What the teams said – Qualifying in Great Britain

Red Bull

Red Bull had clearly improved the car overnight, both Verstappen and Tsunoda much happier with the RB21 in FP3. The Dutchman inserted himself into the pole position conversation early on in Qualifying, but did not look to have enough to challenge McLaren. That was until he came out last for the final runs in Q3 and absolutely nailed his lap, grabbing a brilliant pole by a tenth of a second. Tsunoda did not join his team mate in Q3, instead exiting at the second time of asking, but he will inherit one place when grid penalties are applied.

Max Verstappen, 1st, 1:24.892

“I’m very happy to be on Pole today. It was unexpected as we had quite a tricky day yesterday, but I’m happy with our performance today. It has been difficult this week and we have tried a few things to fix both the understeer and oversteer we have been experiencing. In Qualifying, everyone was struggling with the wind and with the weather turning, but then we felt a lot more stable towards the end and the balance was better. We ultimately had a lot lower downforce than the others so were quicker on the straight. We really put it together today in Q3 and on that final run. In the first corner I could feel more grip and balance and then this continued into turns six and seven. We were already three tenths up and I really didn’t want to make a mistake going into the final sector! It was also great to find the potential out of the upgrade and this is a great boost for the Team. Tomorrow will be difficult; tyre management is going to be important as the wear has always been tough round here, so we hope we can be competitive and can hopefully give it a good go.”

Yuki Tsunoda, 12th, 1:25.826

“I did a normal launch into the push lap and had some loss of power. Then I didn’t have the energy I should get until Turn 3 and I lost around one tenth. Elsewhere in the lap I didn’t feel the boost I should have, we could see the loss in the data clearly. It is so annoying having these kinds of issues when it counts. I was confident in the build up to the weekend and the car felt good too, so it’s frustrating. I think Q3 was very much possible without the issue. I was building up a good pace and was extracting performance from the car. I think I made a really good step this weekend with the car, so it is a huge frustration, I just want to have a normal qualifying session. The target now is points and I am in a better position than I have been in previous weeks to do that. I am pretty happy with the set up and the modifications we have made throughout the weekend, so I am feeling optimistic. I had a positive feeling with the long-run pace in FP2 and I know what to do better in the race tomorrow.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal

“It’s always special to be at Silverstone and what a lap! Max was locked in, the whole Team were and I have to give a special thanks to them. We brought a few upgrades here, fine-tuned them over the past 24 hours and then Max comes and delivers the best lap possible at a track that is all about aerodynamics. It was a tremendous performance. Yuki equally put in a fantastic performance, but I unfortunately got unlucky. There were some power issues at the start of his lap which compromised him somewhat. We will need to look into it, but he certainly has found something in the car. There is plenty to look forward to tomorrow.”

McLaren

Piastri finally got the better of his team mate in FP3, after Norris had had the edge yesterday. But McLaren knew it would be a close fight with Ferrari in Qualifying, and were not counting their chickens. Both Piastri and Norris were nip and tuck through Q1 and Q2, with Piastri grabbing provisional pole from his team mate in Q3. But the Australian couldn’t improve on his last flying run, and Norris’ scrappy lap was not enough to beat his team mate. They looked to have locked out the front row bar for a last gasp flier from Verstappen, who managed to get the better of both McLarens with a brilliant late effort.

Lando Norris, 3rd, 1:25.010

“It was a great Qualifying session. It’s very fast around Silverstone, very enjoyable and I’m not going to be unhappy with a third. We didn’t quite have enough pace today, but still a good day. It’s tiny things here that put you ahead or behind. We saw yesterday how close it was going to be, with hundredths here and there. I think it’s going to be fun tomorrow: not just us and Max – Ferrari are in it, George as well. We’ve got a very interesting British Grand Prix ahead – and I’m looking forward to it.”

Oscar Piastri, 2nd, 1:25.010

“We’re starting on the front row tomorrow. My first Q3 lap was mega, and I was thinking about how I might go faster, but wasn’t able to put it all together for the second run. It’s been tight all weekend, so it’s going to be close tomorrow, but we’ve got the pace to fight for the win. We’ve tried a lot of things this weekend to find a little more, and the team’s done a very good job to get us to where we are. It’s going to be an exciting race tomorrow.”

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

“That was an extremely tight Qualifying session, with two very close and competitive performances by Oscar and Lando, although not quite enough to take Pole.

