Red Bull may have advantage: "Lots of opportunities for drivers on softs"

F1 News

1 August 2021 at 08:55
Last update 1 August 2021 at 10:08
  • GPblog.com

The expected pit stop strategies in the Hungarian Grand Prix will be one or two stops. Mercedes can go for a one-stop as they will start on the medium tyre, but according to Pirelli it is not the fastest strategy.

Pirelli boss Mario Isola looks back on qualifying. "Today the track temperatures in qualifying were only a little cooler than yesterday. As a result, although the soft tyre retained a significant speed advantage of almost a second over one lap, it was important to prepare the flying lap carefully to avoid overheating," said Isola in a press release from Pirelli.

Isola sees advantage in two-stop strategy

He continues: "The drivers who start on the medium tyre have more flexibility, which could give them an advantage. However, on paper a two-stop is slightly faster than a one-stop, which means that the drivers starting on the soft tyre have every opportunity to do something else."

Isola expects an unpredictable race, given the different strategies of the top teams. "Mercedes and Red Bull have chosen a very different approach, so it will be fascinating to see how that battle develops from the first and second rows of the grid," said the Pirelli boss.