather. This session was also interrupted by two red flags, albeit for less than 15 minutes in total this time.
• As expected, the brand new track was quite ‘green’ all day before any rubber was laid down, with sand and gravel also pulled onto the track.
• The limited running today meant that the information about the tyre gaps is really only based on FP2. Between soft C3 and medium C2 there is a gap so far of 0.7 seconds, higher than an our initial estimation, while the gap between medium C2 and hard C1 is 0.6 seconds, based on our pre-event simulation (with not enough information available from the session).

FORMULA 3: LATEST NEWS

Prema’s Dennis Hauger took pole from Trident driver David Schumacher, who had held the top spot for most of the session. All the drivers used the P Zero White hard tyre: the single compound nominated for this weekend in Formula 3. The championship leader claimed his third pole of the season in the final seconds of the session (following a red flag) but it’s Campos Racing’s Amaury Cordeel who will start from the front of tomorrow’s Race 1 grid after qualifying 12^th. Hitech’s Jak Crawford went fastest in free practice this morning: a session also affected by two red flags.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“There was at least one red flag during every session today – including Formula 3 free practice and qualifying – which obviously limited all the running and made it harder to draw any firm conclusions. It was also quite a dirty track, with sand and gravel on the surface. However, the teams still managed to obtain some of the data that they needed on this unique and unforgiving new track – and this was useful preparation, as safety cars and red flags seem likely to be a possibility during the race as well. More work and information is needed tomorrow though in order to get a clearer idea of the optimal strategy. We managed to get a good idea of the gap between medium and soft today, while we do not yet have enough data to accurately predict the gap between medium and hard. Despite the impressive banking at Zandvoort, the tyres are exactly the same as we bring to the other races, with the latest structure introduced from Silverstone designed to cope with even the heaviest loads.”

• The three hardest compounds in the P Zero range have been chosen for the fourth time this season, as Zandvoort and the Dutch Grand Prix return to the Formula 1 calendar after 36 years. The C1 is the P Zero White hard, the C2 is the P Zero Yellow medium, and the C3 is the P Zero Red soft.
• The return of the Dutch Grand Prix was initially scheduled for 2020 but postponed to this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. With some high-energy corners and no relevant previous data to fall back on, the hardest tyres are the most suitable choice.

TRACK CHARACTERISTICS

• The Zandvoort circuit looks somewhat different to the track that last hosted Formula 1 in 1985. In particular, turns 3 and 14 (named after former circuit director John Hugenholtz and Dutch driver Arie Luyendyk respectively) are now banked at around 19 degrees. That’s roughly double the banking at Indianapolis, which is about nine degrees – meaning that the cars will be able to take these corners much faster than they did in the past, with more energy going through the tyres.
• Turn 14 is taken flat-out, generating forces in excess of 4g, while there are two corners with heavy braking of around 5g: the entries into Turn 1 and Turn 11. Turn 7 is another corner that generates lateral forces of about 5g, taken at over 260kph. This leads immediately into Turns 8 and 9, completing a sequence of three consecutive corners with high g forces.
• As expected from a circuit that was originally inaugurated back in 1948, Zandvoort has a distinctly old-school feel to it, with fast and narrow turns, along with a number of elevation changes.
• One of the most famous corners is the Tarzan hairpin: the first corner of the lap, which is now closer to the start-finish line than it was previously. The Hans Ernst bend towards the end of the lap also has a wider exit than it did before, enabling drivers to get on the power sooner.
• Zandvoort is located in an area of sand dunes near the beach, with the wind sometimes blowing sand onto the track and affecting grip; an issue normally associated with places like Bahrain.

FORMULA 3: WHAT TO EXPECT

The Formula 3 championship continues at Zandvoort, just a week after the last race at Spa, using the P Zero White hard tyre. Only one compound is used at every race meeting, as per the regulations, with five of the 10 rounds this year nominating the hard and the other five using the medium. With the big demands of Zandvoort’s banked corners taking a lot of energy out of the tyres, the tyre structure is placed under heavy load – especially as there are no mandatory pit stops in Formula 3. There isn’t a carry-over set from Spa for free practice this weekend: instead the drivers get an extra new set of hard tyres.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“The Dutch Grand Prix is obviously a new challenge but thanks to the data provided by Formula 1 and the teams, we have been able to come up with a tyre nomination and prescriptions that are closely aligned to what we can expect from this exciting new venue. Being a new track, the free practice sessions will also be essential when it comes to gathering real data and formulating the tyre strategy for the race. What's for sure is that the circuit layout is going to place heavy demands on the tyres, as can be seen from the computer simulations that we have already carried out. We’ve already raced at Zandvoort in the GT World Challenge this year, and this too has provided us with some useful information.”

