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Pirelli has outlined the strategy options for the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix, with a one-stop being the fastest way to complete the race.
The Italian marque states that those starting on the soft compound should see their pit window open between laps 24-30, in which they would fit medium tyres to the end.
Pirelli pushes for debate over two mandatory pit stops: a lifeline for dull races
All Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari drivers used the medium compound to set their laps in Q2, meaning that their opening stint is likely to stretch deep into the race, most likely to around the halfway mark.
They can then take a set of hards to the end - although the medium to hard is projected to be slower than the soft to medium, the pace advantage of the top three should be enough to keep it out of reach.
Pirelli has also stated that a one-stop strategy, switching from the softs to the hards, is possible - however it is likely to be slower than the previously discussed one-stop options.
A two-stop strategy is available to the teams, however Pirelli state that it is definitely the slowest options.
Drivers can elect to pit early, within the first 20 laps, for a set of softs to go for roughly 25 laps before doing the same stint length again on a set of mediums.
One factor that could throw a spanner in the works is the tempertaure as the track surface is set to be much hotter during the race than it has been all weekend.
Teams will, therefore, likely to be cautious as they read the conditions and ensure their tyres don't overheat, which could ruin their races.
Charles Leclerc pointed out at Ferrari that it seems to be sliding much more than Mercedes or Red Bull, which could present it with problems during the 70 lap race.
| Fastest strategy | Soft | Medium (Lap 24-30) | |
| 2nd fastest strategy | Medium | Hard (Lap 30-35) | |
| 3rd fastest strategy | Soft | Hard (Lap 22-28) | |
| 4th fastest strategy | Soft | Medium (Lap 16-20) | Medium (Lap 41-47) |
Starting tyres for each driver
| Max Verstappen | Medium |
| Valtteri Bottas | Medium |
| Lewis Hamilton | Medium |
| Charles Leclerc | Medium |
| Sebastian Vettel | Medium |
| Pierre Gasly | Medium |
| Lando Norris | Soft |
| Carlos Sainz | Soft |
| Romain Grosjean | Soft |
| Kimi Raikkonen | Soft |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Free Choice |
| Alexander Albon | Free Choice |
| Daniil Kvyat | Free Choice |
| Kevin Magnussen | Free Choice |
| George Russell | Free Choice |
| Sergio Perez | Free Choice |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | Free Choice |
| Daniel Ricciardo | Free Choice |
| Lance Stroll | Free Choice |
| Robert Kubica | Free Choice |
Race sets available for each driver
| C2 New | C2 Used | C3 New | C3 Used | C4 New | C4 Used | |
| Hamilton | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 3 |
| Bottas | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 3 |
| Vettel | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Leclerc | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Verstappen | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 3 |
| Gasly | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Ricciardo | 1 | - | 1 | - | 3 | 2 |
| Hulkenberg | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 4 |
| Magnussen | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 4 |
| Grosjean | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Sainz | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Norris | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Perez | 1 | - | 1 | - | 3 | 2 |
| Stroll | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 | 3 |
| Raikkonen | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Giovinazzi | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 4 |
| Kvyat | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 4 |
| Albon | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 4 |
| Russell | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| Kubica | 1 | - | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
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C. Sainz jr
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Replies (1)
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Interesting piece. Personally, I feel Ferrari shot themselves in the foot by not running on softs in quali. They were very clearly at a disadvantage, so any place above their current would've helped them.