2014 Brazilian Grand Prix F1: Strategy Summary
After the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix, won by Nico Rosberg ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa, find the analysis of the tire strategy by Pirelli.
By winning in Sao Paulo, Nico Rosberg is getting closer to his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the fight for the world title. The German driver started on soft tires before switching three times to mediums, with very high temperatures, in contrast to what the weather forecast predicted.
Hamilton? He had chosen the same strategy to limit risks but had to settle for second place, a second and a half behind Nico Rosberg, after going off track at the beginning of the race. During his last pit stop, Lewis had tires that were one lap fresher than Nico’s, but it wasn’t enough. Nico Rosberg secured his fifth victory of the season and the eighth of his career.
Most of the drivers decided to start on soft tires, which were a second faster per lap at Interlagos. Nico Hülkenberg decided to start on mediums and switch to softs towards the end of the race. This allowed him to climb to the final eighth place. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) attempted the same strategy and, starting from the second to last position on the grid, managed to climb to eleventh place. The first position without points…
As anticipated, with temperatures nearing 50°C on the track – the highest ever seen at the Brazilian Grand Prix – most drivers opted for a three-stop strategy. The best of the few who decided to stop only twice, Kimi Räikkönen, finished seventh after a fierce battle, at least as intense as the one raging at the front. The 2014 world title will therefore be decided in Abu Dhabi, with double points for all drivers!
Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: We witnessed an incredible battle between the two Mercedes drivers. Each had to resist the urge to beat the other and primarily focus on making the most of their tires in these extreme temperatures. Both the air and track temperatures were much hotter than expected. This led to some occurrences of graining and blistering, especially at the start with high fuel loads on the soft compounds, but without affecting performance. The new track surface was the biggest challenge throughout the weekend for the teams, the drivers, and for us as well. Most competitors ultimately chose the recommended three-stop strategy, except for Kimi Räikkönen, who managed to bring his Ferrari to a final seventh position in what will remain one of the most demanding Grand Prix of the season.
Article entirely written from Pirelli’s official press release.
