No onestopper for Verstappen? Pirelli's only expecting two-stoppers

For the Spanish Grand Prix the choice of tyres seems very easy. Where Silverstone still had doubts about the right tyre to start the race with, such discussions do not seem to take place in Barcelona. The entire top ten will all start on the softest tyre, so there will be fewer differences in the teams' strategies.

Still, Pirelli expects some differences in that strategy. According to the tyre supplier's calculations, there are different possibilities when starting on the softest tyre. Pirelli expects the softest tyre to last a maximum of twenty laps, so from that moment on we will see a lot of changes. The hardest tire, namely the white C1, will not be common on Sunday. According to Pirelli that band is too slow.

Verstappen and Mercedes same situation

The quickest strategy would be a two-stopper, with the drivers going soft-medium-soft. Remarkable is that the strategy which according to Pirelli is then the fastest is a three-stops strategy, in which the drivers ride three times on the softest tyre and make a stint on the medium in between. The third strategy that Pirelli expects in the race is a two-stop, with the last stint also on the medium tire.

For Max Verstappen soft-medium comes out best. The Dutchman has two new sets of the yellow tyre ready for the race, while he has no new sets of the red tyre ready. Mercedes has exactly the same situation, because they also have two sets of new mediums and three sets of the red tyre, which have already been used. 

El simulador apunta a una carrera a 2 paradas como la más rápida. Mercedes y Verstappen disponen de 2 medios nuevos

The simulator says the quickest strategy is 2 stops. Mercedes and Verstappen have 2 new sets of medium available.@pirellisport pic.twitter.com/b1lfkYIvPK

— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) August 16, 2020