Pirelli have admitted that a four-stop strategy is too many stops for a Formula One race and most of Sunday's runners did just that. Even a few three-stop strategies were changed on the fly to a 4-stop tactic to stay within tow of Ferrari's blistering pace.

Let's face it, Kimi Raikkonen shows no sign of heading for the nadir of his popularity and grip on F1 fans the world over. They guy can simply do no wrong no matter how terse, curt, snippy or vulgar he gets.

Advanced degradation is nothing new for Pirelli as the sport of Formula One mandated that they, as a sole supplier, provide a tire that rapidly degrades to add excitement to the racing. It is antithetical to the very nature of a tire company and Pirelli should be applauded for their efforts.

Mercedes AMG Petronas has gained a lot of attention of late with their unique rear wing design (challenged by other teams and exonerated by the FIA) and the increased performance the team seems to have made in the off season.