Pirelli shares as usual an overview of the remaining tires per driver and the possible pit stop strategies for the upcoming Grand Prix. For the race of Austria, Verstappen and Hamilton have exactly the same cards, which may make the strategic choices interesting.
The overview shows that both Verstappen and Hamilton still have two new sets of hard tires and two used sets of mediums left. Both drivers also have two used sets of the soft tires, but if the race runs smoothly it is unlikely that they will use them. Valtteri Bottas also has this collection of tires. Sergio Perez, on the other hand, has to make do with one new hard tire, two mediums and three used sets of the soft.
One or two stops?
It could become interesting between Verstappen and Hamilton in particular. Pirelli shows that the teams with the medium and hard tire have two options. The two stopper, from medium to twice hard, is the fastest strategy, followed by a one stopper from medium to hard. In recent races we have seen that the one-stop does not always work out well, so it is obvious that both drivers go for the two-stop. Depending on the situation in the race, however, one of the teams may still decide that the one-stop is the most suitable option.
In Perez?
Sergio is in a more difficult position because he only has one hard tire left. Since he also starts on the mediums, for now it seems that his only strategic option will be the second. That could potentially work in his favour, as Perez is known as a driver who is incredibly good at managing his tyres. How it ultimately works out will have to be seen later.
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