Izola: It’s been a long time since Formula 1 organised such a show

After Friday’s practice, the teams expected more serious tire wear over the distance, but in the end four riders rode at the same time with one pit stop…

Mario IsolaPirelli: “I have to say that we saw a very exciting race. It has been a long time since Formula 1 organised such a show. It is unusual to see a race where the outcome is so uncertain. The top three finished within a second, and the top six finishers, who could all have claimed victory or a podium, finished within 10 seconds. It is a pity that the race result had to be changed, but as even Mercedes admitted, the rules regarding the weight of the car are very strict.

The second topic is strategy. We argued before the race that the one-stop option was not fast enough compared to two tyre changes, but apart from Russell’s disqualification, his performance disproves that theory.

Several factors can be identified that explain the behaviour of the tyres. First of all, the track temperature today was about 10 degrees higher than in the second practice, which probably reduced the granulation of the Hard tyres, which was very significant on the Medium. In addition, the teams worked hard on the car settings to find a compromise between wet qualifying and dry racing and to protect the front tyres that are most sensitive to granulation. The third element to take into account is that many drivers were very cautious about the condition of the Medium tyres, especially in high-speed corners.

Two thirds of the race was like a positional chess game, especially among the leaders, and in the last fifteen laps, when everyone started pushing and fighting for position, the race came to life.

We leave the summer holidays with a great desire to see something similar in a few weeks at Zandvoort and for the rest of the season.”