Pirelli questions strategy after unconventional Saturday

The Imola circuit is finally back on the Formula 1 calendar. The GP of Emilia Romagna is a unqiue weekend with only one free practice session. According to Pirelli, it's not entirely clear what the best strategy is for the race.

It's been a long time since Formula 1 went to the Imola circuit, and the cars have changed a lot since then. The F1 cars are a lot wider, and it won't make it easier to overtake during the Grand Prix.

Pirelli shares that sentiment. According to the tyre manufacturer, a one-stop will be the fastest strategy on Sunday. The optimal strategy would be one pit stop, switching between soft and medium tyres. The former should be used for 28 to 30 laps and the medium should be used for 33 to 35 laps. However, Pirelli is not sure that this strategy will be the fastest, as little data was collected during the only free practice session held this morning. The information that is available shows that there is little time difference between a one- and two-stops.

Many question marks for the race

According to Mario Isola, Pirelli's top man in Formula 1, there is still a lot of uncertainty due to the separate race weekend in Italy. "There's a lot less data on the tyres than there would be on a 'conventional' weekend. This raises a number of questions about the strategy for the race and will provide more options tomorrow, especially as the track is constantly evolving. The teams will have a busy Saturday night", Isola concluded on the Pirelli website.

In any case, the tyre manufacturer is keeping a close eye on the top three. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen will all start on the medium tyres, while the rest of the top ten will start on the soft tyres. That seems like a strategic advantage, but with a fairly 'green' track and little information, it might not turn out as well as expected.