Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
The Formula 2 field was split on which tyre compound to start on for last weekend’s sprint race at the Hungaroring, and drivers left their choice until the final moment.
Trident driver Richard Verschoor, who started on reversed-grid pole, was on-the-road winner and he opted for Pirelli’s hard tyres.
Virtuosi Racing’s Kush Maini did the same and finished 1.575 seconds behind him, but inherited victory after Verschoor was disqualified due to exceeding the permitted plank wear on his car, and ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins used soft compound tyres to finish third on the road behind them.
However none of the three had settled on their starting tyre until moments before the race began.
“As many times in F2, we had a long strategy meeting. But in the end, at least me, it was decided on the grid,” said Verschoor.
“My preferred tyre was for sure the prime [hard tyre]. Already yesterday I said it. But then this morning, you speak to some people in the paddock and then you start to realise ‘maybe they have different data and maybe they have different ideas about the softs how long they can go’.
“Last year, I think some people ran 24 laps on the soft in the feature race. So then we started thinking maybe we can make it. But then I did outlaps before the race and I felt so good on the hard tyre that it was basically my call to just stick with that tyre.”
Maini added: “We were going to decide on the grid. Obviously, when you start in front, you generally go for the tyre that’s going to get you off the line quicker. But like Richard said, as soon as I went out on the installation laps on both, I just felt so much more confident with the hard. And that’s what in the end made our decision.”
For Martins, he spent “hours and hours analysing data from last year from free practice” before making his decision and anticipated there would be soft-shod runners. He ended up being among them.
“It seems like you go one day you want to put the option [soft tyre], other day you want to to keep the prime. I think it’s all down to when you are on the grid, you see 50-50 and you just decide,” he said.
“I wasn’t feeling great on the outlap on the option. But I still believed that at some point when they will switch on, it is a bit quicker and better. Obviously, on the degradation not. But if you manage well at the start, and then you can make it in the [end]. I was, I think, the one that did 23 or 24 laps last year with the option. I felt with the weather conditions today and what we saw on data and analysis it was a good call.”