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Below is the table for the pitstop strategies for the British Grand Prix, showing that most drivers opted for a two-stopper at Silverstone. The only drivers to attempt a one-stop race were Nelson Piquet Jr and Adrian Sutil. The tyres were fairly evenly matched as well, with many drivers complaining that they couldn’t get them up to temperature. Brawn particularly struggled with this, although Ferrari seemed to have improved significantly in this area. Only two drivers retired at Silverstone; Sebastien Bourdais and Heikki Kovalainen. Continue Reading

With the car weights from qualifying now published, we can see who did well during Saturday afternoon’s running and who did not. We can also work out how much fuel was in the cars and therefore how far they each go into the first stint before stopping. The key figure comes from Williams, who say that a lap of Silverstone uses about 2.48kg of fuel. Taking away the car and driver combined minimum weight of 605kg, and minus a couple of laps for grid formation and margin, we can divide the remainder by the per-lap amount and see who is going for a two stopper and who is heavy and going for a one stop race. Continue Reading

Most drivers started the Turkish Grand Prix on the preferred harder compound tyre and divided the race in to three stints with two stops. However, some decided to be a little daring and try three stops (and even one stop), but it seemed that the two-stop option turned out to be the faster. The talking point is Sebastian Vettel’s race, who started on a three-stopper, but after losing his advantage, Red Bull should have changed him to a two-stop. They didn’t and the German spent most of the afternoon chasing other drivers. Continue Reading

The post-qualifying weights of the cars competing in the Turkish Grand Prix have been (not quite) published by the FIA, and from the data provided we can see who did well during Saturday’s running and who did not. Also, from this data and Williams’s reckoning that a normalised distance of 5km around Istanbul Park requires 2.49kg of fuel, we can work out that the 5.338km circuit would use 2.66kg of fuel. Taking away the minimum car-and-driver weight of 605kg, plus 2 laps (5.32kg) for grid forming and margin, we can have a guess at when each of the drivers will stop first. Continue Reading

The top ten finishers have had their cars weighed and the rest of the pack have declared their fuel levels for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix. From the weights of the cars we can work out how much fuel each car is carrying simply by deducting the minimum car-and-driver weight (605kg) from the total figure, and from this we can work out how many laps of gas they are each holding in their tanks. From this, we can allow one laps worth of fuel for grid forming and one more as a margin, and we can predict when the drivers will stop. Continue Reading

With fast cars being stuck behind slower cars during the Bahrain Grand Prix, a few drivers altered their strategies as the race unfolded, with Rubens Barrichello going for a three-stop run rather than a two-stopper like his team mate. Ultimately, for those at the front the two-stop scenario worked out better for them and Jenson Button won after timing his stops perfectly; a classic trait of team principal Ross Brawn. Here are the pitstop timings and tyre choices made by the twenty competing drivers this afternoon. Continue Reading

With qualifying complete the FIA have released the weights of the cars so we can ascertain who did well and who did not during Saturday’s running. We can also take a look and see what the group outside the top-ten are doing with their strategies and providing rain or safety cars do not hamper the race, we can also take a guess as to when the drivers will be making their first stops and also how many stops they may make. Continue Reading

The strategies for the race went out of the window this morning as the drivers and teams awoke to rain falling over the Shanghai circuit. All cars started the race on full wet weather tyres and for most, this was the only option through all the 56 laps completed. The only driver to try anything courageous was Nico Rosberg, who pitted on L41 for intermediate rubber. The German promptly reverted to full wets nine laps later having realised he was ~2s shy of the front-runners pace. Sebastian Vettel won the race on a standard two-stop run. Continue Reading

Listed below are the weights of all the cars post-qualifying. The information is now made available by the FIA after qualifying is complete and it allows us to see who did well and who didn’t during Saturday’s running. From this we can work out who might be stopping first and we can have a guess at strategies for each driver. However, some factors will come in to play during tomorrow’s race, the safety car having the biggest impact on fuel consumption, and therefore pitstop times. Continue Reading

Listed below are the weights of each car that qualified for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. Listing the weights publicly is a new twist for this season, and will allow fans to see who was running heavy in qualifying, and who was running light. Obviously, a light car should mean a good grid position but an early stop in the race tomorrow for fuel. A heavy car full of fuel may impede the grid position, but will enable the driver to go longer into the first stint before having to pit for fuel. Continue Reading