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THE ROAD TO
POLE
* Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc took pole on the P Zero Red soft tyre,
helped by a ‘tow’ from his team mate Carlos Sainz in Q3. All the drivers
used the soft tyre from start to finish of qualifying, benefitting from the
speed of the red compound to set their quickest times of the weekend.
* Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who set the fastest time of FP3 (using the
P Zero Yellow medium tyre) will line up second on the grid.
* Conditions remained dry and hot today: a factor influencing tyre
degradation. Qualifying got underway in 33 degrees ambient and 50 degrees of
track temperature: similar conditions to those expected for the race
tomorrow at 3pm. The wind also changed direction during the qualifying
session today, affecting aerodynamic performance.
* The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Leclerc by former Ferrari
driver and local hero Jean Alesi. The Avignon native raced for Ferrari from
1991 to 1995, becoming one of the Scuderia’s most loved drivers. |
STRATEGY
NOTEBOOK:
The hot conditions are
likely to point the teams towards a two-stopper, although a one-stopper
isn’t out of the question. Starting on the medium tyre gives most options,
as this could be followed by two stints on the hard, or a central stint on
the hard followed by a final stint on the medium again. It will all come
down to degradation rates on race day, which of course vary from car to car.
The other factor deciding the strategy will obviously be the individual
compounds that each driver has left in his race allocation.
A one-stopper might not be impossible but it is harder to achieve with more
management required. In which case, it would be medium to hard – or
alternatively, hard to medium with a long first stint.
MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING
“On paper, a one-stopper from medium to hard is actually theoretically
fastest, but I still think that most teams will be aiming for a two stopper,
most likely using the medium and the hard tyres. It’s interesting to note
that of the frontrunners, Leclerc is the only one to have one set of hards
and two sets of medium tyres left for the race: his direct rivals mostly
have two sets of hards and just one set of mediums. So it’s likely that we
will see some different strategies, in conditions that are going to be
perhaps hotter than today.” |
