Pirelli: Hembery, "two pit stops in the race for most of the drivers"

The Formula One season resumes with the cold of Spa-Francorchamps: a typical characteristic of the legendary circuit located at the foot of the Ardennes.
Track temperatures barely reached 30 degrees centigrade in the afternoon, while ambient temperatures did not exceed 18 degrees.

The two Mercedes were always ahead in both sessions, with Nico Rosberg fastest in the morning with the medium P Zero Whites, and Lewis Hamilton fastest in the afternoon with the soft P Zero Yellows.

This tire combination was chosen to ensure different strategy options, but the compounds will need to be managed carefully to achieve maximum speed.

With the emphasis on tire strategy, getting as much data as possible from free practice was a priority today – especially with the latest generation of single-seaters featuring new hybrid power units, with reduced downforce.

The lap time difference between the two compounds, around 1,8 – 2 seconds, will be fundamental to the strategy.

Free practice followed the usual format: all cars used only the medium compound in the morning session. The riders tested the soft tire only during the afternoon session: they carried out long runs on both compounds with different fuel loads, to evaluate the relative performance levels. Using this information, it will be possible to calculate the optimal strategy.

However, one should not underestimate the changeable weather, which is one of the characteristics of Spa: low temperatures are expected throughout the weekend, with the possibility of rain tomorrow.

Paul Hembery: “It's always a pleasure to be at Spa, one of the most beautiful circuits in the world. This year, with the reduced aerodynamic load, it has probably become even more spectacular: the single-seaters slide a lot and the drivers need a lot of courage to take the Eau Rouge at full speed.
We were cold today, and this obviously has an effect on the performance of the tyres; these temperatures look set to remain throughout the weekend, with rain likely tomorrow.
Despite the cold, we saw very little graining. We need to analyze all the data carefully but, from what we have seen so far, the tires are performing exactly as expected, and there is a chance we will see two pit stops in the race for most of the drivers. “