Monaco Grand Prix 2016, Monte Carlo - Race 6/21

Caporegime
Joined
28 Feb 2004
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74,822
They all did, the operating temp really doesn't mean all that much, it's the window. In colder conditions a tire with a wider working range is what is needed. Ultras, supersofts and mediums have narrow working ranges by design, soft and medium have a higher working range. So you get to say 110C the softs and hards would already be in the working range and do fine right up to 130C, but the ultras want say 125-135C, the softs hit 110C way before the ultras were hitting 125C.

Hamilton had a 101 second outlap, Perez and Ricciardo were about a 94, Hamilton's second lap was a 90 or so.

Ultra was in every way the worst choice for the conditions, Monaco is about track position, outlap/undercut is the primary way to overtake, after that only lasting to the end matters at all. Ultra's being the worst for both factors where soft would mean a far quicker outlap, the best undercut you're going to get and the best/easiest to push on for a longer stint. Ultra's dropped out of the window just dropping to VSC pace each time and with a tiny bit of rain at the end hurt Rosberg more as well. If Rosberg was on softs or supersofts he'd not have lost the place at the end.

If Ricciardo didn't have a terrible pitstop the call for ultras would have cost Merc a 1st and 6th place finish.


Surely Hamilton went Ultra because he/the team were expecting Ricciardo in on the next lap so when in theory Ricciardo came out slightly ahead of Hamilton , then Hamilton would already be up to temp and have a gripper Tyre to hopefully out brake and cut inside Ricciardo somewhere.

Luckily or unluckily depending on how you see it Red Bull messed up the stop so Ricciardo ended up coming out behind Hamilton anyway.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 May 2010
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Englishman in the USA
Yeah, I think he was watching a different race.

Surely Ricciardo's drive was superior as he was able to qualify pole and keep with a car that is in a different league. He would have disappeared off into the distance if Red Bull had got him out in front.
 
Caporegime
Joined
8 Mar 2007
Posts
37,146
Location
Surrey
Yeah, I think he was watching a different race.

Surely Ricciardo's drive was superior as he was able to qualify pole and keep with a car that is in a different league. He would have disappeared off into the distance if Red Bull had got him out in front.

For the part of the race where they were equal (same tyres, life, etc) Hamilton was about half a second faster than Ricciardo. The rest of the time the differences in their pace was down to multiple factors like tyres and traffic, etc.
 
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