Lower temperatures and more abrasive surface may push teams towards two-stop strategies in Bahrain
Following a series of races in cool conditions at European venues with generally low grip levels, Bahrain marks a sudden return to lower temperatures and a more abrasive surface. And with softer tyre compounds compared to last year, Pirelli is predicting teams will need to make multiple pit stops on Sunday.
“We know that the challenge in Bahrain is to manage the rear overheating,” said Pirelli’s head of motorsport and F1 Mario Isola. “Last year most of the teams were not using the C1, they were focussing on C2 and C3 and most of them are targeting a two-stop strategy.”
Pirelli has brought the softer C2, C3 and C4 tyres this weekend. “We decided to move one step softer to give an extra challenge to the teams, considering that we have the same product from last year,” said Isola.
Due to the pandemic, the Bahrain Grand Prix is also being held much later in the year than usual, so the teams have had more time to develop their cars. After just one day of running, three teams have already lapped quicker than they did at this race last year.
This raises the possibility some of the quickest teams may attempt to pass through Q2 using the medium tyre compound, in order to gain a strategic advantage for the race.
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