Dario Marraffuski: The team revised their approach in the race.

Dario Marraffuski: The team revised their approach in the race.

      Pirelli is surprised by the teams' strategy in Zandvoort, citing factors that influenced the decisions made...

      Dario Marrafruschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director: "The race in Zandvoort turned out to be interesting and unpredictable in terms of strategy. Analyzing the results of the previous sessions of the weekend, the teams revised their approach, opting for a strategy with two or three pit stops. All three available tire compounds were used during the race.

      The weather played a role. An unexpected downpour before the start hindered the improvement of grip on the asphalt during the race and changed the temperature profile, which turned out to be significantly higher than during Saturday's sprint.

      Tire wear, which had previously been relatively low, increased during the race due to the deteriorating track conditions, which became slippery after the rain.

      After the segment that followed the resumption of the race, the teams realized that the conditions would not allow them to conduct a good race with one pit stop, and they were looking for the most effective tire combinations for their drivers.

      After the first red flag, we saw almost ten different strategy options, with noticeable differences even among the leading teams. For example, Lawson did not use Hard tires at all, while McLaren decided not to put Medium tires on for the restart. Meanwhile, some drivers, like Leclerc, used all three available compounds.

      As a result, we witnessed an extremely engaging Grand Prix from a strategic standpoint, where teams utilized the characteristics of each tire compound, each of which proved effective under certain conditions.

      A particularly striking example in this regard was the use of Soft tires by Antonelli and the Ferrari drivers in the final segment, which allowed them to close the gap to their direct competitors, and in the case of the young Italian, even overtake his teammate."

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Dario Marraffuski: The team revised their approach in the race.

Pirelli is surprised by the teams' strategy in Zandvoort, citing the factors that influenced the decisions made...