Mario Isola says the warmer conditions at the Monza National Circuit on Sunday meant that Italian Grand Prix was always run on the two hardest compounds available.
Since all drivers had a free choice of starting tire due to the sprint qualifying race format in Italy, the majority of the field started the race on the middle compound before switching to the hard track for the final stint.
Both Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris used this strategy to get a one-two for the McLaren F1 team, but the podium was from Valtteri Bottaswho pursued the opposite strategy when the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team climbed up from 19th place on the grid after the start on the tough mix.
Isola says the hard tire showed impressive speed and durability during the Monza race on Sunday, especially as Ricciardo took the fastest lap bonus point on the last of the 53 laps. He also says the temperature in Italy prevented the use of the soft mix for a few rounds Nikita Mazepin.
“Both McLaren drivers chose the same medium to hard strategy that was followed by the majority of the field, but Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes also showed what is possible with the opposite strategy,” said Isola.
“The performance of the hard tire here was underlined by the fact that Daniel Ricciardo drove the fastest lap on the last lap, who has mastered the race perfectly since the restart.
“Today’s warm weather has certainly favored the hard and medium mixes, both of which showed minimal degradation, while at the other end of the spectrum it was a bit too warm for the soft one to show its speed advantage.”
Photo credit: Pirelli Motorsport
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