Computer simulations are becoming an increasingly important part of Formula 1. Will Courtenay, chief strategist at Red Bull Racing, explains how the pit strategy was created in Abu Dhabi 2021.
Computer simulations are becoming an increasingly important part of Formula 1. Will Courtenay, chief strategist at Red Bull Racing, explains how the pit strategy was created in Abu Dhabi 2021.
We are now in the middle of the 2022 season, but there are still occasional thoughts about the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race. Max Verstappen won his first world title there on the last lap of the race.
The Dutchman opted for a new set of soft tires during the Safety Car period in the final stages, but his title rival Lewis Hamilton continued with his old hard tires. This allowed Verstappen to overtake the Briton on the last lap of the race.
Red Bull uses different data to make decisions about strategy. The simulations can help determine how many pit stops should be made, as well as the possible consequences of a Safety Car situation.
"When this happened in Abu Dhabi, the model was very clear: it showed that whatever Lewis Hamilton does, we have to do the opposite. So if he comes into the pits, we must not do that," Courtenay said in a conversation with The Telegraaf newspaper.
"I hope we can continue like this. And if he doesn't come into the pits, then we have to do that and try to overtake him with new tires. That's what we did and it worked," he concluded.