“Ferrari have been strong all weekend, and Max and George pulled off an exceptional performance, especially in their last run. This has created a very compact top six, which creates some uncertainty for tomorrow. The team executed the sessions very well, putting together a good performance in tricky conditions with the ever-changing wind, and the engineers worked well to constantly tune the set up to find the optimum solution for Qualifying. Undoubtedly, though, it remains very close.

“We’ll be working hard overnight to put ourselves in the best condition possible for a strong result, but it should be an exciting race for the fans at Silverstone tomorrow. ”

Mercedes

In the cooler conditions, Mercedes were hopeful of a strong result in Qualifying. They managed to get both cars to Q3, but had to use an extra set of tyres to do so. As such, they could only go for one run on fresh rubber to their rivals’ two. Antonelli could not extract enough to fight for the front rows and wound up seventh before his grid penalty is applied. But Russell was one of very few to put in a good final lap as the wind picked up, and he is right in the mix near the front.

George Russell, 4th, 1:25.029

"I am very happy with P4 today as we’ve been off the pace at the very front all weekend. I would have definitely taken that if I had been offered it at the start of the day. We only had one new set of Soft tyres for Q3 so we had to make that final lap count. I thought I managed a solid effort and, whilst it is slightly frustrating to be just over one tenth off pole and a few hundredths from the front row, we’ve given ourselves a good chance of fighting for the podium on Sunday.

"Tomorrow’s forecast is mixed which may offer some opportunities for us. We know just how changeable the weather can be here. It is also likely to be cooler and more overcast than we saw on Friday, so hopefully our long run pace is stronger than we showed in FP2. Whatever the situation, I am ready to give it my all at my home race and put on a show in front of this incredible British crowd."

Kimi Antonelli, 7th, 1:25.374

"It hasn’t been an easy weekend for us so far, but we were able to put in a solid performance come Qualifying. My lap was nothing special and I struggled in sector two, but the rest of the lap was OK. We’ve been lacking a bit of stability in the high-speed, which is not the feeling you want around a track like Silverstone with so many fast corners. On my final effort, the rear wasn’t quite as planted as I would have liked; that cost me a bit of confidence and probably a little bit of time too.

"We will see what we can do tomorrow. We have to serve our three-place grid penalty from Austria which is not ideal but hopefully the conditions will present us with some opportunities. There is some rain on the forecast, and it should be much cooler than it was on Friday anyway. That should hopefully bring the car towards us. We will see what we’re facing come lights out and build from there."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"P4 and P7 is not ever going to be our happy place but we can take some positives from the progress we made after a difficult Friday. George put in a superb effort to get onto the second row, just over one tenth of a second adrift of pole, hundredths behind the McLarens and ahead of both Ferraris. It was another good performance in a season full of them. He is driving fantastically at the moment and hopefully he can be looking ahead tomorrow and be in the fight for the podium.

"For Kimi, he also took good steps from yesterday and P7 was a solid effort. Of course, he has a grid penalty to serve but he should have the pace to move forward. Tomorrow’s forecast is still mixed with some rain potentially on the radar. You never know what can happen in those conditions, particularly here at Silverstone. We will be aiming to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way and put on a strong showing."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"It's been a difficult weekend so far, so today’s result is positive even if it is not what we aim for. The car has been a bit unpredictable in all practice sessions, both in its balance and the pace on the single lap. Improving that has not come easy but we made progress come Qualifying.

"George put together a very solid lap at the end of Q3. We were down to a single new Soft tyre by the final segment of the session, and that puts a lot of pressure on that final effort. To be less than a tenth and a half of a second to pole is a good result, although slightly frustrating that the gaps ahead put us just a few hundredths of a second from the front-row.

"Kimi meanwhile was struggling with a lack of rear stability in the high-speed corners. It is difficult to explain that based on the setup across the two cars but we'll keep working to understand that. He will have more positions to make up tomorrow but hopefully his race pace is strong, and he can fight through. It looks like it will be very tight at the front tomorrow. We weren’t stellar on our long runs in the hotter conditions of Friday, but we’ve made some changes since then and it looks like we will be dealing with slightly cooler conditions tomorrow. Hopefully we can enjoy our best day of the weekend on Sunday and bring home some solid points."

