Pirelli expects two or three pit stops tomorrow

"The soft slicks demonstrated their best qualities in qualifying," explained Dario Marrafuschi, Head of Pirelli Motorsport. "However, pole position was claimed with a much slower time than we anticipated, meaning the track evolution was insufficient."

"The soft compound lasts for one flying lap at qualifying pace, while also offering a decent level of consistent performance over longer distances, provided the tyres are brought up to temperature correctly. That will be crucial, as several teams have saved sets of soft slicks."

"From a strategy standpoint, the race promises to be intriguing. Most drivers have two sets of hard tyres, providing a solid foundation for longer stints. In theory, soft-hard-hard and medium-hard-hard combinations look very promising."

"However, Verstappen and Leclerc have saved only one set of new hards, meaning they will rely on different combinations and lean more heavily on the soft and medium compounds. This could even open the door to a three-stop strategy with more aggressive, shorter stints."