In spite of everything, the pole is always his. Max Verstappen sets the best time also in the qualifications of the Spanish GP, finishing ahead of Carlos Sainz and a super Lando Norris.
Leclerc disaster: a good strategy is also needed to recover
Instead, it will start from the pitlane la Ferrari by Charles Leclerc. So many problems on his SF-23 which didn't allow him to pass even Q1 in yesterday's qualifying. On his car, Ferrari fitted a new battery, ECU and transmission. It will be a comeback race for Charles and, considering that Montmelò is certainly not the easiest track to overtake, the strategy will also be fundamental. In this regard, let's find out the strategy recommended by Pirelli for this GP.
Spanish GP, here is Pirelli's strategy
In case of a race entirely on a dry track, a two-stop strategy is on paper the fastest, with this succession of compounds – Soft/Hard/Hard – like the best with the reverse option (Hard/Hard/Soft) available for those starting from the rear. Tire change windows can be spotted between lap 13 and 18 for the first stop and between 37 and 43 for the second. Another two stop option could be Soft/Hard/Soft (first stop between lap 15 and lap 20, second between lap 46 and 51).
A three stop strategy, chosen by practically everyone last year, could be articulated in this sequence: Soft/Hard/Soft/Soft, starting to change tires between laps 10 and 15. Obviously, those who have had the opportunity to keep new Soft trains might prefer this decidedly more aggressive strategic choice compared to the two-stop one.
Isola: "Two-stop strategy the most likely"
To give us an even clearer idea of what the best strategy could be, is the head of the Motorsport area of Pirelli Mario Island: “Yesterday afternoon's qualifying was full of twists and turns. In non-ideal grip conditions due to the water that had previously fallen, it is even more striking to see that ten drivers were able to go below the limit set in the simulations on the eve (1m13.400s) and the pole time is almost 1.2 s bottom! The fact that five different cars finished in the first five positions is a sign of the balance between the forces in the field, although clearly one driver and one car remain the favorites for victory on this track as well.
“Beware of the rain”
“Based on what has been seen so far, as regards the strategy to be adopted in the race, the prediction made on the eve can be confirmed, with the choice of two-stop favorite over the three pit-stops and with Hard – the new C1 introduced at the beginning of 2023 – as the most performing compound. Furthermore, it must be considered that between the starting grid and the first corner there are several hundred meters to go and therefore the choice of the Soft at the start, thanks to the greater grip it guarantees, becomes the most valid option. Having said that, let us not forget that, at the moment, Meteo France gives a 60% chance of rain starting at 15pm tomorrow…”.
SOURCE: Pirelli F1 Medium
