

The radio gets very busy with lots of people talking.” “Inevitably, doubts re-emerge when the safety car does come out, depending on the incident or who has retired,” she said.

It is sometimes more time efficient to pit while the cars have reduced speed.Ĭollins said the strategists would discuss “every three to four laps” what to do if the safety car is deployed so there is a plan in place to react.

Because no overtaking is allowed and the cars bunch up behind the safety car, that wipes away the time gaps among cars and forces strategists to think quickly. This requires the cars to follow the safety car at slow speed so cars in those incidents can be cleared. More often, on-track incidents, like accidents, can force a change in plans, especially if the safety car is deployed. Temperature changes can also impact tire life, as they did at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July. Sometimes this can be because of rain, forcing teams to switch to tires designed just for wet conditions. Strategies can be influenced by factors outside of the teams’ control.
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If they plan to stay out eight laps longer than expected, a typical message might be “target lap plus eight” to inform the driver when they should pit.

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This will be done via code, such as telling drivers they are on “plan B” or “plan C,” which will have been discussed in meetings before the race. If teams need to change strategy during the race, they will tell the drivers using the radio. Each team will have dedicated engineers analyzing the data from sensors in the tires to determine how they are performing. Teams must work out the quickest way to complete a race: either use the more durable tires that are slower but require fewer stops, or if the extra pace of the softer tires makes it worth taking extra time in the pits. The rear tires have 10 centimeters more tread than the front tires, meaning they cannot be swapped around. A specific tire is designated to each wheel. Teams will always change all four tires at a pit stop, and must ensure the car always has the same compound of tire on each wheel. More on Formula 1: Stories about drivers, teams and issues.How Do Drivers Fight Jet Lag? It affects performance, so they use caffeine, avoid light and shoo away hotel housekeeping.Rubber Meets the Road: During a race, determining which type of tire to use and when, can turn a loser into a winner - or vice versa.How About a Three-Peat?: Max Verstappen took his second title in Japan, but questions about winning a third have already started.Please, no jewelry - and let’s discuss the underwear. Covered From Head to Toe : When a driver gets into the racecar, he is loaded with equipment, like a biometric sensor and fire-resistant overalls, to keep him safe.And the strategy is constantly changing during a race. Choosing wisely can make a car faster than the other guy’s car, and can also reduce the number of time-eating pit stops. Teams have three types of tires to choose from, soft, medium and hard, known as compounds, with the added hurdle that two of them must be used during a race. “We’ve got to look to the opportunities in strategy.”īefore they even get to the racetrack, teams will start to plan their tire strategy using computer simulations and tire data. “We know that we haven’t got the fastest car,” said Andrew Shovlin, the track-side engineering director for Mercedes. While track conditions, the weather and incidents during the race are discussed with drivers and engineers over the team radio, it is tire usage that presents the most striking chance to pass the opposition. Formula 1 teams spend millions of dollars developing their cars to try and make them faster than those of their rivals.īut it is often the strategy decisions, sometimes made at a team headquarters thousands of miles away, that will win or lose races.
