Formula 1 | Mexican GP, ​​likely a single-stop strategy

The fastest strategy for the 71 laps of the Mexican Grand Prix is ​​certainly one stop, given that you lose quite a bit of time traveling through the pit lane (about 22 seconds in addition to the actual stop) and that it is difficult to overtake on this circuit. P Zero Yellow medium C3 followed by P Zero White hard C2 is the optimal strategy, which is why so many drivers wanted to get through Q2 on yellow tyres.

This choice also allows for a rather large pit stop window. The strategy from P Zero Red soft C4 to hard is also feasible (albeit slower) but does not offer much flexibility, as the soft will require greater management and a shorter first stint compared to drivers who will start with the medium. The best two-stop strategy would be the medium-hard-medium one, but it is certainly slower than the one-stop strategy.

As always, track temperature will be a key factor, with hot conditions expected for tomorrow's race. As the circuit gets more rubber, the slip should also decrease compared to what was seen on Friday.

One to keep an eye on for the Mexican GP

Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) took pole on the soft tire ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton, but tomorrow he will start the race on the medium that he used to set his best time in Q2.

Almost everyone used the medium to get through Q2, so as to implement the faster one-stop strategy tomorrow. In addition to Bottas, all the other drivers in the top 10 on the grid will start on the medium tire in the Mexican Grand Prix, except for Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) who set his best time on the soft tire in Q2 and qualified among the top 10, but will have to start from the back of the grid with this compound.

Tsunoda is not the only driver to be hit with engine change penalties: Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Lando Norris (McLaren) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) will also start from the back of the grid, while George Russell (Williams) has five penalty positions for replacing the gearbox.

Temperatures remained high during qualifying, with around 22 degrees centigrade air and 45 degrees asphalt, which progressively decreased during the long qualifying session.

Mario Isola, head of F1 and Car Racing at Pirelli

“Practically all the drivers tried to get through Q2 with the medium so as to opt for the fastest strategy tomorrow, which is certainly the one with a medium-hard stop given that there is a rather significant loss of time in the pit lane and which on this circuit is quite difficult to overtake. This option also offers a lot of flexibility from a strategy perspective. As expected, as the track built up rubber, the soft tire showed a very solid performance in qualifying and therefore could play a role in the final stint of tomorrow's race.”