To date within the 2024 season the highest 5 groups (Purple Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin) have a comparatively comfy tempo benefit over the underside 5. Subsequently in a race with out incident or retirement there aren’t any factors on the desk for the decrease groups (Kick Sauber, RB, Haas, Williams and Alpine).
However on Saturday night time in Jeddah, the retirement of Lance Stroll on Lap 6 not solely triggered a Security Automotive but additionally left a invaluable point-scoring place up for grabs. Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins explains how Haas labored collectively as a group – and switched their plan mid-race – to make sure this single valuable level could be theirs…
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Haas certified with Kevin Magnussen in P13 and Nico Hulkenberg in P15 after an influence unit situation prevented any additional working throughout Q2. On race day, each vehicles gained off the road to run P12 and P14 within the first stint.
Having each began on the medium tyre – like the vast majority of the sphere – the clear technique was to stay on a one-stop and match the onerous tyre for the ultimate stint.
When the Security Automotive was deployed on Lap 7 to get better Stroll’s crashed automotive, it was the apparent option to take benefit and full a pit cease for the onerous tyre.
Nevertheless, for the 4 groups (McLaren, Mercedes, Haas and Sauber) with each vehicles working shut collectively on monitor, it was solely attainable to cease the primary automotive. Haas had solely three seconds between the vehicles at pit entry so elected to cease Magnussen because the lead automotive and for Hulkenberg to increase his stint.
After the Security Automotive deployment Hulkenberg was working P8 however but to cease, whereas Magnussen was P13 – which was actually a internet P11 as soon as these forward of him had stopped and emerged behind.
Subsequently at this level, Magnussen was nonetheless the perfect probability of Haas scoring factors. Nevertheless on Lap 16 Magnussen was given a 10-second time penalty for a collision with Alex Albon within the Williams. With this, any probability of Magnussen scoring factors was misplaced.
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Magnussen handed 10 second penalty for Albon contact
Haas needed to rethink the sport plan.
In Jeddah, the pit loss is 21 seconds and it’s also a troublesome monitor on which to overhaul. The group determined to change methods and attempt to use Magnussen to create a pit window for Hulkenberg.
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They began by giving Magnussen a goal lap time and by encouraging Hulkenberg to increase the stint so long as attainable, thus giving Magnussen sufficient time to open the wanted hole.
From Lap 22 onwards, Magnussen drove round two seconds off his attainable automotive tempo whereas holding others behind to create a pit window for Hulkenberg. By Lap 33 the hole was enough, and Hulkenberg stopped and emerged forward on monitor, taking the ultimate points-scoring place.
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So how did Magnussen handle to drive so slowly and never get overtaken? The chart under reveals a comparability throughout Hulkenberg (blue) and Magnussen (purple) on Lap 32.
It may be seen that Magnussen drives at very related pace to Hulkenberg in all places except for between Turns 4 and 12, dropping the entire obligatory two seconds on this part, the place it’s not possible for others to overhaul.
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Then with Haas’s robust straight-line pace, he was capable of defend positions on the straight even with out DRS.
Magnussen efficiently managed to defend this place for 11 laps with out DRS – though he did accumulate one other 10-second penalty for leaving the monitor and gaining benefit, however that was of no assist to these caught behind.
A point out should additionally go to the Haas pit crew. They managed to finish the sixth-fastest pit cease of the race at 3.03 seconds to make sure Hulkenberg didn’t lose any further time getting again on monitor – and due to this fact that the efforts of Magnussen weren’t wasted.
Related methods have been deployed up to now, however usually in Monaco or Singapore the place overtaking is much more troublesome. In Monaco in 2019, the McLaren of Lando Norris held up visitors to permit group mate Carlos Sainz to get a pit window.
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The one time I used to be ever capable of deploy such ways, the state of affairs was barely completely different. In Hungary 2018 – once I was at Drive India – realising that each our vehicles could be unable to attain, we elected to carry visitors with a purpose to permit our rivals McLaren a pit window.
We felt on the time that McLaren could be simpler to beat over the rest of the yr within the constructors’ championship than Renault and Toro Rosso, who we have been additionally combating with.
The Jeddah outcome for Haas was described by some as being like a win for the group – and with a single level sufficient to advertise them to P6 within the constructors’ standings, in a season when factors for the second half of the sphere are prone to be uncommon, it is simple to see why.
