Team Talk – Sunday afternoon in Shanghai

Pirelli

Dario Marrafuschi – Pirelli Motorsport Director

'Firstly, I would like to congratulate Kimi Antonelli on his first Formula 1 victory. It has been exactly twenty years since an Italian driver last triumphed in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and this historic moment occurred today in a race filled with overtakes and plot twists.

'As expected, the one-stop strategy proved to be the most effective in Shanghai, and the teams did not change their approach even when a Safety Car neutralised the race on lap nine. Instead, the pit window for those who had started on Medium was brought forward.

'The final stint on Hards for ten drivers exceeded 45 laps, with tyres that were clearly in the final stages of their wear yet still capable of maintaining decent consistency. In fact, the winner himself set the fastest lap of the race on lap fifty-two.

'Those who had chosen the white-banded compound at the start, on the other hand, had the opportunity to stay out during the neutralisation, gaining a few positions. However, it didn’t take long for rivals with fresh tyres to reclaim the top spots.

'Alpine, Haas and Racing Bulls, for example, are teams that exploited these two strategies to create different opportunities for their drivers. Soft were also used at the start, with the Red Bull drivers taking advantage of the extra grip to attempt an early getaway as the lights went out. We can conclude that all three tyre compounds proved to be valid options for devising effective race strategies.'