Monthly Archives: August 2016

30 Aug 2016

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Michael Lamonato

Michael Lamonato

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Episode 13 (2016) – Belgian Grand Prix

Episode 13 of the 2016 Strategy Podcast: by Formula Legend provides insight & analysis of strategic decisions made during the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.

Our host Michael Lamonato is joined by Craig Scarborough – F1 journalist.

Our guest Craig Scarborough
Our guest Craig Scarborough

For full written report about the strategy plays in this race, and detailed data (including all the stints and tyre choices) click here. All of the previous written reports are here.

All of our previous F1 Strategy Report Podcasts are here.

If you’re into F1 strategy make sure you check out Formula Legend – it’s free for iOS & Android. Contact us on twitter @beermogul.

Belgian Grand Prix 2016

30 Aug 2016

Image: SPA, BELGIUM – AUGUST 28: Mark Webber drinks champagne from the boot of Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing on the podium during the Formula One Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2016 in Spa, Belgium (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)

Race 13 – 44 Laps – 7.004km per lap – 308.052km race distance – medium tyre wear

Belgian GP F1 Strategy Report Podcast – our host Michael Lamonato is joined by Craig Scarborough – F1 journalist.

Following a much-needed break, Formula 1 returned from its summer holidays refreshed and ready for the challenge of Spa-Francorchamps. It proved to be a pretty exciting Belgian Grand Prix, particularly in the first 15 laps.

Nico Rosberg proved unchallenged at the front of the field to win the race, with Daniel Ricciardo a strong second for Red Bull and Rosberg’s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton recovering from 21st to third after engine change grid penalties.

The famous race track sparked a whole host of interesting talking points when it came to F1 strategy, here were the main headlines:

Varied first stint strategies

It’s rare we see all three Pirelli tyre compounds being used for the first stint, but drivers lined up on the grid on a wide range of choices. Fernando Alonso and Hamilton, starting from the back, went for the mediums.

Several top 10 drivers opted for the softs after making it through to Q3 on the mid-range compound – the tactics had already begun in qualifying! The soft compound was the most popular for the first stint at Spa, with only six starting on the super-softs. We looked set for a very interesting strategic race.

Early stops for many

Getting caught up in incidents on the first lap caused several drivers – including Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Felipe Nasr – to stop early on for repairs and a fresh set of tyres. A few also pitted to retire (Jenson Button and Pascal Wehrlein).

The safety car came out after Kevin Magnussen’s huge crash at the top of Eau Rouge (which he escaped from with just a small cut to his left ankle) and this prompted some drivers to pit, but then the red flag came out for barrier repairs.

Under the regulations, drivers were able to change tyres under the red flag and six of them – including the top three finishers – decided to do so. This gave them a free pitstop, a huge advantage at Spa.

A disadvantage for some

But the red flag proved to be a disadvantage for those who had pitted under the safety car, as they had already lost track position. One example was Nico Hulkenberg, who had been running second, but fell behind Ricciardo to third with his early stop.

It’s one of those dangers with reacting to incidents. Teams who pitted under the safety car assumed the red flag wouldn’t be shown, expecting to gain time from it, but others might have predicted a red flag and stayed out, knowing they could change tyres and get a free stop.

SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 28: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was created using a variable planed lens.) The safety car drives ahead of Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP Daniel Ricciardo of Australia drives the Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB12 TAG Heuer during the Formula One Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2016 in Spa, Belgium (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
SPA, BELGIUM – AUGUST 28: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was created using a variable planed lens.) The safety car drives ahead of Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP Daniel Ricciardo of Australia drives the Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB12 TAG Heuer during the Formula One Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2016 in Spa, Belgium (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Changing things up

The race went from a clear three-stop strategy with a range of options to a simple medium/soft or soft/medium run to the flag. Most drivers went for the softs for the stint after the red flag and conclude the Belgian GP on the mediums.

Daniil Kvyat and Jolyon Palmer went for the super-softs for a final aggressive stint but they failed to make the most of it and gain positions. The super-softs suffered more in the warmer conditions but the softs worked well and even the mediums were competitive, while lasting a long time too.

It was unusual to see all three compounds getting used so much, usually the hardest of the three is largely ignored throughout the weekend but with smaller differences in the compounds and slightly cooler conditions compared to qualifying meant we didn’t see as much degradation and wear as many expected.

