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POSSIBLE RACE STRATEGIES
The optimal race strategy for the 55-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a
one-stopper, starting on the P Zero Yellow medium for 18 laps and moving
onto P Zero White hard for 37 laps (or vice-versa). It’s also possible to do
a one-stopper starting on the P Zero Red soft for 14 laps and then going
onto the hard for 41 laps, but this is slightly slower in terms of overall
race time.
A two-stopper is slower, especially because track position is crucial at Yas
Marina, with the track being hard to overtake on and a complicated pit lane
exit that adds to the time loss. The way to do it would be two soft stints
of 12 laps each (one at the start and the other one as last), plus one
31-lap hard stint.
FOCUS ON:
* Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the
season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, using the P Zero Red soft in C5
compound (the softest of the range) to go fastest of all in qualifying for
the first time since Brazil 2019. Less than a tenth of a second separated
the top three, while Verstappen was also fastest in FP3.
* Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Renault and the McLaren of Carlos Sainz
headed out on the medium tyre in Q2, with both Mercedes, plus Verstappen,
Sainz and Leclerc setting their best Q2 times on that compound. They will
all therefore start the race on the yellow tyre tomorrow, but Leclerc has a
grid penalty that drops him out of the top 10 on the grid.
* Temperatures were reasonably cool for Abu Dhabi, with ambient temperatures
of 23 degrees centigrade and track temperatures of 29 degrees centigrade at
the start of qualifying, dropping by one degree over the course of the
session. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING
“Qualifying is always a very important part of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,
with more than half the races held here having been won from pole. The
medium yellow tyre is a very interesting compound to start the race on, with
five of the top 10 qualifiers in Q2 setting their best times with this
compound and four more trying to. We have noticed less improvement in terms
of lap times in comparison to last year, perhaps also because of the absence
of Formula 2 and Formula 3 support races, which means less rubber left on
the track. But with the top three all starting on the medium and some very
fast cars on the soft right behind them, we’re set for a tactically
intriguing race: especially at the start.” |
