Pirelli has presented what the company believes are the best strategies for the Bahrain Grand Prix. On Twitter, the tyre supplier shows an overview of the different options for pit stops and tyre compounds.
Every race, Pirelli makes an assessment of what the best choices are for pit stops and tyre compounds to finish the race. And while a race is always unpredictable, Pirelli's estimate is often a useful pillar of the various options available to teams.
Two-top seems the best strategy
The best strategy Pirelli recommends is to start on the soft, then do a long run on the hards, then back to the softs at the end. Pirelli also reports in the analysis that the Bahrain circuit is very demanding on the tyres. This is no exaggeration: although Pirelli now estimates that it should be doable with two pit stops, last year almost every driver needed three pit stops to cross the finish line.
Leclerc still has one set of fresh softs remaining
Ferrari took a gamble during qualifying by not sending Leclerc out for another run. Instead, the team accepted a third place on the starting grid, so that they could have another set of fresh softs. Whether or not that was the right call will remain to be seen.