Bridgestone are expecting both tyre compounds to be durable in tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix, based on evidence gathered throughout this weekend, which will probably lead to one-stop strategies from most teams.
Sebastian Vettel grabbed pole position today using the super-soft compound, and is required to start the race on that set of tyres.
Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, explained that the track conditions have continued to improve throughout the weekend. “The morning session did not point to a clear pace advantage between the two tyres, with the super soft offering more grip but less rear stability than the medium,” he explained. “The cooler temperatures this morning and the rapid track improvement made it difficult to analyse the data so qualifying was interesting for different approaches in use of the super soft or medium compounds.”
When asked about the race, Hamashima said that he is predicting long stints on both compounds of tyres: “Tomorrow has potential to be quite interesting as the super soft appears to give quite good durability here, which offers the possibility for longer stints from this tyre than we have seen in many races, and certainly greater durability than we saw in Montreal. As overtaking has been difficult here in the past, track position and the timing of the pit stops will be crucial.”
