Two or three pit stops expected tomorrow
For the race in Belgium this Sunday, Pirelli estimates that a two-stop strategy will be the fastest. A three-stop strategy is nevertheless conceivable to limit tire degradation.
It was unusually hot on the Spa-Francorchamps track during qualifying this Saturday: over 40°C. Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director, explained the resulting gap between soft and medium tires: With a significant performance gap between the medium and soft compounds and a fairly high expected degradation, there are a wide variety of strategies here at Spa.
Since the weather is expected to remain dry this Sunday, two or three pit stops are possible for the teams: « The fastest strategy on paper for a 44-lap race is theoretically to stop twice (starting on softs, pit on lap 15 for softs, pit on lap 30 for mediums). However, some drivers might try a three-stop strategy (softs-softs-softs-mediums) to deliver a sprint race, limit tire degradation, and gain positions on track. But that depends on the characteristics of each car and the traffic on track ».
It should be noted that it has been twenty years since a race has been run entirely in dry conditions at Spa-Francorchamps. And the weather forecasts imply a possibility of rain later in the day. But will it be before or after the end of the race?
