Tyre strategy

[Marbot]

Just in case you were wondering who was doing what with their tyres.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/57469

[BootsOntheSide]

Finishing on the softer tyres, so as not to be disadvantaged by them while the race is particularly active, was very much the standard. I guess it will vary each time as to whether the softer or harder set is optimal.

[FPV GTHO]

Personally i expected better long run performance from the soft tyres. All during the off season, we kept hearing from Bridgestone that all the compounds would be comparatively harder than last years, yet they still behaved in a typical soft/hard compound relationship. Perhaps its the construction theyve gone back to....

But yes i agree with Boots, some races (like i expected Albert Park to be) the harder tyres will simply have less grip and last longer, whilst other times the softer tyres will only be good for a few laps (which was actually what happened on the weekend..).

Probably not the suspense some people had hoped would result with the introduction of the rule, although i suppose there's going to be more than 1-2 strategies out there for a few rounds.

[Red]

Harder tyre doesn't always mean that they'll last longer. Because of the lesser grip the cars tend to slide more in corners, lock the wheels under braking or spin under throttle (even with the traction control). On smooth tracks they actually wear faster than soft ones.