Pirelli presents pit stop strategies and tyre compounds for Bahrain GP

Every race, Pirelli makes an assessment of what the best choices are for pit stops and tyre compounds to finish the race. And while a race is always unpredictable, Pirelli's estimate is often a useful pillar of the various options available to teams.

Two-top seems the best strategy

The best strategy Pirelli recommends is to start on the soft, then do a long run on the hards, then back to the softs at the end. Pirelli also reports in the analysis that the Bahrain circuit is very demanding on the tyres. This is no exaggeration: although Pirelli now estimates that it should be doable with two pit stops, last year almost every driver needed three pit stops to cross the finish line.

One or two stops for the #BahrainGP?

Two. Definitely two. Sakhir has one of the most abrasive surfaces on the #F1 calendar.

So the question is – which compounds to use and when? #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/Hj1DFq5aL4

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) March 5, 2023

Leclerc still has one set of fresh softs remaining

Ferrari took a gamble during qualifying by not sending Leclerc out for another run. Instead, the team accepted a third place on the starting grid, so that they could have another set of fresh softs. Whether or not that was the right call will remain to be seen.