Most of the races in the 2021 Formula 1 season were completed with only a one-stop strategy, but the United States Grand Prix, which takes place later today, will most likely drive teams towards a two-stop strategy taking into consideration the high temperatures and high-speed corners of the Circuit of the Americas. This is the most likely scenario according to the data gathered by teams during the free practice session.
Most of the drivers starting the Austin race from the top ten will run the medium tyres in the first sting, except for Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who set their best lap times in Q2 on the soft compound. This could represent a disadvantage for the Ferrari driver (click here for the full analysis).
Given the high temperatures and high abrasion at COTA, a two-stopper looks optimal for today’s race, especially as the warm weather is expected to remain for the race.
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Pirelli feels that there could be a variety of two stops strategies in today’s 42nd United States Grand Prix with the exact strategy that each driver selects depending on the tyres that they have left in their individual allocations. The theoretically fastest way to finish the 2021 United States Grand Prix includes 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 when it comes to lap times.
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 strategy seems very difficult to achieve.
Pirelli Head of Formula One and Car Racing Mario Isola explained ahead of today’s race: “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.” – Mario Isola concluded.
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