Qatar GP 2024, race technique – After securing pole place at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, George Russell as soon as once more begins on the entrance of the grid. In actuality, the quickest time was set by Max Verstappen, however a penalty promoted Mercedes’ W15 automobile quantity 63, confirming the workforce’s robust kind seen in the USA. Within the second row, the 2 McLaren drivers are positioned, sensing that the Constructors’ Championship is changing into extra inside attain, partly as a result of Ferrari not being at their greatest however nonetheless hoping to recuperate with race tempo proven in the course of the Dash Race.
The result of the race is unsure, contemplating each the qualifying outcomes and, extra importantly, the Dash Race, which ended with a McLaren one-two end (Piastri forward of Norris, editor’s observe). Nevertheless, they had been unable to determine a major hole over the competitors, which stayed shut all through the race. Given this, and the difficult tire administration on a observe that locations loads of stress on the compounds, the race is anticipated to be unpredictable in its ultimate final result.
Earlier than diving into the small print of strategic predictions, let’s check out the tire decisions made by Pirelli for the twenty third spherical of the 2024 World Championship. In contrast to Las Vegas, the place the softer compounds had been launched, Pirelli has introduced the toughest tires of their vary: C1 laborious, C2 medium, and C3 smooth. Let’s instantly take a look at the tire units obtainable to the drivers.
Qatar GP 2024 – Technique: Single Cease Anticipated to Be Helpful
It ought to be famous that predicting workforce methods this 12 months has been significantly troublesome. Tires have typically been a puzzle, resulting in ways that diverged from what was anticipated on paper.
For the Losail Grand Prix, it is very important take into account the resurfacing of the curbs, that are decrease than final 12 months when many tire points arose because of the sharp edges of the curbs positioned on the outdoors of the corners, resulting in tires getting lower. This prompted a multi-stop technique final 12 months.
This 12 months, the difficulty has been resolved, and Pirelli’s engineers anticipate that one of the best tactic can be a single cease, beginning with the medium tire, which ought to final between 19 and 25 laps, adopted by a swap to the laborious tire to complete the race.
Except for the curbs, Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra highlighted that the general grip stage this 12 months is larger than final 12 months, stopping lateral sliding and untimely tire put on. The anticipated graining was lower than anticipated. This, mixed with decrease degradation, suggests {that a} single-stop technique would be the most advantageous.
In fact, there may be little information on the laborious tire, a compound not used in the course of the Dash Race and solely seen briefly throughout Friday’s sole follow session. The efficiency of this compound would be the deciding issue: if it performs effectively, a single cease can be viable; in any other case, different methods resembling a two-stop plan with two laborious tire stints after an preliminary medium stint could also be used.
There’s little expectation of using the smooth C3 tire, a compound that may result in extreme put on and speedy efficiency degradation. Whereas a number of drivers have a number of units of this compound (Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, and Esteban Ocon every have three obtainable), it’s unlikely that anybody will use it, particularly since overtaking at Losail is troublesome, and having to recuperate positions can be very disadvantageous.
The race can be held underneath the climate circumstances noticed within the previous days, with temperatures not too excessive however winds that would trigger points, with gusts anticipated at as much as 40 kilometers per hour. The drivers might want to handle these circumstances, particularly by means of medium- to high-speed corners.
Moreover, the wind tends to carry desert sand onto the observe, which doesn’t assist keep superb asphalt circumstances. This presents one other small problem, a further variable to contemplate within the troublesome equation that’s the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.
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