P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The Mercedes driver is on the back foot compared to his two front-row rivals in the Spanish Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton will start the Spanish Grand Prix at a potential disadvantage to Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, as per Pirelli’s strategy forecast. Norris secures pole position with Verstappen alongside, while Hamilton starts third with Russell in fourth, allowing hope for strategic plays against McLaren and Red Bull. Nevertheless, Hamilton and Russell lack fresh soft tyres, a key factor according to Pirelli, who predicts a two-stop race on the 2.894-mile circuit. The field mostly has new medium and hard tyres except for Aston Martin’s Alonso and Stroll, who warm up the hard tyres prior to racing, still maintaining freshness. Pirelli suggests starting on the soft C3 tyres, switching to the C2 until laps 41-47, and finishing with red-walled softs or potentially transitioning to the C1 hards. Options include a final pit around laps 42-48 for softs, with multiple strategies like a three-stop plan disregarding tire wear, emphasizing various stints on soft and medium compounds.
