Pirelli's forecast was only half right...

      Pirelli's forecast was only half correct – tire specialists expected two pit stops, but half of the drivers, including winner Lando Norris, raced with just one...

      Mario Isola, Pirelli: "The first part of the season concluded with an interesting race, where three drivers fought for victory, and Lando Norris won, overtaking his teammate Oscar Piastri by a fraction. McLaren employed different strategies: the British driver made one pit stop, while the Australian made two.

      Theoretically, the two-stop strategy was faster, but the cool weather – today’s temperature was about ten degrees lower than on Friday – reduced the difference between the two strategies, partly because tire degradation was less than two days ago.

      We still consider the two-stop strategy the best; just look at the gap between Alonso and Russell. An exception was Norris, who decided to limit himself to one pit stop after being fifth after the first lap. The slight difference in performance between Medium and Hard compounds, as well as the difficulty of overtaking at a similar pace, made the risk of such a strategy justified – at that moment, he had nothing to lose.

      Before the summer break, we will complete one more task – two days of tire prototype testing at Hungaroring for 2026. The program includes testing different construction options, which must be homologated by September 1, and the softest compounds from C3 to C5. On the first day, McLaren with Norris and Racing Bulls with Lawson will work with us. On the second day, Leclerc will drive the Ferrari. The Alpine team will work both days: the first with Paul Aron, and the second with Colapinto and Gasly."