Brazil – Race: Summary of Strategies

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) clinched his third consecutive world title, making him the youngest triple World Champion in history, at the end of an intense Brazilian Grand Prix. Jenson Button (McLaren) secured his third victory of the season. Vettel stopped four times, eventually achieving sixth place after losing time in a spin and damaging his car against a rival in the opening lap. Hard and medium compounds were designated for the race, but intermediate and rain tires were also seen under the rain of Interlagos.

All the drivers started on medium tires, except for Michael Schumacher (Mercedes), Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), and Romain Grosjean (Lotus), who started on the hard compound. The race began with an ambient temperature of 19°C and a light drizzle, but the rain intensified during the first 10 laps. Kimi Räikkönen (Lotus) was the first to switch to intermediates on the 5th lap, gradually followed by many other drivers in the field.

Button, taking the lead after starting second on the grid, stayed on track with the medium tires when the rain started to fall. The different strategies then shook up the established order: Heikki Kovalainen’s Caterham found itself up to 6th position, ahead of Glock’s Marussia (7th), both having stayed on slicks until the 15th and 14th laps, respectively.

The safety car made its return for long loops at the 23rd lap. It was at that moment that Button stopped to put on the hard tires, although the track remained wet despite the rain easing. This was without anticipating a strong return of the rain towards the end of the race, making any on-track progress with slicks impossible.

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) went through the intermediates on the 50th lap, while Vettel stopped for mediums on the 52nd lap. An error that could have cost the German dearly, as he quickly returned to the pits to switch back to intermediates two laps later! Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso and Kovailanen finished the race on wet tires.

The regulations stipulate that drivers must use both types of compounds allocated in the race, except in the scenario where intermediates or wets have been used. Button was the only leader who made just two pit stops during this crazy race: all his rivals made at least one more stop.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director: « Exactly 11 years ago today, we won the World Rally Championship with Richard Burns. So it makes sense to have witnessed another great, dramatic finale here at Interlagos today.

The weather played a huge role in how things unfolded, forcing teams to adjust their strategies and react to changing conditions. The teams faced a particularly tough task as conditions in free practice and qualifying were much hotter and drier, making today a leap into the unknown. With such unpredictable weather, some teams used strategy by placing one driver on intermediates and another on slicks to gather real-time data on tire performance. Another variable influencing tire performance was the long period of neutralization by the safety car during the first half of the race, which reduced wear with still high fuel loads. Despite the heavy rain in the first half of the race, the medium tires generated enough heat and grip to allow Jenson Button to stay in control without switching to intermediates.

Congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel who adapted their strategy brilliantly according to the circumstances, as well as to Fernando Alonso and Ferrari, who pushed them from start to finish. We also wish to congratulate Jenson Button who made the most of both slick compounds and intermediate tires. We take this opportunity to pay tribute to Michael Schumacher: a superb champion and a fantastic ambassador for the sport who completed his very last Grand Prix in the points.

[From the official press release issued by Pirelli]

To better understand this chart, you can use the FIA’s lap-by-lap synthesis by clicking here.