STRATEGY UNPACKED: Bernie Collins dissects the red flag dilemma facing the teams in Melbourne

Apr 04, 2023 4:02pm UTC

Former Aston Martin Head of Race StrategyBernie Collins

Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso and other drivers line up in the pit lane during a

Safety Cars and red flag stoppages characterised the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. How did teams react and why? Who won and lost? The optimum strategy pre-race was believed to a one-stop strategy using the medium and hard tyres. However, rain during FP2 meant that teams did not have the good read on tyre performance…

Albon’s crash on Lap 7 at Turn 7 provided a big decision for the teams. Should they stop at this Safety Car and fit a hard tyre? That would save them stopping again before the end of the race. The Safety Car saves around 6s compared to a normal pit stop as the cars that remain on track are forced to drive move slowly, while the speed of a car through the pit lane is unaffected compared to a stop under green flag conditions.