OTHER PIRELLI NEWS

• Friday won’t be exactly the first time that Pirelli tyres have circulated at Zandvoort in the modern era on a Formula 1 car: last year, Max Verstappen completed a demonstration lap in a 2012-specification Red Bull RB8.
• The GT World Challenge Sprint Cup resumes during the same weekend as the Dutch Grand Prix, at Brands Hatch – which last hosted the British Grand Prix in 1986.
• Pirelli has revealed new bespoke track-only P Zero tyres for the new Dallara Stradale EXP, which recently lapped Mugello in 1m45s, using Formula 1-derived tyre technology.

• The Belgian Grand Prix was run over just three laps due to bad weather – making it the shortest race in Formula 1 history – with half-points awarded. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was declared the winner, ahead of Williams driver George Russell and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
• The race was delayed for more than three hours following the initial start procedure, with all the drivers on the Cinturato Blue wet tyre for the re-start from the pitlane. After the cars followed the safety car for a three laps, in heavy rain with ambient temperatures of 14 degrees and track temperatures of 15 degrees, the red flag was shown, with the race subsequently ended.
• The wet weather tyres were used for the bulk of the weekend, with the free practice and qualifying sessions also wet. Throughout Friday and Saturday, the Cinturato Green intermediate showed strong performance with solid resistance to aquaplaning.

FORMULA 3: RACE 2 AND RACE 3

Trident’s Mick Doohan claimed two victories in Formula 3 on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with each race run on the wet tyres under heavy rain. On each occasion, Doohan started from pole. The safety car was a big feature of both races, with Doohan leading from start to finish. He briefly lost the lead to Victor Martins in Sunday’s race, but the MP Motorsport driver was judged to have overtaken by going off the track, and so was forced to give the place back. Managing the re-starts carefully was key to success, as with cool weather and the comparatively low speed of the safety car, it was easy for tyre pressures and temperatures to drop, affecting performance.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“With the rain not improving, it unfortunately wasn’t possible to have a green flag race. The main problem was the lack of visibility. With the full wet tyres evacuating around 85 litres of water per second at 300kph, all that water has to go somewhere. The result is the spray that everyone watching could see behind the safety car, making it impossible for the drivers to see – which is obviously a dangerous situation. On a track with plenty of elevation like this one, there is also a risk of pools of water forming in certain places, which adds to the risk of aquaplaning. We’ll be back racing in less than a week’s time at the Dutch Grand Prix, hopefully with better weather.”

The 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix is always a complicated race to predict the strategy for, featuring the longest and most variable lap of the season, with unpredictable weather and a high probability of safety cars. In fact, it was a safety car that influenced the strategy last year, with nearly all the drivers changing tyres just once on lap 11: comparatively early in the race, meaning that careful tyre management was required towards to the end. On that occasion, the winning strategy was P Zero Yellow medium to P Zero White hard.
This year looks very different. For a start, race conditions are set to be much cooler than last year. And there’s a strong chance of rain too, with the Cinturato Green intermediate tyres dominating the day’s action.
Cooler weather should in theory make a one-stopper easier to achieve, but it might also push more drivers towards the P Zero Red soft, with a two-stopper coming into play, although in general teams like to limit the number of pit stops.
If it is dry, starting on the medium tyre offers the maximum flexibility, but with a wet qualifying session (as was the case today) and a dry race, all the drivers can start on whichever compound they choose out of their allocation.