Ferrari

Ferrari had two quick cars in FP3, Hamilton’s time only down the order thanks to red flags interrupting his fastest lap. That sparked hopes of a first Grand Prix pole of the season, but Ferrari so nearly came a cropper in Q1 when they ran out of fuel and saw Hamilton scrape through in P14. They managed their tyres and timings better in Q2 and Q3, but neither driver was able to nail their laps in the final segment and the team were left with the third row on a day where they had hoped for much, much more.

Charles Leclerc, 6th, 1:25.121

"I’m not happy with my qualifying today. The mistake in the last corner of my final lap in Q3 cost me at least one or two tenths, which in this case could have put me on the front row for the race. That's disappointing, and I will focus on putting it all together going forward. With our car being stronger in the race than in qualifying so far this season, there is a chance we can do something tomorrow. However, starting from the third row means we have to fight our way forward at the start, which we pay for later in the race due to tyre degradation. We will have to find the right balance tomorrow and work on bringing a good result home for the team."

Lewis Hamilton, 5th, 1:25.095

"It was a very competitive qualifying session. Q2 was strong, but I wasn’t able to extract the improvement we were aiming for on the final lap of Q3, so ultimately we’ll start P5. I’m really proud of the way the team has worked all weekend, there were plenty of positive signs in practice. Tomorrow won’t be easy with the cars ahead, but there’s something special about Silverstone. The energy from the crowd here is incredible, and I’m looking forward to giving it everything out there."

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

"The qualifying result is a bit frustrating, because the car was clearly quick all weekend and even today, as we were first and second fastest in Q2. The upgrades we introduced in Austria played their part, and importantly they have probably helped the drivers to now feel more confident in the car. It’s encouraging everyone to keep pushing.

"Fifth and sixth means we did not execute qualifying well, we did not put everything together for that final run. With all the support for the team this weekend, especially for Lewis, it’s a shame we did not deliver something better. On the plus side, I believe we have made a step forward in terms of pure performance.

"However, P5 and 6 is still respectable, because we know we have good long run pace, we always perform a bit better on Sunday than on Saturday, and overtaking is possible at Silverstone, so we can fight back from here. That’s motor racing and now we must concentrate on tomorrow and see what we can do to ensure we have a better Sunday."

Haas

Bearman had a chaotic FP3 session, bringing out the red flags when some of his bodywork fell off. He then managed to spin his car into the barriers on the pit lane entry at the end of FP3, when the session was under red flag conditions following Bortoleto’s crash. As well as damaging the front of his car, Bearman was handed a 10-place grid penalty for not following red flag procedures. All of which was a shame as he showed serious pace in Qualifying to make Q3, grabbing a career-best P8. As for Ocon, he locked up on his final run in Q2 which cost him any chance of moving forward.

Esteban Ocon, 15th, 1:25.950

“It’s very close out there – as always – and unfortunately there were a few issues on the out lap and it wasn’t a clean last run. We’ll see what the weather is like tomorrow, if degradation is high it should open up opportunities, but it currently looks more difficult than the last two races, however things are going in the right direction and we’ll give it our best shot tomorrow.”

Oliver Bearman, 8th, 1:25.471

“It was a good qualifying session and the car feels really good today, the car has been performing as expected and we’ve shown that on a Saturday which feels good. The team has done a great job today, so it hurts, but the car was easily into Q3 and if we have a good qualifying, I think it means we’ve got a really good race car.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“Mixed feelings today. The amazing positive is that we brought an update here and what a good job the team has done. The upgrades worked, we made the change yesterday, and it did what it was supposed to do. Today, Ollie got used to it and then harnessed its potential, and we all saw the result. We managed to make it into Q3 and P8 behind the big teams, so that’s a testament to everyone’s hard work. Of course, on the flip side, Ollie making that mistake in FP3 and receiving a 10-place grid drop for the second time is not good. We’re starting P18 so that’s just something we have to deal with, and we can’t repeat that. Esteban’s Q2 lap on his second run was compromised during his out lap so he didn’t get everything out of it. He was less happy with the car today, so we need to look into that. Tomorrow we have to give it everything starting from P14 and P18 – we’ll aim to get into a points scoring position.”

Aston Martin

Alonso did not get a quick lap in during FP3 thanks to late red flags, but managed to escape Q1 using just the one set of tyres. That put him in a good position in Q2 and then Q3, where he wound up solidly in the top 10. The new upgrades seemed to his liking, but Stroll struggled for balance in his AMR25. He exited in Q1 for the third straight race, and now hasn’t made Q3 since Imola.

