F1 teams face potential Qatar GP extreme strategy conundrum

Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola has stated that "there are plenty of options on the table' for all 10 F1 teams going into the potentially title-deciding Qatar Grand Prix.

McLaren driver Lando Norris starts from second on the grid behind team-mate Oscar Piastri, knowing that if he outscores the Australian by four points, and he also finishes ahead of third-placed Max Verstappen, then he will win his maiden drivers' crown.

The scenario is complicated, however, by the fact that due to tyre-wear concerns coming into the race, no set of rubber can run for more than 25 laps over the weekend in its entirety. That guarantees a minimum two-stop strategy for all teams.

As it stands, all 20 drivers have a new set of hard tyres available, as well as two new sets of mediums.

Pirelli has outlined that starting on the yellow-striped medium is the most likely route for the drivers to take, with the first pit stop window operating across laps 19 to 25.

A switch to the medium or hard compound becomes an option for the teams, and will provide a major insight into how the drivers will see out the remainder of the race.

The soft tyre for the final stint is feasible for both options, which would see drivers pitting between laps 46 and 50.

As it stands, nine drivers have a new set of softs available. Those that do not are the top 10 on the grid, due to using an extra set of softs in Q3, and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson.

For all 11, though, their sets of softs have done little running. Piastri, Norris and Verstappen, for example, all have a set of softs that have only run for three laps, so a possible 22 is still available.

Confirming why the 25 laps are essential, Isola said: "Just as was the case last year, we saw some tyres [in the sprint race] where graining had accelerated wear, taking it to the maximum but without any loss of performance.

"These instances, noted mainly on the front-left tyres, are exactly why the limit of 25 laps on each set has been imposed.

"The considerably faster lap times compared, not only to last year but also the latest simulations, have led to a bigger increase in loads on the tyres than expected. As a precaution, we already prescribed an increase in minimum pressures of one psi on both axles at the end of Friday."

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Cuts concern eases

At least fears over tyre cuts have eased, with Isola adding: "We saw some more cuts on some of the tyre treads during Saturday, but fewer than Friday. The two pit stops expected on Sunday should mitigate this issue."

With that being the case, Isola is looking forward to a strategy battle unfolding.

"Looking ahead to the race, the sets of mediums kept back by the teams led to the conclusion that most could go for two stints on the yellow tyre," he said.

"The fastest strategy is with a final stint on the soft, following a pit stop between laps 44-50. The use of the hard at the beginning, or between two medium stints, would allow the pit stops to be spread out more evenly during the race.

"But this is theoretically slower than a strategy that uses all three available compounds.

"Medium-hard-soft is the second-quickest tactic on paper, with pit stop windows that are identical to the fastest strategy, between laps 19-25 and 46-50, in accordance with the lap limit.

"If there are no safety cars, we believe that the teams are likely to maximise the 25 laps allowed for each set.

"Another strategy using all three compounds could be hard-medium-soft, with a shorter final stint to the flag. In short, there are plenty of options on the table."