Formula One official tyre supplier Pirelli confirmed that a two-stop strategy should be favoured by teams at the Bahrain International Circuit, which today will host the first round of the 2021 Formula 1 championship.
The Sakhir circuit is rear-limited and has an abrasive surface that typically leads to high levels of degradation. Pirelli has nominated the C2, C3 and C4 compounds as the Hard, Medium and Soft for this weekend.
Pole sitter Max Verstappen, nearest rivals Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, along with fifth-placed Pierre Gasly, will all start on the Medium tyres. Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, alongside the remainder of the top 10 will line up on Softs while those in the lower half of the grid have free choice of starting compound.
Pirelli expects two 18-lap stints on Medium tyres, followed by a 21-lap stretch on Hards, to be optimum for the 57-lap encounter.
It believes the second-quickest approach will be a Soft-Hard-Medium strategy, coming in after 14 laps, before another stop on lap 38.
Should cooler conditions prevail Pirelli reckons a Soft-Hard-Soft strategy would be favourable but has stressed several permutations are possible.
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