Wolff on Verstappen's tyre choice: "Gonna be hard to keep your position"
19:30, 08 Aug 2020
6 Comments
Max Verstappen is the only driver from the field who made the choice to drive on the hard tyre in the second part of qualifying. Because of this, he will start the race tomorrow using this compound. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff calls it a big gamble for the Dutchman.
Loss of positions at the start
"When you start on the hard tyre, it becomes very difficult to hold your position. If it really goes wrong, he even loses some positions and then it becomes very difficult," Wolff said to Sky Sports F1.
"You don't get a strategic advantage until those tyres hold out for a very long time. Then you can stop late. Or when the safety car comes out and you don't go in for a pit stop", the Austrian continues.
Big gamble
According to Wolff, the choice of Red Bull Racing and Verstappen to start on the hardest tyre on Sunday is a huge gamble. "For me, these are outsider strategies. But they're further away, so they have to take the gamble."
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RBR is waving the "white" flag of surrender to Mercedes..although a gamble..the shear talent this young man possesses could pull this off..it's worth the gamble as Adrian's chassis's still a puzzle yet to be figured out...
Max only has to try keeping Daniel behind him at the start to keep from losing places. Stroll and Gasly are not going to be challenging him to get pass.
That's true Mech.
The start is very important in this race.
Using your tyres aggressively early on in the race will destroy them, so Max has to play the waiting game. Eventually he will pass the Hulk.
It doesn't matter who says it... it matters what he says.
I don't like Toto behaviour, but when he says the right things, he's right.
That is exactly my explanation too.
The only advantage with an early safety car is not coming in. That gives you track position. But track position cannot be a bulwark against Mercedes because they are too fast.
The gamble is that they will fall backwards into the clasp of the HULK
Without a safety car the Mercedes will run and hide, building a pitstop.gap.
Where is the advantage?
There's no advantage, unless "mighty Max" takes the lead of the race, whose fact has nearly zero chances to happen.