Three-stops don’t pay off

Hamilton’s race to third was largely helped by the early mayhem. At the safety car period he was running in fifth place. Mercedes put him on a more aggressive three-stop strategy, like Red Bull did with Max Verstappen, but while Hamilton had the pace to make progress and gain two more spots to take the podium, it didn’t work quite so well with Verstappen and he finished down in 12th.

Tricky tyre pressures

During the very warm free practice sessions on Friday, some drivers complained at the tyre pressures being too high. Romain Grosjean claimed his tyres were giving up mid-corner and there was a lack of grip. There was also high degradation and wear due to the high temperatures.

Pirelli opted to keep the tyre pressures and it didn’t seem to be too much of an issue during the race, which took place in slightly cooler and cloudier conditions. But given the number of drivers complaining after Friday practice (Felipe Massa even called it a “joke”), it makes you wonder whether the pressures should’ve been tweaked for Saturday and Sunday.

Jack Leslie @JackLeslieF1

Longest Stints

Medium: Massa (22 laps)
Soft: Verstappen (17 laps)
Supersoft: Palmer (10 laps)

Most Stops

4 – Verstappen, Palmer

All the Data

Thanks to Pirelli Motorsport for the detailed infographics

9318_11-Belgian-Race1-4k-EN 9320_13-Belgian-Race2-4k-EN

 

Stints by Driver

SCSafety Car
Lap 2-3, Lap 6-10

 

RedAss-Black-top3. Ricciardo
Start P5
Used Soft 9 laps Pit 16:38.401
Soft 16 laps Pit 22.531
Medium 19 laps
Finished P2 (+3)

 

Stallion-Black-top5. Vettel
Start P4
Used Soft 1 laps Pit 22.403
Soft 8 laps Pit 16:38.511
Used Soft 14 laps Pit 22.762
Medium 21 laps
Finished P6 (-2)

 

Mercury-Black-top6. Rosberg
Start P1
Used Soft 9 laps Pit 16:36.150
Medium 17 laps Pit 22.596
Medium 18 laps
Finished P1 (+0)

 

Stallion-Black-top7. Raikkonen
Start P3
Used Soft 1 laps Pit 1:27.084
Used Supersoft 4 laps Pit 23.061
Soft 4 laps Pit 15:43.158
Used Soft 15 laps Pit 23.056
Medium 20 laps
Finished P9 (-6)

 

Hars-Black-top8. Grosjean
Start P11
Soft 6 laps Pit 23.705
Soft 3 laps Pit 16:39.366
Used Soft 14 laps Pit 23.107
Medium 21 laps
Finished P13 (-2)

 

Saucer-Black-top9. Ericsson
Start P20
Soft 3 laps
Retired L3 (DNF)

 

RageR-Black-top11. Perez
Start P6
Used Supersoft 6 laps Pit 23.783
Soft 3 laps Pit 16:40.284
Medium 15 laps Pit 22.652
Medium 20 laps
Finished P5 (+1)

 

Saucer-Black-top12. Nasr
Start P16
Soft 1 laps Pit 26.39
Medium 8 laps Pit 16:41.198
Soft 14 laps Pit 30.238
Used Medium 20 laps
Finished P17 (-1)

 

McLaren-Black-top14. Alonso
Start P22
Medium 9 laps Pit 16:38.234
Soft 14 laps Pit 22.451
Medium 21 laps
Finished P7 (+15)

 

Franks-Black-top19. Massa
Start P10
User Supersoft 2 laps Pit 22.484
Soft 7 laps Pit 16:40.664
Soft 13 laps Pit 22.515
Medium 22 laps
Finished P10 (+0)

 

Renboat-Black-top20. Magnussen
Start P12
Soft 5 laps
Retired L5 (DNF)
Hars-Black-top21. Guttierrez
Start P18
Soft 7 laps Pit 23.486
Soft 2 laps Pit 16:38.622
Used Soft 13 laps Pit 23.561
Medium 22 laps
Finished P12 (+6)

 

McLaren-Black-top22. Button
Start P9
Used Supersoft 1 laps
Retired L1 (DNF)

 

Burro-Black-top26. Kvyat
Start P19
Soft 9 laps Pit 16:40.466
Soft 12 laps Pit 23.359
Medium 14 laps Pit 23.363
Used Supersoft 9 laps
Finished P14 (+5)

 

