The Hungarian Grand Prix marked the first test of a new rule that reduced the number of tires available to drivers during the race. Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins explains the impact of this change.
As part of Formula 1’s ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental impact, the Alternative Tire Allocation (ATA) was introduced. This rule assigned each driver 11 sets of tires instead of the usual 13. While this may seem like a small change, it actually adds up to significant savings. Two sets per driver means eight individual tires per driver, which amounts to 160 tires in a single race weekend. If this reduction were implemented for a full 24-race schedule in 2024, it would save 3,840 tires over the season. This not only saves physical rubber, but also reduces manufacturing, transportation, and heating costs.
The reasoning behind this change is that most of the soft tires used in qualifying are not used during the race. Typically, they only complete one or two fastest laps before being discarded. By running some qualifying laps on harder or medium tires, which can remain useful throughout the race, the overall number of tires needed can be reduced.
The adjustments made for qualifying included running Q1 on hard tires, Q2 on medium tires, and Q3 on soft tires. Additionally, instead of returning two sets of tires after the first and second practice sessions, drivers were only required to return one set. These tires are physically sent back to tire supplier Pirelli for removal from the rims.
However, the impact of this reduced tire allocation was not fully seen in the Hungarian GP due to a wet FP1 session. Most drivers returned one medium and one soft set at the end of the Friday practice, leaving them with the same number of dry tires available for Saturday as in a standard weekend.
During qualifying, there was a surprise lack of progress from George Russell, but it is unclear whether this was due to the tire test or not. The teams had to learn how to get the best out of the harder tires on the fly, as only Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Haas, and AlphaTauri had used hard tires in practice. Mercedes took an additional lap in the garage, resulting in significant traffic during their runs.
Russell and Lewis Hamilton both struggled in Q1 and needed to nail their second runs to progress to Q2. However, they were among the last to leave the garage, leaving them at risk of encountering traffic or a red flag. Russell lost positions during his final lap and failed to make it to Q2, resulting in a disappointing outcome.
Overall, the ATA rule change for the Hungarian Grand Prix did not seem to have significant disadvantages for qualifying or the race from a strategic standpoint. The drivers ended up with additional usable sets of tires, which can be advantageous. However, the true effects of this change with a completely dry session are still unknown, as FP1 was wet in Hungary.
In conclusion, the reduced tire allocation for the Hungarian Grand Prix aimed to reduce the environmental impact of Formula 1. While the full impact of this change was not seen due to weather conditions, it provided drivers with additional usable sets of tires. However, the precise effects of this rule change on qualifying and the race are still to be fully understood.
—————————————————-
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| 90’s Rock Band Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Nature’s Secret to More Energy | View |
| Ancient Recipe for Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| You Need a VPN in 2023 – Liberty Shield | View |
The Hungarian Grand Prix saw the first test of a reduction in the number of tires drivers have at their disposal for the race, and new rules on which tires they had to use during each qualifying segment. But how did this judgment affect the outcome of the weekend? Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins explains all…
Alternative Tire Allocation (ATA) is part of F1’s ongoing attempt to reduce the series’ environmental impact. The ATA saw that each driver assigned 11 sets of tires instead of the normal 13. This sounds like a small change, but it really adds up: two sets per driver equals eight individual tires per driver, and therefore 160 tires in a single race weekend.
READ MORE: Net Zero Carbon: How Formula 1 will meet this ambitious goal by 2030
If this were possible for a 24-race schedule in 2024, 3,840 tires would be saved over the season. Not only physical rubber is saved, but also manufacturing, transportation and heating costs.
The theory behind the change centered on the fact that most of the soft tires used in qualifying are not used during the race, so they only complete one or two fastest laps before being discarded.
Whereas if some qualifying laps were run on hard or medium tyres, the short number of laps completed during qualifying would allow these to remain useful throughout the race.
So qualifying was adjusted to force the drivers to run Q1 on hard tyres, Q2 on mediums and Q3 on softs. The additional changes involved requiring the return of only one set of tires per driver after the first and second practice, instead of the normal two.
Tire return involves physically sending these kits to Pirelli for removal from the rims. In Budapest, due to a wet FP1 session, we didn’t see the full effect of this development. Most drivers returned one medium and one soft set at the end of Friday. This left drivers with the same number of dry tires available for Saturday as a standard weekend.
