French GP: Pirelli Qualifying Review

POSSIBLE RACE STRATEGIES
The 53-lap French Grand Prix is set to be a one-stopper. With all the top 10 choosing to start on the P Zero Yellow medium tyre, a medium to hard one-stopper is the logical way forward for them – and this could be the case even for those outside the top 10. In fact, for those further down the field, starting on the P Zero White hard could be another option as well, before switching to the medium or P Zero Red soft later in the race.
A one-stopper from soft to medium is definitely too demanding, especially if it’s warm, so the only other obvious choice will be soft to hard (although that will require a bit of tyre management on the soft).
However, there’s also a small chance that there could be some rain tomorrow morning, and while that’s unlikely to persist until the race, a wet surface in the morning might affect tyre strategy.

MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING
“The almost unanimous decision to run the Yellow medium tyre in Q2 gives some idea of what we can expect from the race strategy tomorrow, with the medium C3 compound offering more durability than the soft without costing too much by way of performance. But with all the top 10 starting on the medium, this leaves the way clear for those behind them to try something different tactically and potentially gain an advantage in the early stages of the race. This could be the case in particular if it rains and temperatures then drop tomorrow, which might bring the track back towards the softest compound. Congratulations to Max Verstappen and Red Bull for pole position, which also happens to be Pirelli’s 250th pole in Formula 1.”