RageR-Black-top27. Hulkenberg
Start P7
Used Supersoft 6 laps Pit 23.564
Soft 3 laps Pit 16:38.468
Used Soft 14 laps Pit 24.015
Medium 21 laps
Finished P4 (+3)

 

Renboat-Black-top30. Palmer
Start P13
Soft 6 laps Pit 22.698
Soft 3 laps Pit 16:40.234
Used Soft 13 laps Pit 23.333
Medium 12 laps Pit 22.578
Supersoft 10 laps
Finished P15 (-2)

 

RedAss-Black-top33. Verstappen
Start P2
Used Supersoft 1 laps Pit 31.235
Medium 8 laps Pit 16:38.546
Used Medium 7 laps Pit 23.231
Soft 12 laps Pit 22.727
Soft 16 laps
Finished P11 (-9)

 

Mercury-Black-top44. Hamilton
Start P21
Medium 9 laps Pit 16:40.478
Soft 12 laps Pit 24.343
Soft 11 laps Pit 22.432
Used Medium 12 laps
Finished P3 (+18)

 

Burro-Black-top55. Sainz
Start P14
1 laps
Retired L1 (DNF)

 

Franks-Black-top77. Bottas
Start P8
Used Supersoft 7 laps Pit 22.19
Soft 2 laps Pit 16:38.328
Soft 14 laps Pit 22.318
Used Medium 21 laps
Finished P8 (+0)

 

Manner-Black-top31. Ocon
Start P17
Soft 6 laps Pit 28.718
Medium 3 laps Pit 16:40.980
Used Medium 15 laps Pit 24.208
Used Medium 19 laps
Finished P16 (+1)

 

Manner-Black-top94. Wehrlein
Start P15
1 laps
Retired L1 (DNF)

13-belgium-lap-chart

2 Aug 2016

With

Michael Lamonato

Michael Lamonato

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Episode 12 (2016) – German Grand Prix

Episode 12 of the 2016 Strategy Podcast: by Formula Legend provides insight & analysis of strategic decisions made during the 2016 German Grand Prix.

Our host Michael Lamonato is joined by Abhishek Takle – F1 journalist.

HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY - JULY 31: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB12 TAG Heuer at the start during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 31, 2016 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY – JULY 31: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB12 TAG Heuer at the start during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 31, 2016 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)

For full written report about the strategy plays in this race, and detailed data (including all the stints and tyre choices) click here. All of the previous written reports are here.

All of our previous F1 Strategy Report Podcasts are here.

If you’re into F1 strategy make sure you check out Formula Legend – it’s free for iOS & Android. Contact us on twitter @beermogul.

German Grand Prix 2016

2 Aug 2016

Race 12 – 67 Laps – 4.574km per lap – 306.458km race distance – medium tyre wear

German GP F1 Strategy Report Podcast – our host Michael Lamonato is joined by Abhishek Takle – F1 journalist.

The Hockenheimring returned to the Formula 1 calendar as host to round 12 of the 2016 season, with the German Grand Prix being the final race before the summer break. Lewis Hamilton dominated after a strong start to take his sixth win of the year.

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen put in strong performances to score Red Bull’s first double podium of the season, finishing in second and third. Nico Rosberg lost further ground in the championship race with a fourth place on home soil.

The race threw up plenty of interesting strategy headlines, with a variety of different options being used up and down the grid. Here are the main strategy stories to emerge from the German GP.

HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY - JULY 31: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB12 TAG Heuer leads Nico Rosberg of Germany driving the (6) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 31, 2016 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY – JULY 31: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB12 TAG Heuer leads Nico Rosberg of Germany driving the (6) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 31, 2016 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)

Two laps for Dany Ric

Tyre degradation was higher in Germany than at previous races, meaning any extra laps completed on a tyre in qualifying could have had an impact on the first stints of the race. Ricciardo had to go for two laps on his fastest Q2 run, with those super-soft tyres then being used at the start of the race.

This meant they weren’t quite as fresh as the tyres his rivals were running but it proved to not have much of an impact, as he was able to stop one lap later than Verstappen and Rosberg. It didn’t particularly help his fight to beat Verstappen but he ended up moving ahead of him later on.

Gutierrez starts on softs

Esteban Gutierrez qualified in the coveted 11th grid position, meaning he was the first to have free reign of strategy when it came to choosing a tyre compound to start on. Haas opted to do something different and put him on the softs – the Mexican was the only driver to start on this tyre.

