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TYRE TALES:
HOW THE RACE WAS WON
Verstappen chose the P Zero Red soft tyre at the start to lead, before
switching to the P Zero Yellow medium tyres on lap 25 and conceding his
advantage. He regained the lead once his Mercedes rivals had made their
single stops, and from there it was a question of managing his medium tyres
to the finish: completing a 46-lap stint on the yellow compound to win by 15
seconds.
BEST OF THE
REST: THE ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY
Haas’s Kevin Magnussen was the highest-placed driver on the grid to start on
the hard tyres (from P13) and was the only driver to stop just once,
finishing in the points after completing a long 38-lap final stint on the
medium tyres. Mercedes driver George Russell was the only driver to stop
three times and use the P Zero Red soft tyre, which he fitted two laps from
the end to claim an extra championship point for fastest lap.
MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING
“Seeing how all three compounds gave the drivers and teams the chance to
approach the race in a sort of strategic chess game on the track and the pit
wall is obviously a source of satisfaction for us. There were different
strategies, which were all based on individual capabilities to optimise the
tyres, with the mediums being a protagonist and the hard and the soft too
playing a fundamental role, showing strong performance and limited wear. It
all came down to a strategic duel between the two teams that had managed to
get the most out of the tyres all weekend. This is particularly significant
for us, especially following 15 intense days that took in two tests of the
2023 prototype tyres to collect data on both the hard and the soft compounds
in Austin and Mexico City respectively, as well as the comments of the real
stars – the drivers – who showed enthusiasm and real engagement when it came
to analysing all the topics that emerged, right up to the Friday night of
the second test. Congratulations to Red Bull and Max Verstappen for their
victory and a new record of 14 wins in one season, in front of Mexico’s
unique crowd.” |
