Teams are getting ready to hit the track, so let’s look at the strategies recommended by Pirelli at Imola.
On Saturday, qualifying was followed by some controversy over the tyres brought to the track this weekend. After addressing the issues drivers encountered, Mario Isola focused on the strategies proposed by Pirelli for the Imola GP. As we approach lights out, let’s analyze the suggested options to understand what scenarios could unfold during this race at Imola.
Let’s recall that the compounds selected for this weekend are: C4 (Hard), C5 (Medium), and C6 (Soft). It’s the latter that caused some difficulties for drivers, to the point that some preferred to run on Mediums in qualifying. Mario Isola made it clear that the soft tyre is unlikely to be used during the race, and the spotlight will instead be on the other two compounds.
Strategies at Imola: how many stops during the GP?
Pirelli confirmed the expected number of pit stops. Despite drivers having access to the three softest compounds, the most convenient option still appears to be a one-stop strategy. “In FP2 we saw all the teams perform long runs on the Medium, which showed relatively low degradation thanks to strong pace management.”
“Clearly, the Medium–Hard combination, with a pit stop expected between laps 17 and 23, is the most likely.”
Mario Isola also left open another possibility for those hoping for a safety car, which would require extending the first stint. The tyres used would be the same, but in the opposite order: Hard–Medium, with the pit stop window between laps 37 and 43.
The Pirelli Motorsport director also mentioned a third option, that of a two-stop strategy, even though it doesn’t appear very advantageous on paper. The best combination for those willing to take this gamble is Medium–Hard–Hard.
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