Baku strategy analysis: Charles Leclerc loses 3s in pit lane, lap-by-lap comparison with Oscar Piastri

09/16/2024 09:36 AM

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, strategy-wise, went exactly as expected. There were some incidents, especially at the end of the race, that significantly influenced the result, but here we will focus on something else. We will talk about how Charles Leclerc lost position to Oscar Piastri and the incredible performance of Lando Norris.

Norris’s final position was definitely affected by a poor qualifying session yesterday, but looking at his overall performance in the race, Lando was without equal.

The strategy recap
First of all, it's fair to recap the strategies used. Most of the drivers opted for a Medium-Hard one-stop strategy, with only slight differences in the length of the initial stint. Using this strategy were race winner Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Alonso, Colapinto, Hamilton, Bearman, Hülkenberg, and Bottas.

On the other competitive strategy of Hard-Medium were Norris, Albon, and Zhou. Of the three, only the Sauber driver didn't finish in the points. Norris managed to make the most of the advantage of switching to the C4 yellow tires in the final stint, handling the C3s very well.

Gasly, Ricciardo, and Ocon decided to run the entire race on Hard, waiting for a Safety Car. The three took advantage of the Virtual Safety Car, triggered by the collision between Perez and Sainz, to switch to Soft tires and make their mandatory stop. They all finished outside the top 10. Verstappen was the only driver to finish with two stops, switching to Soft under VSC, using the M-H-S strategy.

Retirements for Sainz, Perez, Stroll, and Tsunoda.

Pit stops decide the battle between Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc (lap-by-lap details)
Starting from pole, Charles did an excellent job in the opening laps, managing to keep the lead, fend off attacks from Piastri, and manage the Medium tires. Oscar stayed close behind the Monegasque until lap 6, but then gradually started to struggle with his tires, and the gap between them widened, reaching its peak on lap 16. When Oscar pitted to switch from the C4 Mediums to the C3 Hards, Leclerc had a 6-second advantage over the Australian.

Here are the final three laps of the pair: 1'48''090 (13th lap), 1'48''461 (14th), 1'48''831 (15th), 1'49''900 (16th) for Leclerc. 1'48''948 (13th), 1'49''194 (14th), 1'49''577 (15th), 1'53''511 (Box entry-16th) for Piastri.

On lap 17, Leclerc changed tires, taking 1'53''844 for his in-lap. Meanwhile, Piastri completed his out-lap behind Albon in 2'03''253. However, when exiting the pit lane, Leclerc had a margin of about 0.8 seconds over Alexander, who was 0.4 seconds ahead of Piastri. The previous 6-second advantage was reduced to a mere 1.2 seconds after the pit stop. Leclerc lost about 4.8 seconds, but where? He must have lost it in the pit lane since his in-lap was only 0.3 seconds slower than the Australian’s. From the TV footage, there didn't seem to be any particular problems during the stop, but it was during this phase that Charles lost those 4.5 seconds. Hmmm…

Leclerc's out-lap on the 18th lap was recorded at 2'06''071, which compared to Oscar's 2’03”253 is about 3 seconds slower. Additionally, Piastri, despite having to pass Albon, clocked 1'48''556 (18th lap), about 1.5 seconds faster than Leclerc's 16th lap, explaining the 4.5 seconds lost during the stop. Something must have happened in the pit lane. Something that caused Charles to lose 3 seconds to his rival (this is the exact time lost in the pit lane). A longer pit stop, an uncertain restart…

Those three seconds would have been very useful in the subsequent battle on Hard tires. Oscar managed to bring the white tires up to temperature quickly, and by using the undercut to close in on the Ferrari, he was able to take advantage of Charles’ early struggles and launch an attack to take the lead. A lead the Australian would defend fiercely until lap 45. Charles then experienced tire issues, allowing Oscar to cruise to victory with a bit more ease.

Of course, Piastri, having a clear track, was able to manage his tires better than his rival. The struggle Leclerc faced was due to the fact that he had to run about 30 laps in critical conditions, constantly in Piastri's slipstream, without even being able to pull away for a moment to give his tires a breather, as Perez was right behind, ready to capitalize on any mistake. Leclerc's frustration is understandable, but perhaps the only way to win today would have been to take the initiative and pit before Piastri. Not an easy decision when leading the race.

McLaren's rear wing flexes too
In terms of performance, McLaren certainly found something on the straights. At the end of the race, Matteo Bobbi also pointed out during the ‘Sky Sport F1’ broadcast that, besides having a very flexible front wing, the Woking team also has an equally flexible rear wing that significantly reduces drag on the straights, even when the DRS is not in use. This explains why Charles was unable to pass Lando, despite benefiting from the rear wing for almost every lap he was behind him.

Norris’s race, the best on the track
While Verstappen had an unusual race, dealing with his car's problems (he also complained about porpoising on the radio), Lando Norris delivered an outstanding performance, finishing P4 ahead of Max despite starting from 15th.

Norris built his comeback in the first part of the race, managing the Hard tires. Unable to pass Albon, Lando decided to follow the Thai driver without stressing his tires too much. He wisely avoided staying too often in the DRS zone. Once Alex pitted around lap 31, Lando decided to push, managing to lap on Hard tires fitted at the start of the race, at the same pace as Piastri, Leclerc, and Perez. Sometimes even a few tenths faster. On lap 38, with 14 laps still to go, he decided to pit for Medium tires.

He rejoined the race in P7, behind Verstappen, with a 15-second gap to Max. Lapping at an average pace 1.5 seconds faster than his rival, by lap 48, Lando had closed the gap completely, and once he caught the Red Bull, he passed it at the first opportunity (on lap 49).

His stint on Mediums started with an attacking lap of 1'45''662 and ended on lap 50, with the VSC coming out, at 1'45''626. His best, which also earned him the additional point, was 1'45''255. Just to put it in perspective, Piastri’s best personal lap was 1'47''060.

The leading trio were more or less lapping at the same times. Perhaps Piastri’s strategy was to force Leclerc and Perez to maintain a pace that didn't allow them to manage their tires properly. Supporting this theory is the return of Sainz and Russell toward the front in the final laps. A factor that contributed to the collision between Perez and Carlos. Even Verstappen, despite his issues, was lapping faster than the leading group at around 1'46''.

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