Mario Isola explains Pirelli's decision for three hardest compounds at Belgian GP

With the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix just days away now, Pirelli head of F1, Mario Isola has explained the manufacturer's decision to elect the three hardest compounds for the race at Spa-Francorchamps.

Isola explained his thoughts on Spa being an "amazing drivers' circuit" but also went into detail about that putting the tyres under even more pressure at the circuit.

"Spa is always an amazing drivers' circuit but that is also why the tyres are put under some of the biggest stresses that they face all season," the Pirelli Motorsport boss said.

"As a result, we've nominated the three hardest compounds in the range - a slightly different choice to last year - which should allow the drivers to push to the maximum during each stint and minimise the need for pace management."

A similar decision was made by Pirelli for the 2019 British Grand Prix - which ended up being a fantastically entertaining race with Lewis Hamilton winning in his homeland once again.

"The harder choice this year at Silverstone, for example, led to a very closely-fought race and a fastest lap from Lewis Hamilton right at the end on well-used tyres," Isola added.

"We know a lot about Spa, also from our experience of supplying the Spa 24-Hours. Last month's race there was stopped by rain for several hours, which underlines the likelihood of mixed weather conditions, with qualifying for last year's Belgian Grand Prix run in the wet as well.

"This is a track where it's very possible to overtake, so under the right circumstances, it's feasible to make an aggressive strategy work."