Strategy options, tyres available for each driver and track conditions

The tenth round of the 2022 F1 world championship will take place today at the Silverstone circuit. A track full of history and fast corners that will put the tires to a lot of pressure. Ferrari will start from first and third position with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, as the Spanish driver secured his first career pole position. But with Max Verstappen starting from P2, the strategy will prove to be fundamental, above all because, on this circuit, contrary to what one might think, it is not so easy to overtake.

The fastest strategy to tackle the 52 laps of the British GP seems to be two stops, with the drivers being able to choose between a few different options. The best one foresees starting on Medium tires and then moving on to Hard, for the intermediate stint, and returning to Medium to face the final one. This solution will also allow for greater tactical variability.

For those who do not have a second set of Medium available, the best strategy could be the use of Medium – Hard – Soft, by planning very similar to the other strategy solution, which could also keep a window open for the single Medium – Hard stop.

Much will also depend on the sets left at the drivers’ disposal and on the track conditions. The weather should remain dry, although the risk of some showers will remain present. The cooler the temperatures, the more the soft compounds will be favored.

Mario Isola: “We expect a wide use of the Mediums”
These are the words of motorsport director to the official columns of Pirelli: “Even if the intermediate was not designed to cope with aquaplaning situations, it has responded very well to Saturday’s challenges, allowing the drivers to reach almost 300 km / h in wet conditions. Even the stints were relatively long despite the surface drying out ”.

“This is a track that puts a lot of energy on the tires and the optimal line has dried quickly. In FP3, most of the drivers used the soft tire, so we expect the Medium to be the tire that the drivers will use predominantly in the race. As long as it doesn’t rain, the double stop seems to be the best strategy ”, concluded Mario Isola, ahead of today’s British Grand Prix.

The high degradation we were talking about even after free practice on Friday during the analysis of the race pace could play an important role today. Although Pirelli always brings here the hardest compounds of its range (Hard C1, Medium C2 and Soft C3), the track, due to its fast corners, always puts a lot of stress on the tires which consequently leads to a rapid loss of performance.

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Despite the cool temperatures, based on the work done by the teams on Friday, the teams will still aim for more use of the Medium and Hard tires. The white band rubber could be the most used compound today in the race. Consistent and constant, it will guarantee the drivers the possibility to perform a long and powerful stint after starting with a Medium tire.

The difference between being able to complete the race through a Medium-Hard and Medium-Hard-Medium (or Medium-Hard-Soft) tactic will mainly be the way the drivers manage the yellow compound during the initial stint. Temperatures will also play an important role in all of this. If you are able to cover a number of laps close to or greater than 20, you could also think about finishing the race with just one stop, otherwise you will go for two stops, which will certainly be done by those who decide to start with a Soft tire. Unless it rains of course.