F1 News
Tyre strategies in Jeddah: This is what Verstappen is likely to do!
- GPblog.com
In the sun-drenched Middle East, the second Grand Prix of the calendar will be completed tonight. The tarmac will be very hot on the streets of Jeddah, so it can't hurt to take a look at the drivers' possible tyre strategies.
Compared to a fortnight ago in Bahrain, rubber tactics will have less to do with traction. Because of the high speed and less abrasive road surface, a different strategy is to be expected. Formula 1 has highlighted four different possible choices on their site.
If you want to run a race without hard tyres under your car, starting on mediums and finishing on softs will be the best choice. You will then take a risk, because in the final laps you could be chased by drivers with newer and fresher tyres.
Verstappen's choice
For Max Verstappen, however, this does seem like an ideal preferred strategy. Because he has a pace advantage over the rest, he can push through at once.
A two-stop seems almost certainly out of the question tonight. One is expected to lose around 20 seconds with a pit stop in Jeddah. During a virtual safety car, that's only 11 seconds.