Austrian Grand Prix 2014: Strategy Summary

No big surprise, as Pirelli had announced on Friday, the Austrian Grand Prix favored two-stop strategies. Thus, among the 19 drivers who finished this eighth round of the season, only Jules Bianchi, Kamui Kobayashi, and Max Chilton opted for a different strategy.

1 stop

Sign of the gamble represented by a race based on a single stop, it was the back-of-the-grid teams that applied it, with some success for Jules Bianchi who managed to keep the advantage over Kamui Kobayashi’s Caterham, who was on a two-stop strategy. The two Marussia drivers logically were the ones who made their super-soft tire stint last the longest, with a 37-lap stint for Max Chilton and 31 laps for the Frenchman. On the other hand, the Japanese driver set a 57-lap stint on soft tires; a record for this GP.

2 stops

16 different drivers therefore used this strategy. First, obviously, the drivers who were in the top 10 in qualifying, who started with worn super-soft tires to change them very quickly (the longest stint was 15 laps, for Bottas and Räikkönen) and finish the race with two stints on soft tires. There are nine in this case, all in the top ten at the finish.

Some drivers, outside the top 10 in qualifying (and in the race), also chose to start on red sidewall tires – new ones this time: this was the case for Adrian Sutil, Romain Grosjean, and Esteban Gutierrez, without much success.

Another strategy for drivers who had the choice was to start on soft tires (with yellow sides) to extend the first stint as long as possible, hoping to benefit from the softest tires at the end of the race. In this regard, Sergio Pérez’s race was a model of the genre, as the Mexican managed to stay on track long enough in the first stint (29 laps) to lead the race and secure a commendable 6th place finish despite starting from 16th position.

On the other hand, for Jenson Button and Pastor Maldonado, this strategic option did not pay off; the Briton had spent a large part of the race at the back of the top 10 but was unable to claim a position under the checkered flag.

Paul Hembery, Motorsport Director at Pirelli: « The tire performance was very much in line with our expectations, despite the warmer conditions. As a result, the degradation was a bit more significant than we had seen, and it was a two-stop race, with a one-stop strategy becoming very ambitious for many teams. We saw an exciting Grand Prix where tire strategy was very important, and obviously, it’s always great to see a new name on the podium. Congratulations to Valtteri and Williams, as well as to Mercedes, on this great performance throughout the weekend. »