F1 | Pirelli, Sebastian Vettel wins in Brazil with just one pit stop

Interlagos, November 12, 2017 – Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel wins the Brazilian Grand Prix with a winning strategy at a pit stop from supersoft to soft. The German driver took the lead during an action-packed first lap and made his only pit stop without losing the lead. Two alternative strategies emerged during the race. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who started from the pit lane, was one of the five drivers to have chosen soft tires instead of supersoft at the start. He managed to recover several positions before stopping on lap 43 to fit supersoft tyres, the extra performance of which allowed him to finish 4th. Daniel Ricciardo started on soft tires from 14th on the grid after suffering a penalty and lost ground after a contact in the early stages of the race. Forced to make an early pit stop on the first lap, where he again mounted soft tyres, he then opted for supersofts in the advanced stages of the race. His teammate Max Verstappen also made two pit stops, finishing the race 5th on supersoft tyres.

Mario Isola, Car Racing Manager: “The race saw the highest asphalt temperatures of the entire weekend, well above 50°. Despite this, most of the leading drivers completed the Grand Prix with just one pit stop, as we had expected, thanks also to the entry of the safety car in the early stages. Lewis Hamilton was the author of an extraordinary race in which he recorded numerous fastest laps on used soft tyres, unlike his direct rivals equipped with newer supersoft tyres. The two Red Bull drivers instead opted for an equally effective alternative strategy, despite Daniel Ricciardo being forced to make an early pit stop at the end of the first lap. Pirelli remains in Interlagos for the last 2018 development test session, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday with McLaren, and then flies to Abu Dhabi where two days after the last race on the calendar all the teams will be engaged in collective testing in view of the next season".