Tire strategy for Austrian GP: Pirelli recommends two pit stops in hot weather

According to Pirelli’s motorsport chief, Mario Isola, tire strategy for the Austrian Grand Prix will heavily depend on teams’ ability to manage hard and medium compounds — while soft C5 tires likely only coming into play if there’s a late-race safety car.

Scorching heat in Styria presents a major challenge — teams need to focus on protecting the rear of their cars from overheating. “Several teams reported struggling with car balance, mainly because they were trying to protect the rear tires to maintain good traction,” Isola explained.

“The quickest strategy remains a two-stop using medium-hard-medium or medium-medium-hard combinations. However for teams like Aston Martin, Racing Bull and Alpine who only have one set of hard and medium tires, a one-stop strategy might be an option,” stated Isola.

Additional challenge emerges as race temperatures are predicted much higher than practice sessions. Soft tires provide half-second advantage over mediums, but only last 10-15 laps before degradation — making medium and hard combinations the primary choice for this 60-lap race.