Three-stop strategies tomorrow in Hungary?
The gap between the two compounds brought by Pirelli to Hungary is significant this weekend (two seconds in a quick lap). Race strategies should therefore be more aggressive than usual.
The Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying took place under sweltering heat with a scorching 53°C on the track. Pirelli’s soft compounds still provided a level of grip deemed satisfactory by the drivers. The medium tires, on the other hand, were clearly slower (1.5 to 2 seconds on a fast lap), which forced all drivers to switch to the softs from Q1 to advance to Q2… with the notable exception of Daniel Ricciardo.
Paul Hembery, head of motorsport at Pirelli, reflected on this qualifying session from a tire perspective: « The high temperatures in Hungary were back today, and our tires continued to deliver the performance we expected from them, despite the challenge posed by these conditions. The soft compound had a distinct competitive advantage, which makes Daniel Ricciardo’s performance in Q1 all the more remarkable. »
The difference between the two compounds over a lap should be between 0.7 and 1.5 seconds. As the soft tires seem to hold a reasonable duration, we should see the drivers pushing on track, confirms Paul Hembery: « The fastest strategy on paper for a 70-lap race is theoretically to make two stops (starting on softs, stopping on lap 29 to switch to softs, stopping on lap 53-54 to switch to mediums). With the overtaking difficulties on the narrow Hungaroring circuit, some of the fastest drivers might try a three-stop strategy in an attempt to gain positions – but that depends on the time and the ease with which they can overtake ».
Such advice could be particularly relevant to Nico Rosberg, who has decided to rely on strategy to overcome Lewis Hamilton tomorrow. It should be noted that during the first GP2 race, the differences in tires between the drivers resulted in an eventful race finish with plenty of overtaking.