FOCUS ON

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed pole after a disrupted Q3 session, with a delay of more than half an hour after McLaren’s Lando Norris hit the wall. When the session resumed with nine minutes to go, all the drivers used a single set of intermediates, with Verstappen beating Williams driver George Russell to pole.
• The intermediate tyres were most commonly used today, with Williams being the only team to use them from the very start of Q1. After they went fastest, all the other drivers eventually switched to the Cinturato Green, which they used in Q2 as well, before switching to the Cinturato Blue full wet for Q3 ahead of the lengthy interruption to the session.
• With the best times in Q2 set on the intermediate, this means that all the drivers will have a free choice of starting tyres tomorrow if it’s a dry race.
• The Cinturato Blue full wet was used at the beginning of qualifying, which was delayed by a few minutes to allow conditions to improve slightly. The session got underway with 15 degrees of ambient temperature and 17 degrees of track temperature. The track dried up relatively quickly once the rain eased, allowing intermediates to be used throughout the final part of Q3 after the delay.
• All the drivers also used the intermediates during FP3 this morning, with the exception of the Haas duo – which ran the full wets – and Norris, who tried a run on the P Zero Red soft at the end of the session.

FORMULA 3 – RACE 1

Campos Racing’s Lorenzo Colombo took his first Formula 3 win at a race that was delayed for an hour this morning due to rain and poor visibility. Colombo led uninterruptedly from pole, with all the drivers using the Cinturato wet tyre exclusively throughout the 15 laps, three of which were run behind the safety car at the start. Once racing resumed, Colombo stretched his lead to 15 seconds, with the top three finishing in the order they started. Trident’s Jack Doohan was 12^th, to earn another pole position for Race 2, after also going fastest in qualifying yesterday.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“First and foremost, we’re all relieved that Lando Norris is OK after a very big accident at one of the quickest points on the circuit. This was an extremely tricky qualifying where it was very hard to predict the weather from one minute to the next, forcing the teams to think on their feet. Similar conditions are expected for tomorrow, so that particular challenge is set to continue. The intermediate tyre, which was used for the bulk of today’s running, showed itself to be capable of handling a wide variety of wet and drying conditions. Tomorrow’s strategy – where we don’t even know yet which type of tyres the drivers will be starting the race on – is going to be mainly about adapting to changing circumstances, as we saw throughout today.”

FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY

• Despite intermittent rain throughout the day, the Cinturato Green intermediate tyre was used only for installation laps (allowing an extra set of intermediate tyres under the regulations) before the drivers switched to P Zero slicks. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time of the day in FP2 on the P Zero Red soft C4 tyre: the same compound that Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas used to top the timesheets at the end of FP1.
• Verstappen was quickest for a large part of the FP1 session as well: impressively he used the P Zero White hard C2 tyre to stay in front of several drivers behind him on the soft.
• Track conditions were far from ideal today: although there was dry running for most of the day and there was already some rubber on track from the Spa 24 Hours at the beginning of the month, the damp and inconsistent surface (with track temperatures at around 20 degrees) meant that drivers struggled for grip. The FP2 session was interrupted by two red flags, as both Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen went off.
• As a result, it was quite hard to gain reliable information about the true performance gaps between the tyres today. However, based on simulation data, there is roughly 0.5 seconds between the P Zero Red soft and P Zero Yellow medium, and approximately 0.6 seconds between the P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero White hard.

FORMULA 3: LATEST NEWS

Trident’s Jack Doohan, the son of motorbike legend Mick, took his first Formula 3 pole position after a qualifying session that was run entirely on the wet tyres (there’s no intermediate tyre in Formula 3). Doohan set his pole time within the first five minutes of the session, with conditions steadily worsening, especially in the second sector of the long lap. Campos Racing’s Lorenzo Colombo qualified 12^th and so will start tomorrow’s opening race from first on the grid. The tricky conditions provided a number of surprises, with championship leaders Prema qualifying outside of the top 10 for the first time this year. Trident was also fastest in free practice, courtesy of Clement Novalak on the medium slick tyres nominated for this weekend.

MARIO ISOLA – HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“We experienced typically variable weather at Spa, and that seems set to remain the case for the rest of the weekend! If it rains, it will be important for teams to consider the crossover point from wet weather tyres to slicks and vice versa. The track remained tricky all day and we saw drivers struggling to find a consistent lap time in these mixed conditions, which is why it’s also quite hard to get an idea of the true performance gaps at the moment. Nonetheless, all the tyres apart from the full wet were sampled, with the teams able to collect relevant data.”