63 replies to this topic

[scheivlak]

Euro GP 1999.

In retrospect, I'm sure Ferrari view their decision to send Irvine out with three wheels as somewhat of a miscalculation.

But McLaren got it even more wrong with Hakkinen that time - Ferrari at least gave Irvine dry weather tyres, if only three.......

Hakkinen got wet weather tyres when the sprinkle of rain had more or less already stopped. He struggled for a few laps and then had to change back again, which cost him far more time than Eddie. After those stops Mika was more than 35 seconds behind Irvine and it's amazing he finished ahead of him.

[TheThirdTenor1]

Euro GP 1999.

In retrospect, I'm sure Ferrari view their decision to send Irvine out with three wheels as somewhat of a miscalculation.

Likewise, Mclaren sending Hakkinen out on wets on a (relatively) dry track.

[TheThirdTenor1]

Singapore 2008, Renaults truely bizarre cheating and effective strategy cost Rosberg and Williams a win.

are you sure about that? I imagine if Piquet did not have his moment, then Massa would have cruised to a win (assuming the pit crew wouldn't make the same mistake in a non safety car situation). If Massa didn't win, i imagine it would have been Hamilton.

[Junky]

In the hayday of the Schumacher-Ferrari combo, you saw some weird tactics. Keep the wrong wet/intermediate tire on and guestimating it will only lose 1 second/lap during 15 laps of drying track, while with a pitstop, you would be way faster than other cars and thus negating the time lost in a pitstop. In the end he lost 4-5 seconds/lap and finally crashed out the race while defending.

Hungary 2006. It may have cost the title for Schumi. At that stage If they win some points towards Alonso, Ferrari and Schumi would kept the momentum until the end of the championship.

However, it's fair to say that Alonso was pretty much unlucky in that Grand Prix!

[George Costanza]

Hungary 2006. It may have cost the title for Schumi. At that stage If they win some points towards Alonso, Ferrari and Schumi would kept the momentum until the end of the championship.

However, it's fair to say that Alonso was pretty much unlucky in that Grand Prix!

If Schumacher just collected points for that GP, he probably would have won. But Japan 2006 was the heartbreaker.... He would have won the championship if he won Japan.

[bourbon]

They were reacting to Webber who had pitted the lap before, and who at that stage was second in the WDC standings to Alonso. Several cars lap times were dropping off at that stage due to a temporary tyre graining phase, which was mistakenly interpretted at the time as the tyres going off.

Webber's strategy was changed because he smacked the wall, not because of tyres or an attempted undercut or anything else. Didn't Ferrari have a tele? I realize they probably considered tyre wear and other factors, but it was as if they seriously didn't think that through very well.

It was a mistake, they were watching Webber too closely and didn't consider all the potential outcomes, in particular that other cars wouldn't pit, leaving Alonso stuck in traffic far behind Vettel, gifting him the title. However, it wasn't without logic, it wasn't incomprehensible.

Yeah it was. Webber had to pit. Alonso's pit was just nutty - so Ferrari's decision was bizarre, imo.

[SenorSjon]

Hungary 2006. It may have cost the title for Schumi. At that stage If they win some points towards Alonso, Ferrari and Schumi would kept the momentum until the end of the championship.

However, it's fair to say that Alonso was pretty much unlucky in that Grand Prix!

That was the race. It was a stupid mistake in a nerve-wrecking season.

[TonyK]

Malaysia 2013....the ultimate strategy based on false expectations...

[JRodrigues]

(possibly) Silverstone 2008. Ferrari by not changing Kimi's tires on first stop.

[SenorSjon]

(possibly) Silverstone 2008. Ferrari by not changing Kimi's tires on first stop.

In the same book, Malaysia 2008(?) Ferrari changing Kimi's tires in anticipation of rain that came to late (was that the Magnum race)?

[mnmracer]

(possibly) Silverstone 2008. Ferrari by not changing Kimi's tires on first stop.

In the same book, Malaysia 2008(?) Ferrari changing Kimi's tires in anticipation of rain that came to late (was that the Magnum race)?

A gamble on weather not working out is not "a bizarre strategy" in my book.

[scheivlak]

In the same book, Malaysia 2008(?) Ferrari changing Kimi's tires in anticipation of rain that came to late (was that the Magnum race)?

It was Malaysia 2009.
It was the most bizarre strategy I can remember!

However, you can't say they lost victory by that.

[TheThirdTenor1]

Webber's strategy was changed because he smacked the wall, not because of tyres or an attempted undercut or anything else. Didn't Ferrari have a tele? I realize they probably considered tyre wear and other factors, but it was as if they seriously didn't think that through very well.

Webber had to do something different strategy wise (just as he did in Singapore). He needed to pass Alonso and the Mclarens to get himself in a championship winning position, and he was not going to pass them on track.

[SenorSjon]

It was Malaysia 2009.
It was the most bizarre strategy I can remember!

However, you can't say they lost victory by that.

They certainly didn't win it. If it did rain, it was a stroke of genius (yadayadayada) and he could have won the race. Ferrari wasn't to fast that year though.