Ferrarithe team that played Formula 1 longer than any other, still seems to be in the middle of a learning curve. Last weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the team chose the tire strategy therefore poor thing that it is not recommended by the tire supplier Pirelli In not at all capacity. Because Ferrari, of course, knows better.
This is how things go downhill. Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc qualified in second and third place, and both started the race on new tires. By round 14 out of 70, the teams started thinking about pit stops. Sainz was first pitted in lap 18, followed by Leclerc in lap 22. Everything seemed promising until… Ferrari pitted one more time, gluing the handlebars to hard tyres.
Every week before the Grand Prix, Pirelli release information on potential tire strategies. Overall, there will be one recommended strategy followed by several alternative strategies, all in compliance with F1 regulations and all taking into account year data. For this race, Pirelli recommends the following strategies:
- Fastest (Two-Stopper): Lift until round 16 to 21, medium until round 42 or 47, then medium lift to the end
- Lightning Fast (One-Stopper): Average until round 26 to round 34, then fixed until the end
- Very close (One-stop): Lift until round 21 to round 28, then fixed to the end
- Replace (Two-Stopper): Medium until round 20 to 25, hard until round 48 to 55, then gradually increase until the end
As you can tell, the strategy Ferrari has chosen – medium-hard – is not among those options.
Honestly, it’s a poor strategy. While the Hungarian Grand Prix can be a hot race, the relatively cool racetrack temperatures this weekend and the arrival of a few drizzle complicate things as well. In these cool conditions, you want a softer tire, as it can last longer in hot climates thanks to its ability to heat up faster than a medium or hard compound. The following two compounds maybe last longer, but they will take longer to break in, making it difficult to gain a track position or defend against other drivers on older, warmer, or softer tires, which has become extremely clear in the second half of Leclerc’s race.
It was a clear headbutt on Ferrari’s part. There’s rarely a race where you want a medium-hard strategy, but you sure don’t want it in a cool, wet race. It’s one of those other strategic calls from Ferrari that makes you wonder why, exactly, this team is so eager to take defeat from the jaws of victory.