Fernando Alonso, 9th, 1:25.621

"I'm happy with today and to be in Q3 again. It wasn't a straightforward FP3 session for us and because of this we went into Qualifying a little more unknown with the car setup. We tested the new upgrades this weekend too and it seems a small step in the right direction. So, all in all, I think we can be pleased to be starting P7 tomorrow after a well-executed Qualifying session. Let's see what we can do tomorrow. We will keep an eye on the weather and I would quite like there to be some rain as it can mix things up. There are some fast cars around us and it will be a long race, but let's see if we can score some more points."

Lance Stroll, 18th, 1:26.504

"Overall a tricky day and Qualifying session for us here in Silverstone. I was really happy with the car setup yesterday, but today I struggled with balance and pace, similar to last weekend where we looked competitive on Friday, but then struggled during Qualifying on lower fuel loads. We will need to look into this to understand it better because I'm not sure why. It’s going to be a really tough day tomorrow starting from the back, but we’ll see what we can do."

Andy Cowell, Team Principal

"A strong session for Fernando with clean and tidy laps taking him through to Q3. We expect him to start from P7 [after grid penalties for Bearman and Antonelli] which gives us a good opportunity to score some points. Lance was not as comfortable with the car today and was missing the balance we had in the free practice. We will go through the data to try and see why that happened and improve things going forward. It looks like we can expect similar tricky weather conditions tomorrow – with gusts and a risk of showers. We will be pushing hard, determined to put on a good show on home ground in front of the British fans."

Alpine

Alpine were the slowest team in FP3, and looked up against it in Qualifying. But their day was made harder by Colapinto spinning off late on in Q1, tapping the barriers for good measure. He initially tried to make it back to the pits, but was forced to park up with damage and brought out the red flags. Gasly’s last gasp effort once Q1 resumed was enough for P15, but from there he grew in confidence and managed to make Q3 for the second straight race. Considering he had a best position of P18 from the three practice sessions, it was quite the effort from the Frenchman as Alpine chase their first points tomorrow since Spain.

Pierre Gasly, 10th, 1:25.785

“I am very happy with today's Qualifying, especially considering how complicated this weekend has been for the team so far. We did not show much pace yesterday or even this morning in Free Practice 3. We stuck together as a team, made some changes, and just tried to maximise the package, so credit to everyone for doing a fantastic job. I am very pleased for them that we reached Q3 as it certainly did not look promising up until then on a track which we knew would be tough for us. Conditions have been tricky with the wind gusts, so it has been difficult to be completely happy in the car. We sneaked through Q1 and then the Q2 lap was a really good one to reach Q3. Tomorrow, we start in eighth place and we have given ourselves a chance to score points. The reality is, it will not be easy but we will be ready for the fight. There could be some rain too, so we have to be prepared to take any opportunity.”

Franco Colapinto, 20th, 1:27.060

“Overall, it was a frustrating way to end our day and it was a pity that we could not make it back to the garage to complete a final run in Q1. The conditions were tricky, as they have been all weekend, and I was pushing and lost the car on the exit kerb of the last corner. I was pushing hard trying to find the gaps we are missing, and I unfortunately lost the rear of the car. There was some contact with the tyre barrier and I thought it was okay, as we managed to rejoin the track. However, there were some vibrations and we decided to pull over and stop on track. Sorry to the team and we will keep working and try our best in the race tomorrow. Looking at the forecast and the possibility of rain for the Grand Prix, we will try to maximise any opportunities that come our way and make up some positions. Also, well done to the team and Pierre for the turnaround they had given the difficulties we have faced across the weekend.”

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor

“Given the issues we have faced so far across the weekend with the drivability of the car and the feedback of both drivers, it was a great effort by the team and Pierre to get the car into Q3. With the grid penalties for Kimi [Antonelli] and Oli [Bearman] we will line-up in eighth position, and with the usual unpredictable weather at Silverstone, anything can happen in tomorrow's race. What today again shows is that whatever difficulties we face as a team, we must always push to deliver the maximum and unlock performance with the package we have. For Franco, he knows he made a mistake and needs to improve and come back strongly in the race tomorrow.”

