(Pirelli Motorsport Media)
Pirelli went into Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir
International Circuit predicting a two stop race strategy.
The front runners all started the race on the yellow walled
Soft tyre that they used in the final part of qualifying and while most of the
drivers went onto the Soft tyre at their first pit stop’s Kimi Raikkonen went
onto the Medium compound tyre for his middle stint of the race.
The Finn then went onto the yellow walled Option tyre for
his final stint which allowed the Scuderia Ferrari driver to finish the race in
second place to take his first podium for Ferrari since the 2009 Italian Grand
Prix.
McLaren Honda’s Fernando Alonso and Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s
Daniel Ricciardo completed the most consecutive laps on the Soft tyre as they
completed 21 laps. The Williams Martini Racing Team’s Felipe Massa completed
the most consecutive laps on the Medium compound tyres completing 32 laps.
Lewis Hamilton’s race winning strategy was a two stopper
going from the Option to the Option tyre and making his final stop for the
Medium compound tyre. Speaking following the race Pirelli Motorsport Director
Paul Hembery stated:
‘It was a very competitive race with plenty of
overtaking and good pace from both compounds. There was a big mixture of
strategies, featuring both two and three stop options, with a highlight being
the alternative two-stop strategy chosen by Kimi Raikkonen, using the medium
tyre during the middle stint. This opened up the question of which tyre he
should use for the final stint, with some people thinking that the medium tyre
would be better suited to the falling temperatures. However, the way he drove
his final stint, and the fastest lap that he set on the soft compound, fully
justifies the decision and contributed to a very exciting finish.’
© Ben Johnston 2015
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