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POSSIBLE RACE STRATEGIES
The fastest way to approach the 58-lap Turkish Grand Prix is a two-stopper,
with one stint on the P Zero Yellow medium and two on the P Zero White hard.
This is because two stops minimise graining and wear, allowing drivers to
push harder during shorter stints.
Next-quickest is a one-stopper, going from the medium to the hard (and the
next-fastest strategy after that involves doing two stints on the medium and
one on the hard). So the nine drivers who got through Q2 on the medium tyre,
and will therefore start the race on this compound tomorrow, have a few
options available to them (depending on which tyres they have available).
However, a more aggressive two-stop ‘sprint’ strategy using the P Zero Red
soft tyre to start the race might also pay off under the right circumstances
– so the strategy is finely balanced. Those starting on the soft tyre will
need to stop relatively soon into the race due to the high wear rates on
this compound (also because of the pressure-washed track surface) but after
that they also have options.
The pit stop time loss penalty in Turkey is one of the lowest of the year at
20 seconds, which works in favour of a two-stopper: especially if it turns
into an eventful race. |
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FOCUS ON:
* The pole position lap was set by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, using the
soft C4 tyre to beat last year’s pole (set in wet weather) by 25 seconds and
break the Istanbul Park track record that he set yesterday. With Hamilton
dropping out of the top 10 tomorrow due to an engine change penalty, pole
position effectively belongs to his team mate Valtteri Bottas, who qualified
second.
* The weather was one of the main influences on the action today, with
drivers jockeying for position in Q1 to set a banker time, after heavy rain
was predicted shortly after the beginning of qualifying. This never
materialised although conditions remained humid and cool, with the session
getting underway in ambient temperatures of 20 degrees ambient and 23
degrees on track. The Mercedes duo were the only drivers to get through Q1
on just one set of soft tyres.
* The drivers all ran the soft tyre in Q1 and Q3, but the P Zero Yellow
medium was seen in Q2: which dictates the tyres the top 10 on the grid use
for the race start. All 15 drivers in Q2 set their best time on the medium
compound, with the exception of Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas driver
Mick Schumacher. Only Tsunoda managed to get in the top 10, so he will be
the sole driver who qualified in the front half of the grid to start on the
soft. Tsunoda was also the only driver to run the medium in the first part
of Q3.
* The FP3 session in the morning was held in wet conditions from start to
finish, with the drivers running the Cinturato full wets and intermediates.
MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING
“The rain had the effect of re-setting the track, but even in the wet
conditions of free practice, the drivers reported a lot more grip compared
to last year. The drivers then got to grips with the rapidly-evolving track
on slicks again during qualifying, with nearly all of them choosing the
medium for Q2. A two-stopper using the medium for one stint and the hard for
two stints is on paper the fastest strategy tomorrow, but a medium-hard
one-stopper or a ‘sprint’ strategy using the soft can’t be discounted
either, so there are some interesting possibilities. The weather will also
have a part to play, with the risk of rain still present. If this turns out
to be the case, the wet running in FP3 will have been extremely valuable.
The crossover points between both wets and intermediates as well as
intermediates and slicks are lower than other tracks, and this will have an
influence on strategies in changeable conditions.” |
