2014 Russian Grand Prix F1: Strategy Summary
After the Russian Grand Prix of F1, won by Lewis Hamilton, ahead of Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas, find the analysis of the tire strategy by Pirelli.
Victory for Lewis Hamilton and second place for Nico Rosberg at the very first Russian Grand Prix gave Mercedes their first Constructors’ World Championship title with Pirelli. Juan-Manuel Fangio drove a Mercedes during his 1954 title, a season in which he also used a Maserati with Pirelli tires, but this is the first time Mercedes has won a title since the Constructors’ Championship was established in 1958.
Hamilton claimed victory starting from pole, but Rosberg’s performance was remarkable as he switched from soft to medium tires on the first lap after a lock-up and a flat spot following the start. Consequently, the German completed 52 laps – just over 300 km – on a single set of tires, after restarting in 20th place. Rosberg set his fastest lap of the race on the 52nd lap, one loop before the end.
The Sauber of Adrian Sutil also completed 40 laps, this time with his first set of soft tires, highlighting the very low tire degradation in Sochi.
Most drivers started on soft tires, with the furthest driver starting on medium tires being Sergio Pérez, 12th on the grid. Pérez managed 23 laps on his first set of tires, before switching to the faster soft tires to gain positions at the end of the race and secure 10th position. He fought with Felipe Massa, the highest-placed two-stop driver, finishing 11th after starting 18th.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: « Tire degradation was extremely low on this new Sochi circuit, allowing most drivers to use a one-stop strategy, and Nico Rosberg finished 2nd after completing 52 laps on a single set of tires. Congratulations to Mercedes for their first constructors’ championship win, and we look forward to the continuation of the battle for the drivers’ title. »
Article entirely written based on the Pirelli press release
