The 2013 F1 season kicks off this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Testing indicates that it will be close, but also that managing tyre degradation will be of paramount importance. So here is our guide to the considerations the teams will make when deciding the all important strategy for qualifying and the race. Track characteristics Albert Park Circuit; 5.303 kilometres. Race distance: 58 laps = 307.574 kilometres; 16 corners in total, none particularly fast. Aerodynamic setup – Medium/high downforce. Top speed 318km/h (with Drag Reduction System on rear wing) – 308km/h without. Full throttle – 65% of More…

The outlook for the Italian Grand Prix is very interesting, with signs that the key to the race will be for teams to gamble on getting to the finish without over stressing the front right tyre. Monza is a one stop race, always has been because the pit lane time is long, due to the fact that the cars staying on track are travelling very quickly. A one stop strategy this year looks like it is 10 seconds faster than a two stop. However the other problem with Monza is that the temperature of the inside shoulder of the front More…

The Canadian Grand Prix was the most exciting race of the season, but also one of the most interesting tactically. There were some important decisions to be made in qualifying which affected the way teams tackled the first part of the race, but there were also big decisions to be taken during the race, reacting to events. It was clear from Friday practice that the tyres were going to be a big problem in Montreal. They grained very badly and the rears were degrading very quickly. Drivers found that once they started to go, the performance dropped very quickly. There More…