Williams

Not to be for Williams, who continue to struggle to find their top form. Sainz did make it out of Q1 for the first time in four race weekends, winding up 11th while Albon made some mistakes on his final run in Q2 to wind up a disappointing P14. That was despite the Thai driver being solidly in the top 10 in FP3, sparking hopes of a recovery. The good news for the team is that their closest rivals in the Championship, Racing Bulls and Haas, have no cars starting in the top 10 whereas Sainz will move forward when grid penalties are applied.

Alex Albon, 14th, 1:25.889

"We need to review what happened today. We put on new tyres after Franco crashed, then went out when a Red Flag was likely coming, so we ultimately wasted a set. That left us on used tyres for our first Q2 run, which actually went well, but we had a compromised second run. We’ve been quick all weekend, so it’s frustrating. The car is getting faster and should’ve been in Q3. I’m not saying I’m happy with my job in Q2, but we’re not always making it easy for ourselves. We’re always focusing on improving things at Williams, so it’s days like this that highlight areas for us to work on."

Carlos Sainz, 11th, 1:25.746

"I don’t think there was much more for us out there today. I missed Q3 by the slightest of margins, but this weekend we’ve been consistently running in the gap between P10 and P14, so I think our position is representative of where we are. We’ve been dedicating this weekend to a lot of set-up experimentation, so it hasn’t been the ideal build-up to Qualifying, but in the end, my lap felt really clean. I have trust in our race pace tomorrow, so we’ll do our best to fight for those points and be ready to take any opportunities. It’s incredible the amount of support we have at home, and I want to thank our fans with a good race!"

James Vowles, Team Principal

"The field is very close now. You can see that a matter of milliseconds is still separating four or five cars, and we always knew getting into Q3 would be a gigantic effort for both cars. With Carlos, I think we ran a good programme. He drove well and he's managed to improve a few areas on the car. With Alex, we started the outlap a little bit close to Verstappen, so we weren't able to get the right temperature in the tyres, and he was compromised in his first sector. Without that, it’s difficult to say exactly where he would have ended up, but certainly ahead of where we start on the grid. That said, we have a fast race car based on Friday and every opportunity to race in the points with both cars tomorrow."

Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls looked strong all weekend, but their form deserted them when it mattered most. Lawson made a mistake on his last flying run in Q1, which cost him the chance to move forward on a day when just over six tenths of a second separated 19 positions. Hadjar did progress to keep his record of no Q1 eliminations this year going, but he could not escape Q2. He was 13th for the second weekend in a row, but will hope to move forward tomorrow with the team’s race pace looking decent.

Isack Hadjar, 13th, 1:25.864

"It was a disappointing Qualifying. We’ve had a great car all weekend and a good start to the session today, but then I felt that we reached the limit of the car very early, whilst other teams were able to keep finding pace. I felt I was a bit on the edge and therefore unable to find more lap time. We’ve been struggling a bit on a single lap, so looking at tomorrow, I think the long run is going to be difficult, but obviously we’ll give it our all to fight for points as it will be a long race.”

Liam Lawson, 16th, 1:26.440

"A Q1 exit is really frustrating, especially since we’ve had a fast car all weekend. Unfortunately, the drop in temperature meant we couldn’t get the tyres up to the right temperature, I had no grip starting the lap and it didn’t improve as the lap went on. It’s a shame to throw away a Qualifying session like that. These tyres are very sensitive, but that’s nothing new, and we should have handled it better. Starting from where we are, we’ll need to consider an alternative strategy for tomorrow. Anything can happen, the weather here is unpredictable. We’ll push for a top 10 finish, but it’s going to be a tough race.”

Tim Goss, Chief Technical Officer

“After promising sessions through Friday, we felt we were in a relatively strong position going into P3 and Qualifying. Overnight we made further small adjustments to the car setup to try and adapt to the windy conditions, to rebalance the car for the expected cooler track temperatures and to evaluate different downforce levels. Whilst these were broadly effective, we ultimately struggled to deliver to meet our expectations in Qualifying. Liam's car lacked a bit of grip, especially in sector 3 and we narrowly missed the cut into Q2. Isack progressed comfortably out of Q1, but couldn't extract enough from the car in Q2. Looking forward to the race we know we have demonstrated good tyre management and are confident that we will have a good shot at a points finish.”