But a disastrous start caused him to fall to as low as 18th place, which had a big impact on the rest of his race. The strategy brought him back into play for a more positive result but he ended up finishing just six seconds off his first point of the season, coming home 11th.

Three stop rules the day

When F1 last visited Hockenheim, a two-stop strategy was the way to go. The tyres were more durable back then and the cars have evolved a lot since, but Pirelli predicted it would be very close between a two and a three stop race this year.

The three-stop was a safer bet, due to the tyre wear rates, but a two-stop could still work well if drivers were in clean air and could manage the tyres. Three trips to the pitlane proved to be the most popular choice in 2016, due to the tyre degradation and warm temperatures at the Hockenheimring.

But with a three stop comes a more diverse mix of compound strategies, we saw the leading four cars on different tyres during the final two stints. The soft and super-soft were the only compounds used throughout the race, as expected after limited running on the hardest compound (the mediums – seriously, what’s the point in them anyway?).

Vettel makes his own calls

Sebastian Vettel proved to be very vocal on the radio during the race when it came to race strategy. Before his final stop the German was told to pit but he replied “negative”, saying the super-soft tyres he was on could last a few more laps and were in good shape. He ended up pitting on lap 46 but he couldn’t take advantage of the fresher tyres compared to his rivals and ended up finishing well clear of the top four in fifth place.

Perez does the undercut

Sometimes the undercut doesn’t work all that well but it proved to be pretty handy in Germany, Perez leapfrogged several cars with early stops. He had a poor first lap, describing it as the “worst start” of his career, but a strategy change from Force India helped him move up the order. All of his three stops were earlier than his rivals and he used his strong tyre management skills to move up to 10th place in the closing stages.

Ambitious Bottas

Williams tried a two-stop strategy for Valtteri Bottas but the brave move didn’t work, the Finnish driver pitted to change from super-softs to softs on lap 12 and then went for another fresh set of softs on the 33rd tour of the race.

The long final stint didn’t quite work and Bottas ended up losing ground and a position to Jenson Button in the final laps, just holding off the hard-charging Perez. It was a similar story for Fernando Alonso, he was on a three-stop race but McLaren struggled more with degradation and the Spaniard ended up falling out of the top 10 with a few laps to go.

Rosberg doesn’t have the pace

Rosberg picked up a five-second penalty for forcing Verstappen off the road at Turn 6 and it was served at his final stop, but a stopwatch problem – according to Toto Wolff – meant the wait before the pit crew got to work was eight seconds instead. This cost Rosberg time but he lacked pace throughout the entire race.

The German dropped from first to fourth on lap one and struggled to fight back early on. He at one stage found himself up in second place after a super-soft second stint and a third stint on the softs, but the penalty cost him dearly and he ended up closing in on Verstappen late on, coming within two seconds of third place.

Hamilton out front

But while he looked less comfortable compared to Rosberg in practice, it all came together for Hamilton on race day. He took the lead at the start, opened up an advantage and put in a straightforward three-stop race, pitting on laps 14, 34 and 47 – going for a super-soft/soft/super-soft/soft strategy. It worked well and he crossed the line well clear of Ricciardo.

Jack Leslie @JackLeslieF1

Longest Stints

Medium: Not used
Soft: Magnussen (34 laps)
Supersoft: Grojean (23 laps)

Most Stops

3

All the Data

Thanks to Pirelli Motorsport for the detailed infographics

8819_German-Race1-EN

8821_German-Race2-EN

Stints by Driver

SCSafety Car
n/a

 

RedAss-Black-top3. Ricciardo
Start P3
Used Supersoft 12 laps Pit 18.964
Soft 21 laps Pit 18.738
Used Supersoft 13 laps Pit 18.979
Supersoft 21 laps
Finished P2 (+1)

 

Stallion-Black-top5. Vettel
Start P6
Used Supersoft 13 laps Pit 19.23
Soft 18 laps Pit 19.472
Used Supersoft 15 laps Pit 19
Soft 21 laps
Finished P5 (+1)

 

Mercury-Black-top6. Rosberg
Start P1
Used Supersoft 11 laps Pit 19.693
Supersoft 16 laps Pit 18.936
Soft 17 laps Pit 28.364
Used Soft 23 laps
Finished P4 (-3)

 

