Multiple tyre strategies at play in the Dutch GP at Zandvoort

Overtaking during the Dutch Grand Prix may prove difficult around the twists and turns of Circuit Zandvoort.

Therefore, a greater emphasis on strategy may be employed by the teams with Pirelli outlining a variety of ways to complete the 72-lap race.

Conventional wisdom dictates a one-stop strategy is the quickest from A to B, but there are a number of ways to achieve this.

The Italian tyre manufacturer has provided three such routes, two of which start with the red-walled softs, which provide the best start off the line.

The pit stop window opens on lap 24 for those wanting to jump straight to the hard tyres, but those opting to go onto the yellow-walled mediums will be looking to extend their first stint to at least lap 28.

Alternatively, there is the hard-to-soft approach, which teams further down the order might opt for, hoping to offset and potentially secure a cheap pit stop under a safety car or virtual safety car.

Curiously, Pirelli has not laid out a medium-first strategy, but that tyre does feature in two-stopper approach.

Weather is often unpredictable at the coastal town of Zandvoort, which is situated next to the North Sea, as we saw last season when played a significant factor in the race.

This year, extreme gusts of wind have unsettled the cars, and could increase the likelihood of incidents and therefore safety car disruptions.

If this comes to fruition, multiple stops and fresh red-walled tyres may become the order of the day.

The issue for the leading cars, however, is a lack of soft Pirellis. None of the top nine have any new sets available, with Carlos Sainz in tenth the first driver - by virtue of missing Q3.

Both McLarens have an extra set of medium tyres as their disposal, so are likely better positioned than Max Verstappen, who has two new sets of white-walled hards. However, that is still one more fresh set of tyres than most of the top 10.

There is a short run down to Turn 1 at Zandvoort, which may incentivise teams to try and start on the harder tyres, as the chance of losing places off the line is reduced.

As mentioned above, the hope for those adopters would be to go long and pick up a safety car, which could vault them up the order with a cheap pit stop and quicker rubber to end the race.