The game plans of Formula 1 squads for the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix are expected to focus on the gentler two tire options, due to the weather causing decreased track conditions.
The Sao Paulo area has experienced unseasonably cool and humid conditions recently. Today’s forecast from Meteo-France indicates a maximum ambient temperature of 20C – a decrease of seven degrees from typical seasonal norms – with limited sunshine and a low probability of showers on Sunday.
Consequently, the track is projected to be cool and lack grip, rendering the hard tire (the C2 compound, alongside the C3 and C4 at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace) ineffective. Pirelli’s motorsport director, Mario Isola, communicated on Saturday night that “the hard is not really a viable choice for the race.”
Nonetheless, strategic variations might persist, as Isola anticipates the feasibility of both one-stop and two-stop approaches.
Isola specified that a one-stop strategy, using soft and medium tyres, is theoretically the fastest but presents minimal margin for wear. He noted that during the 24-lap sprint, which was halted on lap seven, the majority of cars received new tyres during the stoppage, yet certain soft tyre sets were nearly at their limit by around 20 laps.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
The Italian expert projected that in case of a one-stop strategy using soft and medium tyres, the pit window is expected to open around lap 24 and extend to lap 30. He also warned that in the first stint, utilizing the soft tyres, the wear can be a factor to consider.
According to Isola, if completing the race with only one pitstop seems unfeasible, then alternating setups such as soft/medium/medium, or soft/medium/soft remain feasible alternatives.
He added that while soft/medium/medium is marginally quicker, the consideration of traffic conditions may make it slightly slower, but the differences are negligible, rendering all three strategies potentially viable.
Optimizing the usage of the grooved track surface will be essential at the start owing to lower grip, considering the medium compound results in two to three-tenths of second gap, when compared to the soft compound in relation to race pace which is a tighter gap than Pirelli was estimating.
Nevertheless, tire management is projected to be uncomplicated. Isola reported the absence of both graining and abrasion, indicating that it boils down to thermal degradation, just as before, and maintaining the tyre within the effective operating range.
Additional reporting by Federico Faturos
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
Take our survey
– The Autosport.com Team