Stallion-Black-top7. Raikkonen
Start P5
Used Supersoft 14 laps Pit 22.393
Soft 18 laps Pit 19.142
Used Supersoft 15 laps Pit 19.525
Soft 20 laps
Finished P6 (-1)

 

Hars-Black-top8. Grosjean
Start P20
Supersoft 17 laps Pit 20.301
Soft 26 laps Pit 19.863
Used Supersoft 23 laps
Finished P13 (+7)

 

Saucer-Black-top9. Ericsson
Start P22
Supersoft 16 laps Pit 20.148
Supersoft 17 laps Pit 19.318
Soft 32 laps
Finished P18 (+4)

 

RageR-Black-top11. Perez
Start P9
Used Supersoft 8 laps Pit 19.233
Soft 19 laps Pit 19.223
Used Supersoft 16 laps Pit 19.379
Soft 23 laps
Finished P10 (-1)

 

Saucer-Black-top12. Nasr
Start P21
Supersoft 7 laps Pit 29.865
Supersoft 12 laps Pit 19.944
Soft 23 laps Pit 19.755
Soft 15 laps
Retired L57 (DNF)

 

McLaren-Black-top14. Alonso
Start P13
Supersoft 14 laps Pit 19.258
Soft 14 laps Pit 19.44
Supersoft 19 laps Pit 19.127
Used Supersoft 19 laps
Finished P12 (+1)

 

Franks-Black-top19. Massa
Start P10
Used Supersoft 9 laps Pit 18.59
Soft 17 laps Pit 36.395
Soft 10 laps
Retired L36 (DNF)

 

Renboat-Black-top20. Magnussen
Start P16
Supersoft 11 laps Pit 19.034
Supersoft 21 laps Pit 19.159
Soft 34 laps
Finished P16 (+0)
Hars-Black-top21. Guttierrez
Start P11
Soft 25 laps Pit 20.099
Supersoft 22 laps Pit 19.326
Used Supersoft 19 laps
Finished P11 (+0)

 

McLaren-Black-top22. Button
Start P12
Used Supersoft 13 laps Pit 19.427
Soft 18 laps Pit 19.124
Used Supersoft 15 laps Pit 19.268
Supersoft 20 laps
Finished P8 (+4)

 

Burro-Black-top26. Kvyat
Start P18
Supersoft 7 laps Pit 23.243
Soft 21 laps Pit 20.227
Supersoft 21 laps Pit 19.264
Supersoft 17 laps
Finished P15 (+3)

 

RageR-Black-top27. Hulkenberg
Start P8
Used Supersoft 12 laps Pit 19.608
Soft 20 laps Pit 19.144
Used Supersoft 12 laps Pit 19.907
Soft 23 laps
Finished P7 (+1)

 

Renboat-Black-top30. Palmer
Start P14
Supersoft 2 laps Pit 19.298
Soft 23 laps Pit 26.688
Used Supersoft 20 laps Pit 19.725
Used Supersoft 20 laps
Finished P19 (-5)

 

RedAss-Black-top33. Verstappen
Start P4
Used Supersoft 11 laps Pit 19.017
Supersoft 17 laps Pit 19.137
Soft 17 laps Pit 18.967
Used Supersoft 22 laps
Finished P3 (+1)

 

Mercury-Black-top44. Hamilton
Start P2
Used Supersoft 14 laps Pit 18.65
Soft 20 laps Pit 18.504
Supersoft 13 laps Pit 18.475
Used Soft 20 laps
Finished P1 (+1)

 

Burro-Black-top55. Sainz
Start P15
Used Supersoft 9 laps Pit 22.751
Supersoft 20 laps Pit 19.747
Soft 22 laps Pit 19.547
Used Supersoft 15 laps
Finished P14 (+1)

 

Franks-Black-top77. Bottas
Start P7
Used Supersoft 12 laps Pit 18.796
Soft 21 laps Pit 19.183
Soft 33 laps
Finished P9 (-2)

 

Manner-Black-top88. Haryanto
Start P19
Supersoft 13 laps Pit 31.317
Soft 19 laps Pit 20.919
Used Supersoft 17 laps Pit 21.186
Used Supersoft 16 laps
Finished P20 (-1)

 

Manner-Black-top94. Wehrlein
Start P17
Supersoft 12 laps Pit 19.813
User Supersoft 14 laps Pit 19.626
Soft 20 laps Pit 19.658
Used Soft 19 laps
Finished P17 (+0)

12-germany-lap-chart