Formula 1 | Pirelli, Isola after qualifying in France: “A two-stop strategy is likely”

Charles Leclerc wins the 7th pole of the season (sixteenth of his career) ahead of the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez on the French Paul Ricard circuit. Strategy and teamwork allowed the Monegasque to capitalize on the good race pace seen yesterday, making the most of the wake of his teammate Sainz, who is out of the running for today's pole due to engine replacement and will start tomorrow in 19th position.

All the drivers respected the predictions, using the Soft compound for the entire qualifying session, while in the last free practice session Verstappen showed speed and good balance, setting the fastest time in FP3 and of all free practice sessions ever with the Medium compound .

Weather again today on the shields with temperatures firmly at 50 degrees on the ground, while unlike yesterday, some drivers complained about a notable increase in the wind in qualifying, with a change of direction capable, at least in a couple of cases, of dirtying the trajectories of single-seaters. The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Leclerc by Jean Alesi, Ferrari driver from 1991 to 1995 and always a true French idol of every Ferrari fan.

Mario Isola, head of F1 and Car Racing at Pirelli

“In theory, a single stop from Medium to Hard is the fastest, but I believe that most teams will lean towards a strategy focused on the two stops, always managing Hard and Medium. It is interesting to note that among the leaders, Charles Leclerc is the only one to have one set of Hard and two of Medium at his disposal, while the majority of his direct rivals have two sets of Hard and only one of Medium. This will involve different strategies and on a day that could even be hotter than today."