Should Lando Norris be able to beat Max Verstappen in the British Grand Prix, it will likely be down to Formula 1 strategy. Pole-sitter Verstappen has the faster package, but Norris ran him close in Qualifying, only being denied top spot thanks to Verstappen's late effort. The British driver has hopes of a first podium in front of the Silverstone crowd in Grand Prix racing, with strategy likely to be key to Norris's chances of possibly beating the World Champion. Pirelli's strategy predictions indicate that a two-stop strategy will be the best way to complete the 52 laps using a Soft-Medium-Soft combination. The expectation is to pit sometime around Laps 11-17 after starting on the Softs before running to Laps 33-40 on the yellow-marked Medium rubber. A final short stint to the flag on Softs is then forecast - with tyre wear usually a factor at Silverstone thanks to the high loads placed on the tyres. To combat this, Pirelli have brought a new construction of tyre to withstand the higher than expected loads the current breed of cars are generating, but the compounds remain unchanged.
Pirelli's strategy predictions
Alternatively, teams could begin on the Medium rubber and run to between Laps 21-27 before switching to the Hards for a one stop. This, and the idea of going long on the Hards from the start and 'goal-hanging' for a Safety Car could be appealing, especially given the long pit-lane at Silverstone with teams wanting to minimise their stops. As for tyres available, a majority of the field have one new set of the Hards and Mediums available with four used Softs also on the table. The major outlier is Sergio Perez with three new sets of Softs at his disposal following a fifth straight race in which he's failed to reach Q3. Who will win the 2023 British Grand Prix? Let us know in the comments and by voting in the poll below!
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