Portuguese Grand Prix – Towards one-stop race strategies

You will have to go on the track to shine in Portimao! This is all the more valid when looking at Pirelli’s forecasts, just before the start of the Portuguese Grand Prix. The Italian manufacturer is clear: we are heading this Sunday afternoon (starting at 4pm) towards one-stop strategies.

A slight pneumatic deterioration.

Why? The pit lane at the Portimao circuit is first very long and very time-consuming. Another major reason is that tire wear is low on the Portuguese track! Free practice simulations actually reveal a surprising finding: on the soft tires (red band), Esteban Ocon completed as many laps as Pierre Gasly (gray band): a stint of 24 laps.

On mediums, Antonio Giovinazzi completed 25 laps on a single relay, no other driver did better.

This is why Pirelli suggests to the drivers a one-stop strategy. The fastest: starting on soft tires (red band) and making a pit stop between the 17th and the 24th lap, to switch to medium tires (yellow band) until the end. An almost similar alternative suggested by Pirelli: starting on medium tires, pitting between the 32nd and the 40th lap, and switching to soft tires to finish the Grand Prix. The hard tire (grey band) is less popular but the Italian manufacturer still includes scenarios for it in its race simulations.

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— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) May 2, 2021

In short, the drivers will have the opportunity to stretch their strategy, by either stopping very early or staying on track for as long as possible. One of the key aspects, for example, of the battle at the top between Mercedes and Red Bull, and the match within the match Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen, as seen in the Bahrain Grand Prix, where the two drivers stood out with different strategies.

In Portimao, everything will mostly be decided on the track! Six meters wide, the circuit offers many overtaking opportunities. For example, last year with a prodigious start from Kimi Räikkönen, passing ten cars on the wet track, from P16 to P6. No rain expected for the 2021 edition: the latest forecast mentions a “dry” track… (sorry Esteban Ocon!)

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— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) April 30, 2021

Which tires for the start?

As usual, the top 10 drivers start their fastest lap in Q2 on the tires they will use for the race. Five drivers begin on medium tires (yellow band): Hamilton-Bottas, Verstappen-Pérez, and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Conclusion: five other drivers start on soft tires: Sainz, Ocon, Norris, Gasly, Vettel

So see you at 4:00 p.m. this Sunday afternoon for the start of the third Grand Prix of the season. With of course the reactions and analysis to follow on Motors Inside!