STRATEGY GUIDE: What are the possible race strategies for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
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A street spin usually favours track position, and the newest one on the timetable is no different, so we take a squint at what that ways for the variegated strategic options that are misogynist to the teams superiority of today’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
What are the likely strategies for the frontrunners?
It\'s a pretty simple equation for most of the cars at the front, with the medium recipe the starting tyre and a one-stop strategy the aim.
By starting on the medium tyre, the teams have opened up increasingly flexibility for their first stint, with an platonic pit window of between Lap 21 and 26 surpassing switching to the nonflexible tyre and going to the end of the race. The flexibility comes as a result of the nonflexible stuff predicted to be worldly-wise to do increasingly than that distance, so if there is an incident that necessitates a stop without Lap 15, we could well see the hards put on at that early stage.
And an incident could well be likely on the street circuit, where the chances of a Safety Car are higher. We have no historical data for an F1 race in Jeddah, but Saturday’s two F2 races both required Safety Car interventions.
While an early Safety Car might make the nonflexible stint a longer one, the frontrunners all have a second set of mediums tyres (or a set of softs) misogynist to use at the end of the race if there\'s a late interruption that offers a self-ruling pit stop.
How well-nigh the rest of the top 10?
Only Lando Norris definitely has to do something variegated out of the top 10, as he was the only suburbanite to reach Q3 on the soft compound, and therefore starts on that set. Norris needed the softs to be sure of a spot in the top 10, but the downside is he doesn\'t have the flexibility that the cars virtually him have for his first stint.
Norris will need to do some tyre management to try and make his softs last until virtually Lap 17, when he could aim for a one-stop strategy switching to the nonflexible compound. He should get a bit of a proceeds off the line that could help his track position, but his first stint pace could take a hit.
A variegated strategy Norris does have unshut to him – although it\'s unlikely – is soft-medium-medium, as he has two sets of medium tyres left for the race. The two-stop is not likely to be the initial plan for anyone as they prioritise track position, but Norris could moreover go soft-hard-medium if there\'s an early Safety Car, taking wholesomeness of the endangerment to get rid of his soft tyres at the first chance.
What are the options for the marrow half of the field?
The medium tyre is still likely to be the preferred starting recipe plane for those outside the top 10, considering of the flexibility mentioned above. Teams with a self-ruling nomination of tyres often want to do something variegated from those ahead, expressly where overtaking is difficult, in order to try and proceeds track position through strategy. But the soft requires too much pace management on upper fuel, and the warm-up on the nonflexible tyre would make the first few laps difficult for anyone in the pack.
The likes of Aston Martin might well consider the nonflexible tyre to start on, however, considering they have little to lose and potentially a lot to gain. The opening couple of laps would be tough but once the tyre gets up to temperature it is a very resulting recipe to run on, and both Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll – 17th and 18th respectively – have very little track position to lose at the start.
The consistency and longevity of the nonflexible would let them run long and proceeds positions as other drivers have to make pit stops surpassing them, plus any surprises in terms of tyre life would be less plush as they’d be planning to make a pit stop anyway, whereas those running the hards to the end would be drastic to stave a second stop.
That\'s an important consideration given the lack of long running that now takes place on a Friday, which ways the longest stint seen on the nonflexible tyre so far is 19 laps, and anything vastitude that is an educated guess.
With every suburbanite having two sets of mediums misogynist as well, an early Safety Car could see the hards ditched at the first endangerment to run two stints on mediums – of virtually 20-25 laps each – and the need to run two compounds successfully achieved.
Wait, but what’s the weather doing?
A bit like Qatar, there are no surprises when it comes to the weather. Jeddah has seen particularly resulting conditions throughout the race weekend so far, particularly when it comes to the sun going down. The temperature has not dropped significantly between running in sunshine or running under floodlights, with air temperature still remaining whilom 30C.
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That ways the track temperature stays quite high, and drivers do need to be wary of sliding that could lead to overheating. One unique speciality of the Jeddah track are the long sweeping sections that include two DRS zones, with only the pit straight an very straight.
Should a pursuit car lose downforce plane in these areas, the tyres can slide slightly and that will rationalization the surface to overheat, requiring them to waif when to find well-spoken air.
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