Pirelli reveals how several drivers sacrificed qualifying performance for race pace

F1 Grand Prix, GP Spain, Circuit de Catalunya

On the back of a nail-biting qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix, Formula One’s sole tyre supplier Pirelli has revealed how several drivers compromised their qualifying result in order to secure a tyre advantage on a track where tyre management is usually vital.

Oscar Piastri will start today afternoon’s Spanish Grand Prix from pole position. Having been quickest in FP3, the Australian was also quickest in all three phases of qualifying, his best time being a 1’11”546.

McLaren’s dominance so far this weekend is reinforced by the fact that Lando Norris, who was quickest in FP1, was second in 1’11”755. This is Piastri’s fourth pole, all of them obtained this year and it’s McLaren’s 170th, the tenth at this race.

Both drivers who will make up the second row set an identical time of 1’11”848, with Max Verstappen in the Red Bull claiming third place on the grid by virtue of the fact that he set the time twelve seconds before George Russell did it in the Mercedes.

As for the tyres, yellow and red were the dominant tyre colours in final practice. There’s just a tiny streak of white down to the Aston Martin drivers as usual scrubbing-in a set of the Hards.

Seven drivers, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Esteban Ocon, Ollie , Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, only ran Softs, with Williams’ Thai driver just using one as he only did five laps. In qualifying, everyone went with the C3.

Speaking after the qualifying session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola stated that the two-stop strategy is “mandatory” given the track layout and high temperatures.

“The Barcelona-Catalunya track is always a severe test for car and tyre performance. Today we saw one team yet again monopolising the top two spots on the timesheets, but behind them, it's very tight, and I expect the race will reflect that. It will be fascinating to see how the teams approach a race that always puts significant stress on the tyres.

“A two-stop strategy is almost obligatory, and I reckon the Medium and Soft compounds will see most of the action. We saw yesterday that the Hard tyre tends to slide too much and the lap times compared to those on the softer compounds reflect that. On paper, the Soft-Medium-Soft strategy is fastest, as was the case last year.

Several drivers slightly sacrificed their qualifying result in order to have better chances for the race. Three drivers, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, have saved two sets of Mediums, clearly aiming to use them in the race.

For those starting on Softs to make the most of the extra grip early on, with some drivers having new sets of the C3, the first stint should extend to at least lap 12.

“Then, based on simulations, they’ll aim to stretch the second stint to around lap 40, finishing with a final Soft stint. With a lighter car, that last set should be enough to get to lap 66.

“Drivers aiming for a more balanced race and planning to use the second set of Mediums will likely stop a few laps earlier. It’s also worth noting that undercuts are particularly powerful on this track.

“As for the performance of the C3 in qualifying, we saw its worth over a flying lap, as had already been evident in the three free practice sessions. The sudden seven degree drop in temperature in Q3, definitely saw the track get quicker, which paid off for those who had chosen to delay their last run as much as possible,” Isola concluded.