Verstappen leads eventful Las Vegas GP despite penalty

Pirelli MotorsportCopyright: Pirelli Motorsport

The unique qualities of the Las Vegas track make for an unpredictable race. Tyre choice will be tricky. The soft tyre is very fast for five laps but then quickly loses grip, but the initial gain of pace might tempt some to start on it.

The main part of the race will be on the medium and hard tyre, and it is expected to be defined by graining – where the surface tears, rubber is deposited on the tread and the tyre loses grip. The soft grains rapidly but the medium and hard tyres are difficult to warm up and prone to graining as a result.

In terms of tyre choice at the front, Max Verstappen has an advantage, with two sets of new mediums and two new hards, whereas Charles Leclerc on pole has only one set of mediums and two hards. Engineers would expect Leclerc to start on mediums and try for a one-stop with the hard tyres. But whether that’s possible will depend on the life of the hard, and that depends on graining.

If it’s bad, drivers might be forced on to a two-stop. Others might choose the soft at the start, then go for the hard and see what happens. If there is a late safety car, a new medium rather than a new hard will make a big performance difference. A pit stop takes about 21 seconds; or about 13-14 under a safety car.