Tire Strategies Used in F1

 

Strategies

So, we have understood the types and properties of different tire compounds used in Formula 1 (https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7786650976765536834/1085133177979927378). These types of tires and their properties and their selection based on various parameters by teams leads to the formation of ‘Tire Strategies’.

Different teams may be on the different tire strategies or the whole grid may be on just one! In my opinion, tire strategies can be grouped into the following:

1)      Undercut Strategy: Say driver A is racing driver B very close on track. B is trying to get past A but cannot do so. Using an undercut strategy, driver B can pit and change tires and then use the fresh rubber to close in on driver A, thus ensuring that when driver A pits, driver B can steam past. Undercut strategies are very effective on circuits where overtaking opportunities are limited such as the Circuit de Monaco.

2)      Overcut Strategy: Let us assume the same scenario of driver A and driver B. After loads of on track action, driver A is told by his team to pit. Once driver A is out of his way, driver B picks up his pace and laps quicker than driver A. Once driver B then pits, the few seconds gained over his opponent on the almost Qualifying-like laps comes in handy as he now gets a pitstop gap over his rival and is able to complete his stop and come out ahead.

3)      Going Long: Now this may seem a little confusing, but I can assure you it is not. Sometimes, drivers caught in minor accidents or have small moments around the track which maybe damage the tires or front wing. If such incidents happen early in the race, the driver has to be pitted and hence the pre-decided tire strategy goes out the window. In such cases, Formula 1 teams tend to just put on a set of long-lasting tires (usually the white striped rubber) to take the driver long into the race and just see what happens. See! Even the best aren’t prepared for everything!

Tires strategies in Formula 1 are not very diverse or very complicated. However, when combined with the unique behaviour of each team’s cars, they can seriously jumble up the pack and make the race a lot more exciting.

Photo by Efrem Efre : https://www.pexels.com/photo/ground-view-on-a-red-racing-car-14681398/