Over the past month we have seen several times that drivers who can afford it try to qualify in Q2 on the medium tyre. The fact that they wouldn't have to drive on the soft tyre during the race would be an advantage, and thanks to this strategy, Verstappen at Silverstone was indeed able to compete for victory.
At Spa-Francorchamps, it was not only Verstappen who chose the medium band during the second part of qualifying, but also Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. This makes Daniel Ricciardo the first driver to get on the soft tyre.
Will Mercedes and Red Bull choose a fifth option?
Given the previous races, you would think that Mercedes and Red Bull Racing would have a huge advantage, but Pirelli contradict that in their prediction for the race. According to them, starting from soft and changing to medium is the fastest way to get to the finish line.
Starting on medium would even be slower than two other options: Starting on soft to change to hard and a two-stopper, driving twice on soft and once on medium. However, the strategy that Pirelli does not take into account is to start on medium, continue long and change to soft at the end.