{"id":3335,"date":"2026-10-03T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3335"},"modified":"2026-10-03T09:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T12:46:17","slug":"verstappen-and-leclerc-face-sepang-strategy-twist-with-only-one-hard-tyre-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/verstappen-and-leclerc-face-sepang-strategy-twist-with-only-one-hard-tyre-set\/","title":{"rendered":"Verstappen and Leclerc face Sepang strategy twist with only one hard tyre set"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Two stops are Pirelli\u2019s leading options<\/strong> for Sunday\u2019s race at Sepang.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Verstappen and Leclerc each have only one hard tyre set available<\/strong>, opening the possibility of alternative strategies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Friday\u2019s running showed that <strong>the soft can sometimes be more consistent than the medium<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc face a different strategic calculation from most of their rivals in Sunday\u2019s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. <strong>Both have only one set of hard tyres available<\/strong>, while Pirelli\u2019s preferred two-stop approaches involve using that compound twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tyre management has become a central question for <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1<\/a> at Sepang. Friday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What strategy does Pirelli recommend for Sepang?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirelli motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi identified two leading combinations after qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn paper, the Medium-Hard-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard combinations appear to be among the most competitive,\u201d Marrafuschi said in Pirelli\u2019s Saturday assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Strategy<\/th><th>Opening stint<\/th><th>Second stint<\/th><th>Final stint<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Two stops<\/td><td>Medium \u2014 C3<\/td><td>Hard \u2014 C2<\/td><td>Hard \u2014 C2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Two stops<\/td><td>Soft \u2014 C4<\/td><td>Hard \u2014 C2<\/td><td>Hard \u2014 C2<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The hard offers greater resistance to heat and lower degradation<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirelli considers a one-stop approach unlikely to offer a race-time advantage. Rain remains another variable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-ferrari-charles-leclerc-01-4-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"F1 2026, BAHREIN, MAL\u00c1SIA, TREINOS LIVRES, FERRARI, CHARLES LECLERC\" class=\"wp-image-1020316958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-ferrari-charles-leclerc-01-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-ferrari-charles-leclerc-01-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-ferrari-charles-leclerc-01-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-ferrari-charles-leclerc-01-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-ferrari-charles-leclerc-01-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-bahrein-malasia-treinos-livres-ferrari-charles-leclerc-01-4-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charles Leclerc (Photo: Ferrari)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the soft is more than a qualifying tyre<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friday\u2019s analysis produced a finding that complicates the conventional assumption that a harder tyre will necessarily last better. <strong>The soft was sometimes more consistent than the medium<\/strong>, because its additional grip reduced sliding and the resulting heat generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra reported a performance difference of approximately <strong>half a second<\/strong> between those compounds, alongside degradation of roughly <strong>0.2\u20130.3 seconds per lap<\/strong> during Friday\u2019s running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why starting position still matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verstappen starts from pole, with Lewis Hamilton alongside him. The <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/sepang-f1-starting-grid-how-hadjar-colapinto-and-lindblad-penalties-change-the-order\/\">starting grid after the penalties for Hadjar, Colapinto and Lindblad<\/a> also changes the traffic that teams must consider when planning their stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sunday\u2019s race will test the balance between tyre preservation and outright speed<\/strong>, rather than simply rewarding the fastest qualifying car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Formula 1 returns this weekend, from 2\u20134 October, to Malaysia, which hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action at Sepang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">F1 today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why was the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia delayed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How far ahead is Kimi Antonelli in the F1 championship?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How many pit stops does Pirelli expect at Sepang?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirelli favours two-stop strategies, with three stops a possible alternative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pirelli favours two-stop strategies for the Bahrain GP, but the pole-sitter and Ferrari driver have fewer hard tyres available than most rivals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020316934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Max Verstappen","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Red Bull Content Pool","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":7,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[630,622,64,303],"42wp_author":[7],"class_list":["post-3335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-bahrain-grand-prix-in-malaysia","tag-f1-tyre-strategy","tag-max-verstappen","tag-pirelli","42wp_author-victor-martins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3335"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3336,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335\/revisions\/3336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020316934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3335"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}