David O'Reilly
A bad quali means I can go forwards in the race.
Safety Car Tyre Strategy Windows
When the SC comes out you have a chance for a free pit stop and tyre strategy change.
Unless you are leading the race on fresh tyres or have rubber to make it to the end you essentially need to pit. If you don’t and someone pits and rejoins behind you they will pass you when your worn tyres need replacing. So to take the tactical advantage you need to be ready to pit and change your planned tyre strategy.
It works like this:
Say you are at Spa in a 75% race (33 laps) and planning a Prime/Opt/Opt strategy. Options are good for 10 fast laps and maximum say 14. Primes 16-20.
Safety Car at lap 8 on your prime stint, (25 laps left) You can pit early and try for opt/opt (pushing tyre performance to the limit a little) or grab more primes for an easy Prime/ Opt over the remaining 25 laps.
EDIT: (or take options and see if they get you to an options window for the last stop) Either way you get a free pit stop rejoining the pack.
Preparation:
Pre Race have a note (I use a post it next to my wheel) ready of the tyre combinations that will get you to the races end. It is simply a case of knowing tyre endurance and mixing and matching backwards from the end of the race ensuring both tyre types are used.
Some of these windows will already be pit stop windows so just do as planned in those ones. So in the above example race and with a prime starting tyre and race strategy of
Start Prime, Lap 13 Opt, Lap 23 Opt
Safety car tyre strategy windows.
Lap 6-8 change to Prime / Opt
Lap 10-13 (planned stop) Opt/Opt
Lap 17-20 Primes
Lap 21-23 (planned stop) opt.
Or!: I guess looking at the above the rule of thumb is that if you are half way into a stint you can grab primes and drop a stop. Near your window stop early and take planned tyres.
Hope this helps.
PS Whatever you do while you are figuring all this out in your head dont so much as even touch the safety car its an immediate black flag! oops
When the SC comes out you have a chance for a free pit stop and tyre strategy change.
Unless you are leading the race on fresh tyres or have rubber to make it to the end you essentially need to pit. If you don’t and someone pits and rejoins behind you they will pass you when your worn tyres need replacing. So to take the tactical advantage you need to be ready to pit and change your planned tyre strategy.
It works like this:
Say you are at Spa in a 75% race (33 laps) and planning a Prime/Opt/Opt strategy. Options are good for 10 fast laps and maximum say 14. Primes 16-20.
Safety Car at lap 8 on your prime stint, (25 laps left) You can pit early and try for opt/opt (pushing tyre performance to the limit a little) or grab more primes for an easy Prime/ Opt over the remaining 25 laps.
EDIT: (or take options and see if they get you to an options window for the last stop) Either way you get a free pit stop rejoining the pack.
Preparation:
Pre Race have a note (I use a post it next to my wheel) ready of the tyre combinations that will get you to the races end. It is simply a case of knowing tyre endurance and mixing and matching backwards from the end of the race ensuring both tyre types are used.
Some of these windows will already be pit stop windows so just do as planned in those ones. So in the above example race and with a prime starting tyre and race strategy of
Start Prime, Lap 13 Opt, Lap 23 Opt
Safety car tyre strategy windows.
Lap 6-8 change to Prime / Opt
Lap 10-13 (planned stop) Opt/Opt
Lap 17-20 Primes
Lap 21-23 (planned stop) opt.
Or!: I guess looking at the above the rule of thumb is that if you are half way into a stint you can grab primes and drop a stop. Near your window stop early and take planned tyres.
Hope this helps.
PS Whatever you do while you are figuring all this out in your head dont so much as even touch the safety car its an immediate black flag! oops
