STRATEGY GUIDE: One-stop will be the obligatory choice today

Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola insisted that the long pit lane will motivate drivers to complete today’s 62-lap race at the Marina Bay Circuit with a single-stop strategy. F1Technical’s lead journalist delivers his strategy guide.

For the 15th running of the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula One’s tyre supplier Pirelli has chosen the same compounds as last year: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft. In fact, this tyre selection is the same as at the past two races at Monza and Baku, although those circuits feature very different characteristics.

The third free practice session was mainly given over to preparing for qualifying. Three drivers, Colapinto (Williams) and the Sauber duo of Bottas and Zhou, only ran the Soft tyre, thus saving two sets of Mediums for tomorrow’s race. The other 17 drivers used one set of Medium and one of Soft, with the Aston Martin duo carrying out their usual scrubbing in of Medium and Hard sets which they will keep as per the regulations for the race.

Having dominated the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, Lando Norris grabbed pole position for the 15th edition of the Singapore Grand Prix. It’s the McLaren driver’s sixth pole, the fifth this season. His time of 1’29”525 is over 1”4 faster than the 2023 pole time of 1’30”984 set by Carlos Sainz. It’s the British team’s 161st pole, the last six all coming courtesy of Norris.

Max Verstappen, lapped in 1’29”728 and will line up alongside Norris, having yet again missed out on pole at the Marina Bay circuit. The second row is an all-Mercedes affair, with Lewis Hamilton (1’29”841) ahead of team-mate George Russell by just 26 thousandths of a second.

Commenting on the qualifying session, Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola noted that while track evolution was enormous across the practice session, the track offered a similar grip level to the final practice in qualifying.

“It was a very interesting day, starting with the third free practice session. Despite heavy rain falling for a long time last night, the track did not lose grip and during the 60 minutes, it continued to improve.

“The situation was different during the qualifying hour, when track evolution was very low, which explains why the quickest time from FP3, set by Norris in 1’29”646, was beaten by him by only 125 thousandths of a second.

“One has to keep in mind that the air is very humid here in Singapore and there was no track activity between the two Formula 1 sessions, which could also have had an impact on track surface condition.”

Obviously, the C5 was the only tyre used in qualifying. In Q1, some drivers managed to improve even on a second timed lap having first done a cooldown lap for the tyres, but actually, right from the latter part of the first phase, maximum performance was available right from the first attempt. For the seventh time this season, seven teams got at least one driver into Q3.

Due to the narrow streets, the Safety Car is a common sight here, especially as it takes quite a while to remove a stricken car from the track.

There are a couple of factors that make the one-stop the only valid strategy: firstly, the time lost for a tyre change pit stop is around 28 seconds, partly because the pit lane speed limit is reduced to 60 km/h and secondly, overtaking on this track is definitely complicated. A two-stop need only be considered in the event of the race being neutralised.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Pirelli thinks that a one-stop strategy will be the best way to complete today’s race distance.

The Milan-based manufacturer thinks that starting on the medium is the best choice as it gives an optimum grip level for the start when drivers rush on the short run to the first corner. After a relatively long opening stint, drivers should come in for their sole tyre service between Laps 21 and 27, depending on their track position and traffic conditions.

Those who want to do something different can also pursue a more aggressive way, starting on Pirelli’s soft tyres. It would provide a better grip at the start, but it would give less flexibility as those who start on the C5 will be forced to come in earlier for their first stop.

There is also an inverse strategy for those who start from lower on the grid. This would see drivers line up on the grid on the white-walled hards, spending a long period of time on this set, waiting for a possible safety car intervention which would significantly reduce the pit stop time.

Pushed on to comment on the possible strategy options, Isola added: “Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race, when a pit stop to change tyres costs around 28”, a one-stop is the obligatory choice. On paper, from an initial analysis, a Medium-Hard scenario is the quickest route, with a pit stop window between laps 21 and 27.

“The Soft has proved to be a viable option for the first stint, with an earlier stop between lap 14 and 19 to take on the Hard. Those starting between the midfield and the front of the grid could also consider starting on the Hard to go for the longest first stint possible, with an ideal pit stop window between laps 37 and 43.

“Having said all that, on this type of track, we have often seen, not least last year here, drivers and teams playing tactically with their race pace, especially on the first stint. Neutralisations and the weather are two other unknown factors that definitely have to be taken into consideration, but there is little one can do about those, apart from being ready to make the most of any opportunity that presents itself.”