Strategy - starting on harder tyres

[raymondu999]

Why exactly is it that people say "those starting on hard tyres can do 1 stop less than those starting on the softs?" Some also say it's a strategic advantage. I never understood these statements.

Let's assume now that we have a fully dry race without any rain. There are no outside fluctuations in temperature, other than the track evolution and the heat coming off 24 V8 engines.

So in this scenario, there are two things that I can see that affect tyre life: track surface evolution, and fuel weight. Both, on paper, should see better tyre life as the race goes along.

Let's assume for the sake of ease of argument that it's a 1-stop race. Is it a case that people are saying those who are running the harder tyre will have the added fuel weight, and the less amount of track evolution, hurting the harder tyre at the start more, and so they will run a shorter prime stint than those ahead of them, while running a longer option stint than those ahead? ie having more time on the quicker tyre, which yields to a better race-average laptime? Or is it a simple case of when the option runners pit then those starting on the harder tyre will be in clean air and can pump in some laps?

Now for those saying that this strategy allows them to cut down on 1 stop. Why, exactly? Is it that the harder tyre is affected less by added fuel weight and track evolution, compared to the softer compounds? ie. those who start on hard tyres will manage a very similar amount of prime tyre laps as those who start on the softer tyres, while then enjoying much better tyre life (by virtue of less fuel weight + track evolution) on the soft tyre at the end of the race? I hope I'm making myself clear in what I'm asking here.

Cutting down on 1 stop less implies some sort of better tyre life - where does this extra tyre life come from? There is the decreasing fuel weight and track evolution - but isn't it sort of what goes around comes around in that everyone is also helped by such factors?

Thanks.

[ubrben]

You could guess at some numbers and run some race strategy calcs.

I haven't done that :-p

From a tyre standpoint any tyre needs a few laps to warm up (these Pirellis in particular if you believe the hype...) on top of that, if you're mid-pack your pace is going to be more dictated by track position and traffic.

I can imagine if even the softs need a few laps to work and you're stuck in traffic for the first 10 laps you can't use the pace they theoretically have. If you hold station on hard's you're then more likely to have a consistent tyre to bang some laps in as the starters in front of you on soft's pit at 25% race distance or so.

This is why I think you tend to see one or two drivers "make it work" because it relies on having to go fast enough on marginal grip at the start in traffic then pick the pace up on used tyres.

Ben

[mzivtins]

I really dont think it means you can do less stops, maybe they mean it opens it up as a workable possibility.

What i mean is, whatever tyre you start on, you HAVE to change to the other compound at some point (unless you are awesome like Schu and get more than 30 seconds ahead and just take the 30 second time penalty )

The only thing it makes a difference to is where you will be in terms of traffic and standings once the guys on the softer tyres start to come in. You would assume the driver would be rewarded initially with a few position jumps and clear air, whilst your competition comes out still together, still fighting, still slowing themselves down.

So from that advantage you can either look after the tyres if the situations allow for it, or push very hard in clear air to gain an 18-20 second lead over your desired position, come into the pits to change and come out of fresh soft rubber and then have the advantage of newer rubber as the end of the stint comes around for the other guys.

I think the strategy was brilliant last year, but works awfully this year, with the traffic and the effect of tailing a car has on tyre life, its pretty much sh1t.

Unless you do a redbull, and start your race strategy working right from Q1, with saving tyres and strategically not sticking a lap time down when you dont want to. Red bull leap frog

[raymondu999]

I hear what you all are saying - but I'm not so sure.

When you start on the harder tyre, you pit later. During the overlap when you haven't pitted and your soft-starters have, they will be on a fresh set of harder tyres, which will (assuming no warmup issues) be quicker than your older softs, no? You'd be quicker at the end of the race, but you wouldn't have track position.

[Steven]

Personally I cannot see how it should allow for one stop less. I'm also not sure what this statement comes from of course, but I doubt it.

Secondly, there really is a strategic advantage to starting on the harder tyres. The main thing people are talking about is for cars 11 to 15 on the grid on harder tyres. They are quite close in pace to the cars in the top 10 who are on softs. Now if they can run a reasonable pace at the beginning, there's not much preventing them from running their optimal speed, as the cars ahead of faster on the softs, hence no traffic problems. Normally, if you have a fast enough car, the guys who stop from the softs emerge after the pitstop behind you, so still you have no traffic, contrary to those on softs, who are now behind long first-stinters with hard tyres.

Then, when pitting yourself to softs, you have hopefully gained some ground and can attack, exploiting the speed on the softs.

I believe this is the primary advantage for the guys starting on hards. Of course it all depends on the pace on the hards, as even a good strategy cannot make a Marussia to win a race from an RBR (well, you never know, but still...)

