Pirelli hints at possible race strategy in the Jeddah race

Having brought softer compounds for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Formula One's sole tyre manufacturer Pirelli have hinted that they do not foresee any big changes in terms of degradation or strategies based on the data gained across the two opening practice sessions.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix first appeared on the calendar in December 2021, with the next three events taking place in March, and this year will be the first time it is run in April, when temperature, wind and humidity levels will be more similar to those experienced in summer, which could have an impact on track action this weekend.

After the choice of compounds for the first four races of this season were the same as last year’s, Formula One's sole tyre manufacturer Pirelli elected to take a softer step for Jeddah, with the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft being the trio available this weekend.

The Milan-based tyre supplier has noted that the choice "is in line with the aim, shared with the FIA, F1 and the teams, to create more strategy choices for the race and therefore more exciting and unpredictable racing."

The opening day of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw McLaren head the field, with Lando Norris pipping his team-mate Oscar Piastri. At the track that runs alongside the Jeddah Corniche, the pair of papaya team drivers set the fastest times, obviously in FP2, the evening session run in identical conditions to those the drivers will face on Saturday and Sunday in qualifying and the race, making it the more representative of the two. Lando Norris was quickest with a 1’28”267, while Oscar Piastri was second in 1’28”430.

Pirelli's motorsport director Mario Isola commented: “It was a fairly straightforward day, apart from the red flag at the end of FP2, which prevented all the drivers from extending their long runs, which are so important for the rest of the weekend.

"In fact, while we and the teams have gathered a good amount of data overall, it is possibly not enough to get a clear picture of tyre behaviour over long runs under the same conditions the drivers will face in the race. But, on this fast and demanding Jeddah street circuit, interruptions are to be expected."

Today’s best time was just over half a second quicker than that from last year’s second session, when Fernando Alonso lapped in 1’28”827, when temperatures were actually a little cooler, with the 2024 event taking place in March. It was also set on a harder compound – C4 as opposed to C5 – as this year, Pirelli has brought a trio of dry weather tyres that are one step softer.

As for FP1, Pierre Gasly was quickest for Alpine in a time of 1’29”239, 420 thousandths faster than Max Verstappen’s time from the same session last year.

As for the Friday's practice sessions, a sea of yellow and red with the odd flash of white could sum up the colour chart of the opening two hours of free practice.

Only four drivers from two teams, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman and the Williams driver Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon in FP2, used one of the two sets of Hards available, while the rest of the field used two sets of Medium and two sets of Soft each.

Reflecting on the softer tyre selection for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Isola hinted that the Milan-based company does not expect significant changes in terms of degradation and strategies.

“From what we have seen so far, bringing a step softer trio of compounds has not significantly altered the overall picture. From the few meaningful long runs in the second session, we saw not much graining and that only on some cars.

"Furthermore, it was clear today that this phenomenon remained largely the same from one session to the next, which means it could be a factor to consider when it comes to managing degradation during the race.

"In terms of lap times, the degradation level was essentially similar to last year’s, or perhaps just slightly higher. Therefore, it’s hard to see there being a major change in strategy, with the one-stop on paper the quickest route, while the two-stop is a bit more competitive than before but not sufficiently so to be a valid alternative.”