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KEY MOMENTS
* Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix from pole,
stopping just once to switch from Yellow medium to White hard tyres on lap
11 under a lengthy safety car period. All three podium finishers used an
identical strategy.
* The safety car heavily influenced the strategy, with all the drivers apart
from two stopping to change tyres. Of the drivers who stopped, only Red
Bull’s Alex Albon didn’t switch to hard for the second stint (instead
choosing medium).
* The drivers who didn’t stop were AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Racing
Point’s Sergio Perez. Gasly was the only driver to start the race on the
hard tyre, and he swapped to the medium on lap 26, eventually finishing
eighth from 12th on the grid. Perez switched from Red soft to hard after 18
laps, also finishing in the points.
* The top four in the race all finished in grid order, with the top nine all
having stopped just once under the safety car.
* Only three drivers stopped twice: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Williams
driver Nicholas Latifi, and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.
* Despite earlier predictions of rain, the race remained dry from start to
finish.
HOW EACH TYRE PERFORMED
HARD C2: Used by all the drivers for the final stint apart from Albon,
Gasly, Leclerc, Latifi and Magnussen. Completed 33 laps with most drivers
after the safety car and set fastest lap with Renault driver Daniel
Ricciardo on the final lap.
MEDIUM C3: A popular choice to start the race with, selected in particular
by the top three on the grid (and final podium) who used these to get
through Q2. Albon did a 33-lap stint on this compound.
SOFT C4: Completed a long opening stint with Sergio Perez, who didn’t stop
under the safety car. Although this was a soft compound that wasn’t brought
here last year, it demonstrated plenty of consistency throughout its
running.
MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING
“The safety car dictated the strategy for most drivers today, pushing them
towards a longer final stint than was expected on the hard tyre. This meant
that they had to manage the compound carefully towards the end of the race
in particular, on a notoriously demanding track. However, they all
accomplished this perfectly and some drivers also chose a different
strategic approach. Pierre Gasly showed plenty of pace with his unique
hard-medium strategy and we also saw Sergio Perez choose not to stop under
the safety car and try something different. All three nominated compounds
played an important role today, and were well suited to the conditions here
at Spa – one of the biggest tests for tyres of the year.” |
