SILVERSTONE -- Pirelli's decision to go one step softer with its compound choices for the British Grand Prix has led to something we've rarely seen this year: degradation. For the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix, the optimum strategy appears to be a two-stopper -- although a one-stopper is still possible.
Pirelli noted relatively high degradation and blistering on the front tyres during Friday practice, which could force those starting on super-softs to adopt a two-stop strategy. The key indicator will be how much performance they are losing per lap (more than 0.15s per lap and it becomes increasingly likely to be a two-stopper) and whether they are close enough to the driver in front to benefit from the performance boost of an undercut on fresh tyres.