Sunday's Miami Grand Prix represents a huge challenge for the teams in terms of their strategy decisions, due to a wide variety of unknowns. The circuit itself is new, while the tropical climate means air and track temperatures are extremely high. The punishing temperatures of the asphalt, itself only freshly laid, means that the tyres are set to degrade at a very fast rate. The problem for the teams is that Friday's practice sessions were interrupted by red flag stoppages, which curtailed representative long runs, meaning tyre choices are something of a shot in the dark. According to Pirelli, the strategy choices of the teams are quite hard to predict. On paper, a two-stopper is the most likely candidate, with the most flexible option being to start on the Medium before running the Hard for the middle stint. This would allow a chance for a final run on the Medium, or even the Soft might make an appearance, depending on the timing of the stop. However, Pirelli also believe a one-stop is possible, albeit very marginal.
A wide variety of strategies to counter a Safety Car
There's also the fact that, with it being a street track lined by barriers in close proximity, a Safety Car intervention is quite likely – meaning teams will have to factor this into their plans. With no previous race data to fall back on, it's quite likely the top teams could go in opposite directions with their plans and, given the front-row lock-out by Ferrari with Red Bull occupying the second row, there could also be some variance of strategy between their drivers. "Strategy is not straightforward," Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola said. "But it looks as though a two-stopper will be the quickest way to go, with all three compounds potentially playing an important role." With plenty of options on the table, which strategy will come out on top?
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