Pirelli plans surprises for Bahrain GP

If the Kingdom of Bahrain always lives under tension, F1 will compete in the fourth Grand Prix of the season this weekend a week after the victory of Fernando Alonso in Shanghai. Pirelli will once again bring its hardest tires (white-walled mediums and orange-walled hards) after already opting for this choice at the Malaysian Grand Prix. On a track often covered with sand and traveled in very hot weather, degradation can be very high. The Italian manufacturer initially selected soft tires but ultimately did not want to take any risks with its new compounds. According to Pirelli's first estimates, a set of hard tires would last between 15 and 17 laps while the mediums should last between 13 and 15 laps.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli's sporting director, points out that the manufacturer has less information compared to most other races on the calendar since the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was canceled. ?Bahrain was one of the very few completely new circuits for us in competition last year, although we knew it well from testing. We expect three stops per car, although we will have to wait until we see some running on Friday to analyze the data and make more precise predictions. One of the main challenges in Bahrain is linked to the evolution of the track, which is difficult to predict and depends on the quantity of sand pushed onto the circuit. Based on our observations from last year, there will be plenty of room for different race strategies, which could allow drivers who didn't qualify very well to move up during the Grand Prix.