For qualifying, the standard race plan was two sets of hard tires in Q1, two sets of medium tires in Q2 and two sets of soft in Q3. The big surprise in Q1 was George Russell’s lack of progress, but was it down to the tire test or not? Let’s dive into that now.
READ MORE: 5 winners and 5 losers of the Hungarian Grand Prix: who did the deal in Budapest?
Prior to qualifying, only Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Haas and AlphaTauri had used hard tires in practice, so expectations for the other six teams in Q1 were set based on historical data or interpolation from softer compounds. Therefore, these teams had to learn how to get the best out of the tire on the fly.
While the majority of the field (16 drivers) left the pit lane within the first minute and 20 seconds of Q1, Mercedes waited another 45 seconds and were the penultimate team on track, ahead only of Williams.
Williams only completed three timed laps in the first race; push, cool, push. While both Mercedes attempted an additional fresh lap that would reduce the available garage time between races.
This extra time in the garage at the start of Q1 saw both cars face significant traffic during the race.
The graph below shows Russell’s speed tracking on his first lap (blue) and his second lap (red) of his first race in Q1. The graph shows that the time on both laps is very similar until he made a mistake on his second lap at Turn 7, and then aborted the lap at Turn 11.
Similarly, his teammate Lewis Hamilton aborted the second flying lap in the first set, but doing so early allowed himself more time in the garage.
These poor final laps in the first race of Q1 for both Mercedes meant they needed to nail their second runs to progress to Q2, with Russell running P13 and Hamilton P17 while others started their final runs on fresh tyres. However, again Mercedes was among the last to leave the garage for one last try.
This brings a lot of risks: being last on the track leaves you at risk of a red flag or others aborting a lap or making a mistake ahead. More importantly, the best qualifying lap in Budapest is achieved with a good gap to the car in front (more than five seconds). Any traffic will be detrimental to the lap time.
Both Mercedes left the garage together and during the lap they overtook three drivers also in a preparation lap: Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri and Lance Stroll. In the final corners the field piled up and Hamilton, as the car in front, was able to open a 5.4sec gap to Charles Leclerc without losing to the others behind.
Russell, however, began to lose positions with respect to the group with Valtteri Bottas, Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly. The most damaging of them was Gasly, who overtook in the last corner. At this point Gasly was safe in P8, however Russell in P14 was not.
Russell managed to make a 2.6sec gap to Gasly, but doing so compromised his run into Turn 1 (as you can see in the graphic above, which shows the gaps at Turns 13, the penultimate turn, and 14, the final turn).
The graph below shows Russell’s speed tracking in the first race (blue) and the second race (red) in Q1.
ICYMI: Hollywood Trends, Ice Baths and Shattered Dreams – It’s Hungary’s Best Social Network
You can see over the two laps that Russell has immediately lost speed at the start line and 0.1 seconds of lap time into Turn 1. Over the next two corners, Russell loses more time due to the proximity of Gasly in front for a total of 0.27 seconds.
From Turn 4 onwards, Russell slowly makes up this time due to track improvement, but only enough to match the previous lap, not enough to progress to Q2.
Without the time lost between the start of the lap and Turn 4, Russell would have been 0.27sec quicker and therefore would have made it into Q2 in P12.
Also, Russell crossed the line with 36 seconds left on the clock, so with better management in the final section, he could have allowed the cars to pass, but still would have made a gap to the car in front and the flag.
A perfect storm of lack of hard tire knowledge, poor track positioning for the first and then second race, and losing to Gasly in the final corner before his fastest lap cost Russell a place in Q2. So his lack of progress was not due to the tire test.
HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from a tense Hungarian GP as Verstappen and Red Bull make history
In general, in the ATA, from a strategy point of view, I don’t see many disadvantages for qualifying or the race, as the drivers end up with further usable sets of tyres, but one caveat: since FP1 was wet in Hungary, we don’t know what the effect of ATA would have been with a dry session.
It may be that the team and drivers would have run less anyway to save their tyres, which could mean less action on track for the fans, but we would need a completely dry weekend to confirm that.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.strategy-unpacked-did-the-new-tyre-allocation-trial-cause-russells-q1-exit.3MXM4MjFBThqaNFlVWJuDX.html
—————————————————-