Pirelli expects drivers to opt for the medium compound for the Austin F1 Sprint

Based on the simulations carried out in Friday's sole practice session, Formula One's sole tyre supplier Pirelli expects drivers to elect to use the yellow-banded medium compound for today's Austin F1 Sprint.

Having struggled for pace in recent rounds, reigning world champion Max Verstappen bounced back in yesterday's short qualifying to take pole position for the Austin F1 Sprint.

The three-time world champion is thus back on top in a qualifying session for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix, when the fastest time did not secure him pole position for the race as he had to take a previously imposed penalty. The last time the Dutchman did actually start from the top slot on the grid dates back to the Austrian Grand Prix, when he secured pole on Friday in Sprint Qualifying and again on Saturday in qualifying for the main event.

The sprint weekend format means that drivers only had a single practice session to fine-tune their cars. This 60-minute practice saw almost all drivers use the hardest compound available for this Grand Prix, the C2. The only exceptions were the two Saubers, with Valtteri Bottas using the Medium and the Soft, while Guanyu Zhou concentrated on the C4. The other 18 drivers did not use the C3 at all, starting the session on the Hard before switching to the Soft. As per the regulations for Sprint Qualifying, the Medium must be used for Q1 and Q2 with the Soft coming into play for Q3.

Speaking of Friday's practice session and sprint qualifying, Pirelli's chief engineer Simone Berra explained that the Milan-based company and the teams were slightly caught by surprise to see lap times tumble down significantly compared to last year.

“A Friday which saw lap times clearly quicker than those from last year at this track and also lower than the simulations going into the event based on the average of data received by Pirelli from the ten teams. In fact, today’s pole was also two seconds quicker than last year’s (1’34”723) and a little over seven tenths faster than the predicted time of 1’33”600.

Reflecting on the factors that contributed to the much improved lap times, Berra noted that "apart from the normal evolution of the cars, the resurfaced track offered more grip, there was a marked reduction in the number of bumps, which meant the teams could lower the car’s height to the ground, while temperatures were also cooler than last year’s".

The Italian engineer stressed that the difference in performance between the compounds and the tyre behaviour have been in line with Pirelli's predictions

As for today's sprint race, Pirelli expects that "the Medium will be the absolute favourite (last year only Sainz used the Soft). On Sunday too, the C3 will be the most used tyre, which explains why in today’s free practice, with the exception of the Sauber duo, all drivers used at least one set of Hards. In a race where the quickest strategy is a two-stop, with the Soft apparently not a valid option, it’s clear that the Medium will rule the roost," concluded Berra.