Pirelli CEO Mario Isola explains the possible strategies for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The hard tire and the medium tire are the most suitable tires for the race, although drivers can still use the soft tires at the end of the race. Max Verstappen still has two new sets left of both the hard tire and the medium tire, while Ferrari only has two new sets of the hard tire.
Before the race weekend in Las Vegas, Formula 1’s tire supplier was concerned about the tires in the cold conditions of the desert state. As a result, Pirelli brought the softest compounds to Las Vegas to alleviate concerns about tire warming. The drivers noticed that the tires started to grain quickly on Thursday and Friday, so managing wear on Saturday evening will be especially important. “One- and two-stop strategies are possible here in Las Vegas,” Isola begins in a Pirelli press release.
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‘The hard tire and the medium tire are the most suitable tires for the race. “I cannot completely rule out the use of the soft tire, perhaps at the end of the race with a light car, but the level of wear is quite high,” said the Italian. It is expected that the drivers will then do a one-stop in the form of medium – hard, or a two-stop in the form of medium – hard – medium, or medium – hard – hard. The soft tire may come out if something happens late in the race and the stint to the flag is not long.
Verstappen the only one with two new sets of medium and hard tires
Of all the drivers, Verstappen is the only one who still has two new sets of both the medium and hard tires. He also has two used sets of softs, so the chance of them being retrieved from the garage will be slim. Charles Leclerc, the pole sitter, and Carlos Sainz, both have a set of new mediums and two sets of new hards. Verstappen rode the long runs on Thursday with used mediums, and his race pace was excellent. The fact that he still has two new sets of the yellow compound left is very beneficial for race day.
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At McLaren it is interesting to see that Oscar Piastri only has a few new sets of the softs, and otherwise only used them. Lando Norris has a new set of hard tires and three sets of soft tires, otherwise only used ones. Since the level of graining at Las Vegas is very high, the question is whether McLaren can survive the race well in terms of tire wear. Ferrari and Mercedes are also evenly matched in terms of strategy, although Mercedes still has a few sets of softs up its sleeve.
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