At Pirelli they expect one pit stop.

      Having assessed tyre behaviour and the track conditions, Pirelli expects the traditional one-stop strategy in today's race…

      Mario Isola, Pirelli's Head of Motorsport: "The track conditions and tyre degradation in FP3, when the race simulation was run, were very similar to what we saw on Friday, but in qualifying the track improved and the results matched our calculations. The characteristics of the C5 were clearly visible in qualifying. Those drivers who made it to the first corner after the long, more-than‑1 km straight with the front tyres at the right temperature definitely benefited from a well-balanced car and gained an advantage. Managing the temperature of the rear tyres in the final sector was key to gaining a few more tenths. The few drivers who managed to set their best time on the second flying lap owed that to the improved track condition. Track temperature, which in the race can reach 50°C, will be a key factor in strategy choice, the aim of which is to control thermal degradation. Since no driver kept two sets of Mediums, it is clear that a one-stop strategy will be the most popular. This weekend the Medium proved the most versatile; starting on them a driver will have at least two options. If the opening stint is extended to laps 42–48, drivers can switch to the Soft and run to the finish. But if the C4s lose too much effectiveness, a switch to the Hards between laps 26 and 32 is possible. Starting on the Soft can give a short advantage of better grip on the first lap, but with a heavy fuel load drivers will have to manage the pace. In that case a switch to C4 would come between laps 23 and 29, or, if C2 is preferred, between laps 20 and 26. Theoretically a two-stop strategy — Soft‑Medium‑Soft — can also be considered, producing a total race time similar to the one-stop option. However, the loss of positions after pit stops and the difficulty of overtaking on this track mean such a strategy is only realistic on paper."