The Battle for Suzuka: Teams Prepare for a Tricky Tyre Management Task
As the teams took to the track for the final practice session at Suzuka, all eyes were on their long run performances. With the abrasive track surface and cooler spring temperatures, tyre management would be crucial for success in Sunday’s race.
Kosport Magazine was on the ground to witness the action and here’s what we saw.
Red Bull and Ferrari, the two leading teams this season, had similar run plans that caught our attention. After Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko called out Charles Leclerc’s FP1 long run as “a bit irritating”, the Scuderia once again showed impressive pace. Leclerc’s average over a 13-lap stint on the medium tyres was 1m36.204s, just 0.482s faster than Red Bull’s best long run on the same tyre.
But Mercedes had a different approach. George Russell completed a 14-lap race simulation from the start of FP3, with an average of 1m35.301s. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s mid-FP3 long run on the soft tyres showed a significant drop in pace towards the end.
McLaren also tried the soft tyres for a race simulation, with Oscar Piastri’s average coming in at 1m36.975s. Aston Martin, on the other hand, opted for hard tyres for both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s long runs.
The variation in run plans across the teams makes it difficult to determine the true long run performance. But based on the data and Pirelli’s comments, it seems like there could be some interesting race strategy variations on Sunday.
Summary: Tyre Management Key for Success at Suzuka
As the teams completed their long runs in the final practice session at Suzuka, it became clear that tyre management would be crucial for success in Sunday’s race. Red Bull and Ferrari showed impressive pace, while Mercedes and McLaren had different approaches. With the variation in run plans, it’s difficult to determine the true long run performance, but it seems like there could be some interesting race strategy variations on Sunday. Stay tuned to Kosport Magazine for all the latest updates from the Battle for Suzuka.
