Isola: Overtaking at Spa is harder than many think

      The clever tire choice strategy by Pirelli's team didn't work this time – most drivers limited themselves to a single pit stop during the race...

      Mario Isola, Pirelli: "We knew that rain would play a role today, and it did. Once again, the main problem for the drivers was poor visibility, which delayed the start until conditions improved.

      After the start, intermediate tires worked fine but wore out quickly, the track was drying, so after a few laps, it was time to switch to slicks. We were confident that everyone would move to Mediums, but McLaren surprised us by employing different strategies for their drivers. I should mention that the C1 compounds worked very well, and although these tires were slower than the C3, they provided greater stability in terms of wear, despite the relatively low temperatures.

      Everyone wanted to complete the race with one stop, so controlling the wear of the Medium tires was crucial, and it worked perfectly. Those who later tried to accelerate in the final stages to gain positions felt an immediate loss of efficiency and abandoned that plan.

      Those who performed a second pit stop closer to the finish line were faster, but it wasn't enough to improve their positions – today once again proved that overtaking on this track is more difficult than many think.

      We brought an unusual set of three tire compounds in succession to Spa, hoping to see more strategic options. Rain prevented us from testing this idea, but we gathered valuable information that will help us when choosing tires for the second part of the season.