Pirelli expect single stop strategy at USGP
After analysing the running on Friday and Saturday at Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Pirelli expect that the US Grand Prix will be won on a single stop strategy, even though some might try a double stop.
Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel has claimed pole position for the United States Grand Prix, having set a time of 1m36.338s on Pirelli’s P Zero White medium tyre, which is nominated along with the P Zero Orange hard tyre this weekend. It was the 44th pole of the newly-crowned champion’s career and his eighth of the season.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “Our tyre choice here is on the conservative side, which means that getting the tyres up to the right temperature was important. That was not necessarily an easy task today as the track temperature actually fell slightly during the session, which is not the normal pattern we see in qualifying. With variable winds and temperatures throughout the afternoon, it wasn’t a particularly easy session for anybody. The track has still been evolving today, but tyre wear and degradation should not be a considerable factor for the race with either compound. As a result, we will probably see just one pit stop for most runners, as was the case last year.”
Pirelli believes one stop is theoretically the quickest way to complete the 56-lap United States Grand Prix. The fastest strategy should be to start on the medium, change to the hard on lap 19 and then continue to the finish. An alternative (resulting in the same overall race time) is to start on the hard tyre, change to the medium on lap 37, and then go to the finish.
Some drivers may try a two-stop strategy, if they feel there is enough speed in the car to make it work. In this case, the fastest strategy is to start on the medium tyre, change to the hard tyre on lap 10, and then change to the hard again on lap 33.
