USGP tire strategies: Two-stopper optimal choice for most teams, feels Pirelli

Formula 1’s official tire provider Pirelli evaluated possible race strategies that could pan out during the USGP at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The Italian tiremaker believes that a "two-stopper" or two-pitstop strategy will be the optimal choice for most teams.

The reasoning behind that is the warm weather forecast for the race resulting in high track temperatures on the highly abrasive circuit.

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Pirelli says medium compound tire of choice for USGP

As observed over the three practice sessions, the soft compound tire has been the teams' least favorite choice in warm weather and is only suited to qualifying or a sprint. The medium compound was the choice of the majority of the grid, considering the track surface and warmer temperatures.

Commenting post qualifying, Pirelli motorsport head Mario Isola said:

“The medium tire was favored by the majority of the top 10 on the grid, as starting on this compound allows more flexibility in terms of strategy.”

Director of Pirelli F1 Mario Isola talks in the Team Principals Press Conference in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Mark Sutton - Pool/Getty Images)

He further explained the problems with the soft tires, saying:

"Managing the softs to avoid overheating ­– especially at the rear – is crucial in these warm conditions, and this makes the medium and the hard the key choices for the race."

Explaining the need for a two-stopper, Isola said:

“At the same time, the relatively low pitstop time loss and number of overtaking opportunities mitigate the advantages of a one-stopper. There are a number of different two-stoppers that are quite closely matched, depending on the race circumstances, so this looks set to be an intense strategic battle.”

According to Pirelli’s data post free practice and qualifying, Red Bull Racing drivers have dominated the quickest laps of all three allocated tire compounds at COTA. Sergio Perez posted the quickest lap on the hard tire, clocked at 1 minute 36.798 seconds, while Max Verstappen posted the quickest laps on the medium and soft tire compounds, at 1 minute 33.464 seconds and 1 minute 32.910 seconds respectively.

With eight of the top 10 drivers on the grid starting the race on the medium compound, a switch to the hard tire and a short stint on the soft could be one possible strategy.

Depending on the tire sets available per driver, we could see a mix of strategies from one stint on mediums and two stints on the hard tire, or starting on the medium, switching to hard and then switching back to the mediums for a final stint.

According to Pirelli, the quickest strategy for drivers starting on the medium tire will be one stint on the mediums, and two stints on the hard tire. For drivers starting the race on the soft tire, the quickest strategy would be an initial stint on the softs coupled with two stints on the hards.

The only two drivers among the top-10 qualifiers who will start on the soft tire are Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz. Consequently, their first stops could be earlier than the rest. However, if the tires are managed well and pitstops are on the money, the two could be well set for the penultimate laps of the race.

The track temperature for qualifying witnessed 32 degrees Celsius in ambient conditions while the track temperature during the session was 36 degrees. According to Pirelli, the race's start time being 12:00 pm — two hours earlier than Saturday's qualifying — could see warmer temperatures, making tire management key to determining the outcome of the race.