A fast car
and a good driver are not the only factors for success in Formula 1. The
right race strategy is also becoming more and more important. In top-class
motor racing, not only technology but also tactics are absolutely decisive
for a good performance – and can be the difference between victory and
defeat.
At the Chinese Grand Prix, as elsewhere, the hour of the strategists strikes
long
before the start. Thanks to the restrictions placed on the teams by the new
regulations, they have even less time this season to tune the car or to
experiment with various strategies. So the engineers at WilliamsF1 and at
other teams concentrate even in the week before the race on simulations
which will help them to develop a promising race strategy.
Sam Michael, who is Technical Director at WilliamsF1 and so is also
responsible for the race tactics, explains: “First of all, we simulate the
fastest line on the track and
then we compare the various strategies from the point of view of time.”
During the grand prix weekend, the main concern then is to fine-tune the
strategy that he has chosen with his engineers further and to ensure that
the cars cover the full distance. “Just before the race, we don’t even try
to make the car faster,” he says. “At that stage, we just work on the
reliability.” |
|
In their
strategic considerations, Sam Michael and his colleagues normally rely
above all on information collated from telemetry data from previous races.
With the help of powerful computers, they can also simulate the race in a
virtual landscape and, if necessary, modify various variables, such as tyre
type, fuel level, engine tuning and downforce. These simulations are
particularly important for new tracks, such as the Shanghai International
Circuit, where no data from tests or previous races are available. These
computers can also provide the necessary processing power at the track if
the tactics have to be adapted at short notice to suit new conditions – for
instance, because of a sudden change in the weather."
One of the most important factors for
planning the race strategy is the starting position. “If you are starting
from the front row,” explains Sam Michael, “it is easier to implement your
ideal strategy, because you don’t have any other cars in front of you.”
Because of the new regulations with the one-engine rule and the modified
qualifying mode, top drivers can now be found more often on one of the back
rows. But there is a good strategy even for that: “If you have to start from
further back but you have a good car, you should plan fewer pit stops, so
that you don’t have too much traffic as you try to catch up,” says Sam
Michael.
Unlike in the past, the tactics worked out by the strategists behind the pit
wall do not only have to work in the race itself; because of the new rules,
qualifying has virtually become a part of the race. As nothing can be
modified on the cars between qualifying and the race, they have to be set up
for the hunt for pole position so that they can also last the full race
distance. The responsible team members are also working against the clock
for basic strategic decisions like the number of pit stops, because they
have to decide even before the start of qualifying how many litres of fuel
the cars should have in their tanks when they are sent out for the race.
In spite of all this preliminary work, the strategy is always under the
microscope during every stage of the race. Thanks to the data transmission
to the pits, the engineers are constantly kept informed about the
temperature of the engine and the transmission and the tyre pressure, and
they can also keep an eye on the brake wear. However, quick strategic
decisions are not only called for if there are technical problems or if
damaged body parts make an unscheduled pit stop necessary. For instance, a
safety-car phase can be a good reason for an early pit stop: the teams like
to use them to change the tyres or to fill up with fuel without losing too
much time. Even if a driver is blocked by slower competitors for a
relatively long period and so cannot fully exploit the potential of his car,
a change to the strategy at short notice – by moving forward a pit stop
which will soon be necessary anyway – is a good idea.
In modern Formula 1, this kind of move belongs to ‘race strategy for
beginners’, but in 1957 it was still a sensational coup: in that year, Juan
Manuel Fangio started the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring with his tank
only half full, because he was certain that the tyres of his Maserati could
not last the full race distance, unlike those of his Ferrari rivals. With
the lighter car, the cunning strategist easily built up a lead big enough
for the necessary tyre change, won the race and, with that victory, clinched
his fifth World Championship.
Nowadays, the teams almost always take such strategic decisions for the
drivers.
“The driver,” says Sam Michael, “just doesn’t have the information to be
able to make that sort of decision. He has to concentrate entirely on
driving fast.” |
)
