Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “The choice of stops was crucial”

The Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton he won his home race for the fourth time, using three different types of Pirelli compounds. The British Grand Prix was in fact marked by torrential rain that fell 15 minutes before the start of the race, so the start took place behind the safety car with all the drivers on full wet Cinturato Blues.

When the safety car returned after five laps, many drivers immediately fitted intermediate Cinturato Greens, while the leaders took advantage of a virtual safety car to switch to intermediates shortly after.

The crossover point – when it becomes quicker to switch to slicks than to stay on intermediates – was identified by most teams from lap 15 (Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was the first to pit) to lap 18 of the 52 of the match. The choice of the timing of the stops was crucial, for the opportunity to gain time with the right tire at the right time. With the race starting in the wet, the regulation obligation to fit at least two slick compounds no longer applies.

About a third of the way through the race all the riders chose exactly the same pattern: wet, intermediate, then medium. Most of the drivers ran on medium until the end, with a two-stop strategy. Strategy adopted by the top 10 at the finish line, with the top three within about ten seconds for the entire race until the checkered flag. The best on three stops was Williams driver Felipe Massa, who made a late pit stop to change to soft tyres.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “The much-threatened rain finally materialized shortly before the start of the race, completely altering the race and tire strategy, especially due to the long safety car period. The drying track meant that all the riders gradually switched from wet to intermediate to slick: and the choice of the timing of these stops was crucial. It was a close battle for the top positions all the way to the finish, with all the variety of conditions and weather that Britain is known for, but the riders managed to push on all the way to the checkered flag.”