Andrew Green says it would be better for teams if they could avoid the Hypersoft compound on race day around the Circuit de Monaco, with its life considerably shorter than either the Ultrasoft or Supersoft tyre this weekend.
Pirelli Motorsport‘s Hypersoft compound is making its race debut around the streets of Monaco this weekend but Green, Sahara Force India F1 Team’s technical director, feels it is almost like a Qualifying tyre, and should a team or driver be able to get through the race on Sunday by only using the Ultrasoft and Supersoft, they could have the advantage.
However, this could be complicated by the pace difference of the Hypersoft and Ultrasoft in Qualifying, meaning at least some drivers who make it into the top ten shootout will be forced into running the pink-walled softest compound at the start, possibly necessitating a two-stop strategy.
“The Hypersoft seemed quite aggressive,” Green is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “It is almost a proper qualifying tyre which should be good for the show, I think.
“Everyone will try to do one stop – some of the bigger teams will look to try to qualify on something other than the hyper, which maybe they have the margin to do. It is a risky strategy around here.
“But if they can qualify on the Ultrasoft, it would be a big advantage to be able to do that.”
The Hypersoft problem however could bite some drivers, with Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, Sergey Sirotkin, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Nico Hülkenberg all having eleven sets available to them while having only a single set of both the Ultrasoft and Supersoft.
