Chinese Grand Prix strategy report

Sebastian vs Kimi

Whilst Vettel and Raikkonen both completed the same number of stops and used the same tyre strategy, the latter completed a very long middle stint on the option Pirelli compound, in a bid to shorten his final sprint to the flag on the more durable prime tyre. This was in the hope of closing in on Vettel in the closing stages of the race, to fight him for the final spot on the podium.

Raikkonen was chipping away at the gap to Vettel by around three tenths per lap, but was 1.5 seconds behind him with three laps to go and would soon be in the four-time world champion’s dirty air, which would have hampered his attempts to pass. However, his strategy was ruined with the deployment of the Safety Car thanks to Max Verstappen’s smoking Toro Rosso on the pit straight.

It looks likely that the 2007 world champion would have caught his team-mate, but whether he would have been able to find a way past is another matter. However, it would have been an exciting battle, had the Mercedes AMG GT not made an appearance.

Perez takes a risk

Sergio Perez was the only classified finisher to pit three times, with Force India opting to put him on an aggressive strategy to try and salvage what had been a disappointing weekend for the Silverstone-based outfit. It was an early switch to a three-stopper during the race, but it did help Perez to make progress.

He was able to push more on the tyres, going for a soft-soft-soft-medium strategy. However, the gap to Marcus Ericsson was too far in the end, and he could only come home in 11th place, just outside the points. Perez is known for being kind on his tyres, so could a similar strategy have worked for a more aggressive driver like Daniel Ricciardo, especially after his terrible start? Quite possibly, as it previously worked for Mark Webber in similar situations.

The Undercut!

Probably one of the most over-used terms of the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, with plenty of teams attempting the undercut by pitting their drivers earlier than rivals. It appears most of them failed to work – for example, Vettel stopped before Hamilton and Rosberg, but failed to make much ground and even lost some time in the process.
Unlike previous years, the only way to really move up the order was by overtaking on track. We witnessed some fantastic battles during the race, as well as brilliant overtakes from the likes of Verstappen and Ricciardo.

It has been a common theme so far this year, with the undercut also failing to work in Australia and Malaysia. Could it possibly be down to the car and tyre combination? It is hard to pin-point, but will be interesting to see if things improve during the rest of the 2015 season.

Pit lane entry catches Maldonado out

Remember the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix? Lewis Hamilton beached his McLaren in the pit lane entry gravel trap on worn tyres, costing him crucial points in the title race. The tight left-hand corner now features a tarmac run-off area, one of few changes to the track for this year’s event.

Pastor Maldonado had a lucky escape during Sunday’s race, after misjudging the braking zone and going straight on at the pit lane entry. Due to the tarmac run-off area, he was able to reverse and re-join the race, but it cost him time.

Despite the amusing off-track excursion, the modification to the entry of the pit lane did enable drivers to push more through the left-hand corner, with many putting two wheels onto the run-off area during the race to gain a tenth or two on their rivals.

Report by Jack Leslie