Strategy guide what are the possible race strategies for the miami grand prix

A new spin provides a fresh rencontre for all of the teams and plenty of unknowns when it comes to strategy, so let’s take a squint at the variegated options misogynist when it comes to stints and pit stops at the Miami International Autodrome…

What’s the quickest strategy?

Quite simply, nobody knows… Well, they all know a preferred strategy for their specific car, but there’s not one well-spoken option that is on the table for the whole grid. That’s largely lanugo to the track incubation that has been seen throughout the weekend so far, leading to uncertainty over the nonflexible tyre.

For some teams, the nonflexible tyre looks like a strong option for the race, but for others it could prove to be too slow. Part of that comes lanugo to when teams ran the nonflexible in practice, as the track has been improving with increasingly running through the weekend, impacting on its performance.

Given the undermining nature of the track surface, a two-stop strategy looks like the frontrunner at this stage, starting on the medium tyre to get good performance in the first stint. With a first pit window between laps 13 and 18, the second stint would be on the nonflexible compound, and if a suburbanite has unbearable sets then a final stop for increasingly hards is possible between laps 30 and 40.

That’s not an option for Red Bull, McLaren, AlphaTauri or Haas, however, so those teams could squint to proffer the middle stint vastitude lap 35 surpassing returning to the mediums, or plane get closer to lap 45 to try the soft tyre as the fuel burns off.

Ferrari and Mercedes could do two stints on the nonflexible or one on each compound, but McLaren and AlphaTauri are tied into using all three, or a one-stopper, but with a pit lane loss time of under 22 seconds the two-stop tentatively remains the lead option.

How well-nigh a variegated option for the top ten?

Starting on the medium tyre remains the most likely outcome, but there is the potential for a competitive one-stop strategy if the nonflexible works well enough. Obviously the remoter the medium can be stretched in the opening stint the better, but a first stop from lap 18 onwards would still unshut up the opportunity to try.

The one-stopper could moreover sally as the quickest strategy based on track conditions, which are flipside unknown at this stage. Drivers have complained there is little grip off the racing line and that it could make it tough to overtake, but there are two main variables involved.

One is that the track has been improving throughout the weekend so far, meaning it might prove to be largest off-line than expected, expressly without remoter support race running surpassing the grand prix takes place. The other is based on the three DRS zones potentially ensuring overtaking moves are washed-up in a straight line and less dependent on the grip in the corners, permitting drivers on the two-stop strategy to make progress as required.

If neither of those proves to be true and overtaking is difficult due to the low grip, then track position becomes much increasingly crucial and teams will quickly be trying to ensure they can one-stop. How early they work that out will be particularly important.

What are the options for the marrow half of the field?

It’s a tough visualization for a team that feels like it has a suburbanite out of position, such as Alpine with Esteban Ocon or McLaren with Daniel Ricciardo, considering starting on the nonflexible tyre would be a gamble.

Firstly, it will provide less grip in the opening laps and for some teams will be markedly slower than the medium (although that remains uncertain plane for those who have tested it considering of the interruptions to Friday’s long running).

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Secondly, while using the nonflexible tyre will provide good data for their team mate and indulge the lead car to make a increasingly informed strategic decision, that data will moreover be seen by every other team in the race, and if the nonflexible doesn’t prove to be a good race tyre then the rest of the grid can proceeds an wholesomeness by lamister it as much as possible.

But starting on that tyre does provide a endangerment of running long unbearable to switch to intermediates or full wets in the specimen of a shower (more of that below), or a well-timed Safety Car interruption that looks pretty likely given the incidents that we’ve seen so far during the race weekend. So it might be worth a gamble for those at the when of the grid.

Wait, but what’s the weather doing?

A big thunderstorm hit the track on Saturday night to remind everyone that they are indeed in South Florida, without a number of dry days during the race weekend so far. That could well lower the grip level by the time the race starts, impacting on which of the whilom strategies teams prefer if it’s dry.

But the forecast moreover has a 40% endangerment of rain throughout Sunday afternoon, including when the race is taking place.

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Should that hit, Pirelli expects the track surface to provide good grip for its wet weather options, but moreover the upper temperatures should see the track drying out quickly, meaning the crossover points will be crucial. That moreover forces teams to wait until it’s definitely wet unbearable to pit, considering if the rain remains relatively light they could end up making two quick stops in succession.

Either way, it’s going to be a hot one, with air temperature forecast to be as upper as 34C, edging whilom what has been seen throughout the weekend so far. The teams have good running in similar conditions but not for resulting long runs, so the true ousting drop-off is unknown, while drivers will moreover be physically tested in the heat and humidity over a 57-lap race.