Summary
- Two stops are Pirelli’s leading options for Sunday’s race at Sepang.
- Verstappen and Leclerc each have only one hard tyre set available, opening the possibility of alternative strategies.
- Friday’s running showed that the soft can sometimes be more consistent than the medium.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc face a different strategic calculation from most of their rivals in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Both have only one set of hard tyres available, while Pirelli’s preferred two-stop approaches involve using that compound twice.
Tyre management has become a central question for Formula 1 at Sepang. Friday’s running exposed substantial degradation, with drivers sliding on the abrasive surface and generating additional heat. Choosing the right compound will therefore involve more than comparing the initial pace of the soft, medium and hard.
What strategy does Pirelli recommend for Sepang?
Pirelli motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi identified two leading combinations after qualifying.
“On paper, the Medium-Hard-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard combinations appear to be among the most competitive,” Marrafuschi said in Pirelli’s Saturday assessment.
| Strategy | Opening stint | Second stint | Final stint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two stops | Medium — C3 | Hard — C2 | Hard — C2 |
| Two stops | Soft — C4 | Hard — C2 | Hard — C2 |
The hard offers greater resistance to heat and lower degradation than the softer compounds. Most drivers have two sets available, but Verstappen and Leclerc may need greater use of the medium and soft, potentially including three stops.
Pirelli considers a one-stop approach unlikely to offer a race-time advantage. Rain remains another variable.
Why the soft is more than a qualifying tyre
Friday’s analysis produced a finding that complicates the conventional assumption that a harder tyre will necessarily last better. The soft was sometimes more consistent than the medium, because its additional grip reduced sliding and the resulting heat generation.
Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra reported a performance difference of approximately half a second between those compounds, alongside degradation of roughly 0.2–0.3 seconds per lap during Friday’s running.
That makes the opening phase of a stint particularly important. A driver who pushes immediately may gain time initially while creating a thermal problem that becomes expensive over subsequent laps.
For the teams, the strategic trade-off is clear: an additional stop costs time in the pit lane, but shorter stints can reduce the time lost on deteriorating tyres. Whether that exchange works will depend on traffic and the pace available after each stop.
Why starting position still matters
Verstappen starts from pole, with Lewis Hamilton alongside him. The starting grid after the penalties for Hadjar, Colapinto and Lindblad also changes the traffic that teams must consider when planning their stops.
A theoretically faster strategy can become less effective if a driver rejoins behind cars that are difficult to pass. Equally, a clear stretch of track could give someone on fresher tyres the opportunity to recover the cost of an extra stop.
Sunday’s race will test the balance between tyre preservation and outright speed, rather than simply rewarding the fastest qualifying car.
Formula 1 returns this weekend, from 2–4 October, to Malaysia, which hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover all the action at Sepang.
F1 today: FAQ
Who won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia?
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang on Sunday, 4 October, taking his first victory of the 2026 F1 season. Kimi Antonelli finished second, with Lewis Hamilton completing the podium.
Why was the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia delayed?
Heavy rain initially delayed the start at Sepang. Several drivers then experienced power delivery problems during the formation procedure, forcing race control to suspend the start again. The race eventually began more than 90 minutes after its scheduled time.
How far ahead is Kimi Antonelli in the F1 championship?
Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by 84 points after finishing second at Sepang while his Mercedes teammate retired. Antonelli has 320 points, Russell has 236 and Lewis Hamilton is third with 214.
How many pit stops does Pirelli expect at Sepang?
Pirelli favours two-stop strategies, with three stops a possible alternative.
