Isola: Due to the weather, the race can turn into a thriller

      The Pirelli prize for qualifying at Suzuka was presented to Max Verstappen by Jean Alesi, a former racing driver who has long since retired from motorsport, but is still popular in Japan. In particular, because he is married to a Japanese woman, and this is his second marriage that has been happy for thirty years, although this is a completely different story.

      Jean still keeps in touch with Formula 1, following the events of the championship, and it was clear that today he was very sincerely happy for Max, who managed to win pole, although Red Bull Racing is not considered the favorite this season.

      Pirelli tire workers are also happy, at least because the qualifying was really interesting. But tomorrow may be even more interesting – especially if it rains.

      Mario Isola, Director of Pirelli Motorsport: "Once again, we witnessed a qualifying that was exciting from the very beginning to the checkered flag. In the last minute of the final session, pole position shifted from one driver to another, and as a result, the first result was separated from the third by only 0.044 seconds.

      It seems that tomorrow's race may also turn into a thriller due to the weather, as the forecast promises that it will rain in the morning, and there is a possibility that it may start again at two o'clock in the afternoon. But if it gets dry, then various tactics are possible.

      To begin with, it should be emphasized that all three types of tires can be used during the Grand Prix. In qualifying, the softest tires did not lose their effectiveness after the first fastest lap, so in theory they can be useful both for those who try to complete the race with a single pit stop, and for those who choose a scheme with two visits to the pits.

      The data collected over the weekend suggests that the one-stop option may be slightly more preferable. In this case, the fastest scheme will be one that uses one set of Medium rubber, and the second – Hard.

      Judging by the calculations made on the simulator, the two-pit-stop circuit is not much slower, and any combination is possible here, for which both two and all three trains can be involved.

      But rain can play an important role, even if it does not accompany the race. In fact, depending on the intensity of precipitation, the asphalt surface may even return to the condition it was in yesterday before work began on the highway.

      Then the granulation intensity will increase, which will determine the choice of tactics in favor of the option with two pit stops. In general, there can be a lot of variables..."