Has Norris got an advantage? Pirelli say this is the best strategy!
F1 News
With continued wet conditions on Saturday at Spa, the 20 F1 drivers had to resort to Pirelli's intermediates. This Sunday, the Belgian Grand Prix is expected to be bone-dry, so the teams' strategists will have to figure out which tyres to use and when. In terms of strategy choice, Max Verstappen could be at a disadvantage, at least if Pirelli are to be believed.
Mario Isola, the boss of Pirelli's F1 project, has noted the new asphalt in several parts of the track. "Compared to last year, the new track surface has now shifted the balance significantly towards a two-stop strategy," the Italian looks ahead. "It also means that the hardest tyre here, the C2, is now much more suitable for the race than it was twelve months ago, to the detriment of the softest C4."
Norris at an advantage over Verstappen?
Max Verstappen has one set of hard tyres left for the race - which he starts from 11th place - plus two sets of mediums. The same goes for his teammate Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing. Oscar Piastri still has two sets of hard tyres plus one set of mediums. Lando Norris even has two sets of hard and one set of mediums left.
"On paper, the fastest strategy is to run the first stint on the Medium before doing a double stint on the Hard," Isola argues. "The logical alternative is to go Medium/Hard/Medium but the Soft/Hard/Hard and Soft/Hard/Medium options cannot be ruled out. The one-stop is too slow, while the three-stop, even on a track where overtaking is definitely possible is, at least according to simulations, not faster."
The drivers' tyre sets
