As per tradition, teams and drivers set up the Singapore race with the single stop as the dominant strategy. However, this does not mean that the outcome of the Grand Prix will be taken for granted, on the contrary. With little chance of overtaking and catching up with a second pit stop, the perfect choice and execution of the first stop will be crucial. They are not missing the psychological skirmishes between the teamswith Russell who, talking about double stopping, tries to put pressure on the Ferrari duo, in particular the poleman Carlos Sainz. There is an explanation of the possible scenarios for the Grand Prix Simone BerraChief Engineer of Pirelli.
Same city, new circuit layout. What is the strategic framework for the tender?
“As you might expect in Singapore, it’s heading towards a one-stop race. Overcoming is still complicated: we didn’t want to add the fourth DRS zone on the new straight before turn 16. Also considering the biggest loss of time in the pit lane, around 28 seconds, for our part we expect that the strategy will be a single stop. On paper, the fastest strategy will be to use medium in the first stint and then switch to hard. The average showed good consistency and is manageable on long runs, even in high temperatures. There shouldn’t be any problems doing even relatively long stints. We expect an average first half of the race of between 20 and 30 laps. The window is very wide, because it will depend a lot on who will be the first to stop, given that the others will follow suit.”
“Once you make the pit stop, that’s it it is essential to have clean air to make the most of the undercut. It will be crucial not to fall behind a group of cars, perhaps fighting with each other and with a DRS train. This could greatly influence the timing of the stop. An alternative strategy is start with the soft instead of the medium. We expected a soft tire that would struggle more with the high temperatures in Singapore, on a circuit that is tough on traction. The soft remains a qualifying tyre, but still allows you to complete a relatively long stint. Furthermore, once the peak temperature has passed, it tends to stabilize. It is also possible to do 15-25 laps, and then move on to the hard. However, all strategies are not influenced by wear, which is not particularly high here, but by the performance life of the rubber. All compounds are affected by thermal degradation at the rear, with the hard tire being the most resilient.”
“The two stops become a possibility only in case of accidents and Safety Car. In this case it becomes interesting to start on the soft and then move on to the hard. At that point, in the event of a new late Safety Car, we could switch back to soft for the last 15-20 laps. This is a possibility especially for those who have nothing to lose in terms of track positions. Those at the bottom might try something different. However, if the race were normal without interruptions, the strategy would be based on tire management and single stops.”
After qualifying Russell didn’t seem so convinced that the single stop would be a given. Indeed, he spoke of the additional set of new medium tires that Mercedes will be able to exploit…
“It might as well be a psychological strategy to worry other drivers and push them to make two stops. Personally, I don’t see it as an option. Yes, degradation will be high, but the tire is manageable. We saw this in the race simulations in all three free practice sessions. The lap time remained fairly constant. Above all, it is difficult to overtake: whoever is in front dictates the pace and playing with the number of stops is complicated. It’s true, Mercedes kept an extra set of mediums. They could try an aggressive strategy if a small group of riders doesn’t form close up front. At that point, if you can make a pit stop and return with a clear track, you could benefit. In recent years, however, the winning strategy has always been a single stop.”
It was said that double stopping will be an option for those with little to lose. Could Red Bull take a gamble or perhaps start with the hard tyre?
“Red Bull could start with the hard, trying to go very long. In that case obviously, the longer you extend the first stint, the better chance you have of using a Safety Car. Let’s remember that this is the circuit with the highest probability of Safety Car entry. However, I don’t see the double stop for those starting from behind as plausible.”
Does the undercut remain powerful even with the new circuit design?
“Yes. The degradation will be high. Surely, by fitting the hard at the stop, there will be a critical warm-up phase on the exit lap from the pits. However, those who stop will still be faster than those who stay on used tyres. The undercut is very powerful and we have seen it in the past too. It is clear that you must always have the possibility to push to the maximum. If this doesn’t happen, you risk losing positions. Another thing to consider is that the undercut might be less effective if there was a lot of pace management in the early laps. In past years it happened that a long train formed in the first laps and with a very slow pace, in an attempt to manage the tire for as long as possible. Then when the first one stops, whoever is behind can push harder and perhaps have an extra performance to exploit. In 2019 there was a powerful undercut by Vettel against Leclerc, but there have also been cases of overcuts, when someone got stuck in traffic and couldn’t push. It’s all on a razor’s edge: you have to pay attention to the pit stop time and when you get back on track.”
We close with a general consideration. Red Bull struggled more than usual in qualifying in Monaco – where they still got pole – in Budapest and Singapore. On all three occasions the inflation pressures prescribed by Pirelli were 1-2 psi lower than the annual average. How do pressures affect tire preparation in qualifying?
“Pressure certainly has an important influence and depends on the circuit design. In Singapore we have lower pressures, as it is a less severe track. Have low pressure slows down heating, because the contact pressures are distributed over a larger contact surface. This generates a more evenly distributed temperature than having a higher pressure, which concentrates the contact pressure in one point. The warm-up is therefore faster with higher pressures, while it is less easy with lower pressures”.
“In Singapore there is also something to consider the balance between the axes. The warm-up phase depends a lot on having the right window of use on all four tyres. On a circuit like this, where there is a lot of traction but little lateral loads, the front tires have a harder time getting up to temperature than the rear ones. If temperatures are not managed correctly during the preparation lap, you risk arriving at Turn 1 with the tire not yet ready. It happened and we received some comments, often due to traffic. In Q1 we saw queues forming before the last two corners and this certainly doesn’t help. Pressure, axle management and preparation lap are the key factors.”
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