Pirelli has outlined that a one-stop strategy will be the quickest approach for Formula 1’s 2020 season-opener, the Austrian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen has won the previous two events at the Red Bull Ring, the 2019 event was hard fought affair between the Dutchman and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
For Sunday’s race, Verstappen is the only driver inside the top 10 who will start on the yellow-marked medium tyres.
Those who did not make it through to Q3 will have a free choice of starting tyres for the 71-lap Grand Prix.
Pirelli believes a one-stop strategy on the Soft/Hard compounds will be the fastest way to approach the race, stopping between laps 24-28 to switch to the Hards until the chequered flag.
The Italian manufacturer also suggests an alternate Medium/Hard one-stopper could be just as fast as the Soft/Hard strategy if a pit stop were made between laps 27-32.
An alternative – slightly slower one-stop strategy – is to go through the Soft/Medium compounds, making a stop between laps 30-34 laps to make the changeover to the Mediums.
A potential two-stopping strategy has been taken into consideration as one of the slowest ways to complete the race, completing two stints on the Softs ranging from 16-18 laps and then running the Mediums until the finish.
“Bottas’s pole position time set the all-time track record at the Red Bull Ring today, underlining that the cars have evolved while this year’s P Zero tyre range stays the same as 2019,” said Pirelli’s Mario Isola, Head of F1 and Car Racing.
“The most interesting strategic moment from qualifying was Verstappen’s decision to start the race on the medium tyre, which should allow him to plan a more flexible strategy – with potentially a longer first stint than his rivals.
“This could be crucial to the race outcome. As expected with a short lap and tightly-matched field, we saw mostly the soft tyre used from start to finish of qualifying.
“Each team needed to be sure to get the most out of their cars, given how close the margins were. But in the race tomorrow, all three compounds should have an important role to play.”
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