Right TYre, Right Time - Britain 2022
Source: FIA
The iconic British Grand Prix delivered another spectacular race. And while it was fantastic to see another maiden winner in Carlos Sainz, it is a great relief to see that Zhou Guanyu is healthy after a shocking and horrific crash that red-flagged the race at its first corner. Such a crash would usually dominate headlines, with little focus on what else occurred on that day. But this was not the case, as all eyes were again peeled on the strategic mishaps of the Ferrari pitwall. But Ferrari wasn’t the only team that had an error with strategy and compromised an otherwise solid performance. Let’s jump straight into it.
Norris Had Alonso Covered, But McLaren Didn’t
Chart 1: Race Story - Cumulative Delta Plot
As the lights went out, it was Fernando Alonso, not Lando Norris who had a blinding start, tearing away from the grid box and fighting with the likes of Hamilton in the first complex of corners. Pierre Gasly got sandwiched between Zhou Guanyu and George Russell and started a chain of events that would see Zhou stuck between a tyre barrier and a fence while others were caught amongst other carnage. Unsurprisingly, the red flag was flown promptly - before most cars could make it passed the second safety car line. This important detail was the determining factor in resetting the grid back to the original order for the race restart. The effect of this is that Alonso would have to concede his early progress and start behind Norris once more as shown in Chart 1 above.
Chart 2: Trend Pace Compared - Norris vs. Alonso
This would prove to be a critical concession for Norris and McLaren, as Chart 2 shows there was little between the two drivers when it came to pace on the first stint. It was tit-for-tat between the two drivers although Norris had the most incremental of edges. The second stint favoured the veteran Alonso in a marginal sense but the third stint is where the 2x World Champion came alive. This pace advantage came down to a different execution in strategy.
Chart 3: Tyre Strategy Summary
Alonso was the first to blink when it came to the first round of pitstops, with Norris coming in on the following lap. This difference was important as the Hard (C1) tyre was a tricky tyre to “switch on”. This means the tyre needed more time and care in generating a heat cycle in order to generate optimum grip and performance. Alonso’s one-lap advantage would translate into a compounding pace edge - as seen previously in Chart 2 - due to this characteristic of the tyre at this particular circuit. But this difference in strategy between Alpine and McLaren is nothing compared to what followed around the time of the safety car.
Chart 4: Telemetry of the Timing of the Safety Car
Ironically it was Alonso’s teammates’ mechanical woes that helped the Spaniard overcome McLaren on track thanks to the deployment of the safety car on lap 39. Norris was just passing turn 6 when the safety car signals were flashing yellow. This was roughly one-third of the way through the lap, meaining that the Briton and his team had ample time to make the decision regarding whether or not to pit for fresh tyres with 13 laps to go. But McLaren opted to keep Norris out while Alonso came into the pits for a change in tyres. In fact, Norris was one of the only cars to not pit on the first available opportunity, with McLaren bringing the Briton into the pits on the following lap. But by the time he exited the pits, he was already behind his race rival, Alonso. Despite benefitting from a stop under the safety car, Norris still lost track position due to the slight difference in time loss between pitting on the first lap of the safety car rather than the second.
And as shown in Chart 2 already, Alonso had a better time in switching on the soft tyres for the restart, helping him defend against any threat that McLaren was able to muster. So despite Norris running a good race and making the most of his initial lifeline from the red flag, poor decision-making from his pitwall meant that Alonso was able to finish ahead of his rival after all.
Vettel’s Strategy was a Tale of Two Halves
Chart 5: Pitstop Gain/Loss - Vettel’s Undercut on the Field
With a starting grid slot of P18, it was a tall order expecting a points finish from Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin. And as Chart 1 shows, his early stint was largely dictated by being stuck in the pack and the initial DRS train. But the German came in for an early stop on lap 6, where he ditched the soft tyre in favour of the medium - as seen in Chart 3. This dropped Vettel down the field, but crucially, in some clean air. Here, Vettel was able to lap at a better pace relative to his immediate competition. So much so that by the time everyone else went for their pitstops, he had come out at the head of the pack in front of Ocon. The undercut is best summarised in Chart 5 above, illustrating how the German was able to translate a 2-second deficit to Ocon on lap 5 to a 6-second advantage on lap 23 - with only a tiny fraction of this coming from a faster pitstop.
It was a masterstroke of strategy that put Vettel up to P7. And while the 4x World Champion had done 33 laps on the medium tyre, the safety car was perfect timing to switch to soft tyres and make a dash to the end. Except, Aston Martin swapped Vettel’s mediums for another set of mediums. Aston was the only team to do this, despite having fresh soft tyres available, as shown by Chart 3. This put Vettel on the back foot as he lost ground to Max Verstappen and Mick Schumacher to finish in P9.
Schumacher’s First Points Finish was A Deserved One
Chart 6: Trend Pace Compared - Schumacher vs. Magnussen
Schumacher was another who had to overcome great odds - starting in P19 - in order to achieve a points finish. But the young German kept a cool head and had impressive pace throughout the race. As Chart 1 earlier shows, Schumacher was able to keep with the pack and rival the pace of Ocon’s Alpine as well as a damaged Red Bull. But what was most impressive is Schumacher’s pace relative to his teammate, despite being behind him for the first half of the race. Chart 6 makes this point clear, as Schumacher had competitive and consistent pace throughout the first two stints when compared to his teammate, Kevin Magnussen. And while Magnussen’s trend pace from the second stint is distorted by not pitting under the safety car, the individual lap times still show that Schumacher had the legs on his teammate.
Schumacher was fast on the soft tyre post the safety car restart as he threatened Verstappen for multiple laps. But the German was not able to convert the position and crossed the line just metres behind the stricken reigning world champion.
Haas’ decision to not pit Magnussen mirrored that of Ferrari with Charles Leclerc and availed to a similarly poor outcome. And while the soft tyre could have helped Magnussen battle Vettel for P9, it is a small consolation compared to the blunder from Haas’ engine manufacturer.
Watchpoints for Next Grand Prix
The next stop is the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix. Red Bull has good form around this circuit, will 2022 be a continuation of the trend or can Ferrari find organisation amongst themselves and start to claw themselves back in the championship? Can Mercedes continue their resurgence or will the high altitude prove difficult? And how will the rest of the field pan out? There’s still plenty to play for as we approach the halfway point in the championship. I’ll see you on the other side.
