TYRES: Key learnings from the opening day at Monza

Following the first day of competitive action at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Formula One’s sole tyre manufacturer Pirelli has indicated that the one-stop strategy looks to be the only viable strategy for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.

It seems like a duel between McLaren and Ferrari is on the cards over the Italian Grand Prix weekend, as was the case in Monza last year.

Ten drivers lapped within less than four tenths of each other in FP2, so qualifying looks set to be a very exciting battle to decide grid positions for Sunday afternoon’s race. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first session (1’20”117) ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc (1’20”286).

Lando Norris topped the time sheet in the second session on 1’19”878, 83 thousandths quicker than Leclerc and 96 faster than Carlos Sainz (Williams) who has been team-mate to both, with the Englishman at McLaren and the Monegasque at Ferrari. The Spaniard was third in FP1 in 1’20”650.

In the first free practice session, five drivers- Lawson, Hadjar, Albon, Sainz and Bortoleto – used one of their two available sets of Hards. The Thai driver was the only one to also run a set of Mediums, with the others completing their remaining laps on a set of Softs, The other 15 drivers all used one set of Soft and one of Medium each.

In the second session, a further seven drivers - Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Russell, Ocon, Bearman and Hulkenberg – also ran a set of C3 before continuing on the C5. The other 12 started the session on the C4 before switching to the softest of the three compounds in use this weekend. All three compounds were also used for long runs.

Reflecting on the first day of competitive action at Monza, Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra said: “After a first session which had several interruptions costing everyone valuable time, the second hour went more smoothly, with the teams running a fairly standard programme.

“It was interesting to see how all three available compounds were used for race simulations. Compared to last year, graining does not seem to be a factor.

“The level of it seen today is much more localised on the surface of the tyre and did not appear across the board, but on just a few cars. We believe that, as the track gradually rubbers in, it should disappear, especially during Sunday’s race.”

In terms of strategy, given that degradation seems rather limited, Pirelli expects that the one-stop will emerge as the only plausible option, with on paper the Medium and Hard being used.

However, the Milan-based tyre supplier added that the use of the Soft for 15 to 20 laps cannot be ruled out for any drivers who manage to run a very long first stint, trying to make the most of its better performance.

“Furthermore, as it’s likely that by the time of the race all drivers should only have one remaining set of Mediums one of Hard available, the Soft could become an option, especially in the event of a neutralisation and therefore, knowing how it performs over a long distance could be useful.

“In terms of the time gap between the compounds, simulations seem to be in line with what has been seen on track today, namely four to five tenths between Medium and Soft and two tenths between Hard and Medium.

“Today’s lap times were considerably quicker than in these sessions last year, with an improvement of around nine tenths, mainly down to temperatures being lower by about ten degrees. Times came down very quickly in the first session because of track evolution, while they pretty much stabilised in the second.

“If the Soft proved capable of setting faster times even after a couple of cooling down laps, that was mainly down to track evolution. In fact, we believe that in tomorrow’s qualifying the first flying lap will see peak performance so we will be treated to a classic qualifying format,” concluded Berra.