Brazilian Grand Prix strategy report

Mix of strategies

Pirelli predicted prior to the Brazilian GP that a two-stop strategy would be the most common one in the race, but a three-stop would also be possible and there was little difference between them in terms of time.

This proved to be the case, with the majority of the midfield stopping just twice and the podium finishers pitting three times. The medium tyre was the best race compound and this meant many used it in their final two or three stints.

Most of the 2015 grid stopped between laps nine and 14, although a few opted to go shorter or longer (Daniel Ricciardo and Pastor Maldonado being two examples). So many teams chose to react to others stopping and this meant that in the midfield we saw very similar strategy calls, particularly those stopping twice.

The two-stop race produced a similar outcome to stopping three times, shown by Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas Nico Hulkenberg and Daniil Kvyat’s end results. Meanwhile others like Felipe Nasr and Maldonado struggled on the longer stints and this cost them crucial time towards the end.

Ferrari do things differently

In a bid to maximise the chance of catching the Mercedes duo, Ferrari opted to split the tyre strategies during the Brazilian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel went for a three-stop, meaning he could push more on the mediums but would have to pit again.

Unusually he went onto the soft compound for his third stint, while the rest lapped on the primes. He managed around the same distance on the tyre as the Mercedes drivers did, but it wasn’t enough to put in in contention to fight for higher places. Props to Ferrari though for trying a different tactic.

Raikkonen was put on a two-stop, but while he looked after his tyres well and put in a very impressive middle stint, his overall pace at the track wasn’t as strong as Vettel’s and this meant he ended the race 30 seconds behind his team-mate.

He was the highest-placed two-stopper but it was hardly a surprise considering Ferrari’s speed. The iconic team tried two very different strategies but unfortunately Mercedes was just too dominant for them to challenge once again. Maybe next year?

Mercedes take the safe road

With such an advantage at the front, Mercedes went for a three-stop strategy with both cars. The pit stops were always one lap apart and this prevented Hamilton from trying to fight his team-mate Rosberg and take a risk.

This was something he called for over team radio and explained after the race, saying he felt he was faster than the leader but struggled to follow his car due to the dirty air and this also destroyed his tyres.

But, of course, Rosberg was the lead driver and had the first call of strategy, preventing Hamilton from getting the undercut. But, Mercedes could have run him longer in his second or third stints as he thought the tyres were in decent shape and this would have given him fresher rubber for an attack late on.

But, alas, we didn’t see that. Mercedes went for near identical strategies, feeling it was the best bet for securing the top two positions on the podium. Vettel closed in on them in the final laps and they saw him as a threat but it would have been nice to see the team shake things up.

Naturally some believe Mercedes gave the two drivers similar strategies to give Rosberg the win and secure him second in the drivers’ championship, which he duly did. Perhaps that was why Hamilton was getting impatient with the strategy? Who knows, but it was a shame we weren’t treated to more of a fight at the front.

Ricciardo stops early

Red Bull opted for an alternative strategy with Ricciardo after the Australian picked up a engine change penalty and lined up 19th on the grid. He made good progress early in the race and this helped him move into contention for a point or two.

An early stop on lap three surprised many and it put him behind the Manor cars. With Renault’s lacklustre power unit, he struggled to pass them and this cost him time. When the first round of pit stops finished he found himself in 13th, but despite a long second stint and a final run on used softs, it wasn’t enough to get him into the top 10.

But the Milton Keynes-based outfit had to try something unusual to get him higher up the order and to an extent, it worked. But, the RB11 wasn’t as competitive at Interlagos due to the long straights and the lack of top speed meant it was difficult to make progress.

Jack Leslie @JackLeslieF1

Longest Stints

Soft: Alonso, Button (20 laps)
Medium: Hulkenberg (35 laps)

Most Stops

Vettel, Rosberg, Hamilton, Perez, Button, Ricciardo, Alonso, Verstappen, Ericsson, Grojean, Massa (3 – including drivethroughs)