[Jersey Tom]

Why exactly is it that people say "those starting on hard tyres can do 1 stop less than those starting on the softs?" Some also say it's a strategic advantage. I never understood these statements.

A lot of people (TV broadcasters, drivers, etc) say a lot of things. A lot of it is BS.

[aussiegman]

The hard tyre advantage relies on a number of if's, a few but's and a lot of finger crossing however it is all about timing and picking the right phase to get the maximum benefit from the extra performance afforded by the softer tyre.

None-the-less, starting on a harder tyre in theory, gives you a longer first stint where the pack is closer and there is less clear air and more too and fro shuffling trying to gain a passing advantage as drivers are not only attacking but defending their desired lines and positions in the condensed pack. It is very easy to burn a softer tyre out in this phase by pushing to hard to fast, especially on used soft's from qualifying when you are carrying a heavy, full fuel load on the start.

Of course if you make Q3, you are at a competitive disadvantage as to grid position to those running the prime that will be 0.5s quicker but you need to factor this in and we have seen a few runners like Mercedes run the harder tyre in Q3 and accept a grid penalty for the longer first stint where you think your car has better consistency over the quick for one lap but slow over a race distance cars. These are typically aero sensitive cars that do well in clear air, but not so good in a pack running in dirty, turbulent air.

So the harder tyre can allow you to run longer at a more consistent lap time over a greater period while the pack is bunched up and there is less opportunity to "stretch" a lead unless you are the first runner and can build a lead and back off as Vettlel did in Valencia to preserve the prime tyre.

Over this initial period, you may only be a very small fraction slower than those running the prime, however you can hold those behind you who burn out their softs trying to pass and need to stop while you can preserve the tyre and push on when they pit with good tyre performance left (while those that are either stopped or back out and are trying to warm either the prime of the harder compound) and look for the undercut during the pit stop interchange.

Also the softs overheat much easier and the performance advantage is either a small one over a longer period where you attempt to prolong their life or a greater one over a shorter period where you push to hard and over heat them and they either drop off a cliff or never fully come back and are slower than the harder tyre. Either way in the first stint you are most likely to push to hard to early or be stuck behind another car and use up the softs before you get a good chance to take advantage of their extra performance.

During the middle stint (regardless if you one, two or three stop) most runners will use the harder compound if the difference provides a noticeable disparity in longevity and performance.

Where a driver who started on the harder tyre and ran a longer first stint, managed to get the undercut at the first change while maintaining a good pace in the middle stint when the pack typically spreads out,they can get good clear air and most drivers will be running on the same harder tyre.

So you have the advantage of the other drivers needing to stop earlier for the last change to the harder tyre (as the soft may not last a longer last phase) which gives you another opportunity for clear air running and another undercut as well as the extra performance afforded by the prime in your shorter final phase where the cars should be more evenly spaced and this allows you to use the extra grip for better braking performance, mid corner speed and drive off the corners like Alonso did in Valencia when he drove around the outside of the other cars running the harder tyres.

Its not a sure thing, but you generally get more time in clear air as your stopped and timed differently to the lead drivers who are all timed relatively the same, as well as the grip advantage in the final phase where you competitors are running worn, harder compound tyres that have usually been pushed too hard or flat spotted due to fatigue/positioning etc.

That's how I have always run when I have an option tyre to run in my racing. When we could start on a harder compound we did, as long as we could get a short last phase without sacrificing the early to mid race pace. It affords more clear air running out of the pack, you are out of phase in the pits for stops and have a "green" options tyre to run in the last phase when the other runners are on worn harder compound tyres.

Its certainly not a perfect system as there are many factors that can throw the phasing out. But in general it works, sort of....

[Luke Skywalker]

This question has been bugging me since the Silverstone race. It was one of the rare opportunities that qualifying was in the wet and in the face of a dry race the front runners were not forced to start on the tyres that allowed them to qualify fast - invariably option tyres (soft rubber + light car + rubbered up track = fast lap ??).

I thought it was odd that only Alonso and Hamilton chose to start on the primes whereas the rest of the field started on options. Logic would dictate that starting on primes would be the ideal strategy as the car would then be in qualifying set up for the end of the race. We all know what happened .. Alonso came out for his last stint on options and found that he was half a second slower than Webber. How could that be? Was a tactical error made? Is Silverstone somehow special?

I am confused. Does anyone have any insights.

[raymondu999]

Ah yes. Silverstone's circumstances meant everyone had 3 new sets of options and 3 new sets of primes for the race. Ideal for bringing this topic back up.

It was very weird indeed. From just looking at track rubbering in and fuel load going down, I can't think of any reason why it should happen. Did temps go up causing overheat on the options? Anyone remember? Massa did fine (relatively speaking) on the start with something like 13 laps on options. Alonso did the last stint as 14 laps on options on low fuel.