Bera: The optimal strategy is two pit stops.

      Hungaroring Friday test summary by Pirelli's chief engineer Simone Berra…

      Simone Berra: "When the weekend runs in the usual format, we have much more opportunities to gather data on tire behavior, which is especially important on a track where tire thermal degradation often occurs. Temperature was an important factor today as well, particularly compared to last year's Friday: at times, it was 15°C lower during the first session and 10°C lower during the second. At lower temperatures, the track becomes faster, which largely explains the improvement in lap times compared to last year – approximately 2.7 seconds in the first session and 2.1 seconds in the second. Another factor, of course, is the progress teams have made in improving machine efficiency.

      On Friday, we did not observe signs of graining, and thermal degradation overall met expectations. All three compounds were used in several long series of laps, showing that even soft tires are capable of covering a significant distance.

      Based on what we saw today, the optimal race strategy will likely involve two pit stops with medium and hard tires. These compounds are quite close in performance, and both will play a role in the race."