Kick Sauber

Bortoleto had a big moment in FP3, spinning off onto the grass and breaking his front suspension. That brought out the red flags and ended his practice. The team did well to get his car ready for Qualifying, but he couldn’t extract enough pace to make Q2. Nor could Hulkenberg, who has not seemed comfortable here all weekend. But the better news for the team is that of late, they have had a much better race car so all is not lost for tomorrow.

Nico Hulkenberg, 19th, 1:26.574

"So far, it’s been a tough weekend for us, and the lack of pace was clear from the start. As the wind picked up, Sector 1 became even more challenging, and I wasn’t able to put the lap together the way I wanted. The windy conditions, especially as the light rain approached, made things difficult. While everyone had to deal with it, we seemed to be a bit more affected.

“Compared to recent weekends where we were competitive, this circuit has highlighted some of our limitations. This track layout simply doesn’t suit us as well as others. Hopefully, some changeable conditions tomorrow will give us an opportunity to fight back."

Gabriel Bortoleto, 17th, 1:26.446

“It’s been a difficult weekend for us so far. From the first session, we struggled with overall pace and balance compared to recent events, and the gusty wind made it even tougher – it's something our car doesn’t cope with well, though that’s the same for everyone. Compared to Austria, where we were strong across all sessions, this circuit just didn’t suit us. Unfortunately, I had a couple of spins during practice, which damaged the upgraded floor, so I had to run the older spec in qualifying. That definitely didn’t help in such a tight midfield, but I still gave it everything I had. I don’t think there was much more left to extract today.

“Despite the setbacks, my confidence hasn’t been affected. Spinning or even crashing is part of the job when you’re pushing the car to the limit – it's not ideal, of course, and I’m sorry to the team for the extra work. They did an incredible job to get the car rebuilt in time, and I’m really grateful for that. In qualifying, I was already pushing hard from the first lap and felt strong—even in the same corner where I’d gone off earlier. Tomorrow, we’ll try to make the most of any opportunities. If the weather turns chaotic, we may get opportunities to move forward. I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal

“It was a tough qualifying session today, reflecting where we are in our journey with the C45. We’ve made good progress with the car at previous circuits, but this weekend we struggled to extract the same level of pace. Despite the setback in FP3, Gabriel showed resilience in qualifying, settling into a rhythm and ultimately securing P16 for tomorrow’s starting grid, following Bearman’s penalty. Nico had a relatively clean run, but the pace simply wasn’t there for us today, and he finished in P19. Looking ahead to tomorrow, there’s a chance of rain, which could mix things up – and if that happens, we’ll be ready to capitalise.”

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director

“Silverstone always delivers a great show, on the track and in the grandstands and today was no exception. The outcome of qualifying was only decided in the final moments, with Verstappen delivering a masterful performance to beat really strong opponents. Therefore, all the signs point to an equally closely contested race tomorrow, with at least six drivers in the hunt for victory and the other podium places.

“Neither is strategy clear cut. In fact, the difference between simulations for a one or a two-stop race is very small, of the order of two to three seconds. Therefore, the choice will be mainly down to each car’s performance and their relative tyre degradation. The fastest choice is to run Medium-Hard, with a pit stop between laps 19 and 25. Those opting to pit twice, again running the C2 and C3, should come in the first time between laps 12 and 18 and the second between lap 32 and 38.

“This is a very demanding track, because of the high lateral forces generated through the many high speed corners, and the actual wear of the tyre tread is also a factor. Therefore, in the race, tyre wear will have to be monitored closely, as indeed will graining, which we expect to see, given that temperatures will be similar to today’s, around ten degrees centigrade cooler than in free practice.

“All three compounds have shown themselves to be viable for the race. Obviously, the Hard and Medium offer more consistent performance over a long stint, but the Soft could come into play both at the start, for those looking to make up places off the line, and in the final stages. It should be noted that four teams, Aston Martin, Williams, Haas and Racing Bulls, have opted to have just one set of Hard and one of Medium for the race. This would suggest they are leaning towards a one-stop strategy. However, if degradation turns out to be higher than they expected, or if opportunities such as a Safety Car present themselves, the Soft could become the obvious choice for these eight drivers.

“The C4 demonstrated that on this type of track, it is capable of delivering its full potential on the first attempt. It’s true that the lap times set after one or two cool-down laps were decent enough, but the advantage of a new tyre over a used one was significant.”