GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Race strategy on a knife-edge in 2011

Race strategy on a knife-edge in 2011

Making the right call on pit stop strategy will be crucial this season © Getty Images

Deciding when to pit could dramatically swing races this year as strategy looks set to take on a whole new importance in 2011.

Drivers have continued to report high levels of degradation at this week's Barcelona test with the speed difference between one lap and the next being measured in large chunks of time. Vitaly Petrov reported on Wednesday that when the tyres start to lose lap time they do not come back as the Bridgestones were known to do, and the drop off can be very dramatic.

"In one lap it [the degradation] is getting to half a second, then one and a half seconds and then two seconds and then three seconds," he said. "If you decide to come in [to the pits] one lap later you could lose two seconds and those that come in one lap earlier will have some advantage."

All this means strategy will be on a knife edge, with teams having no margin for error when making the decision to bring their driver in for a fresh set of tyres.

Typically drivers have been able to do 15-16 relatively consistent laps of the Circuit de Catalunya this week on the same set of tyres, depending on compound. Petrov believes the teams on the pit wall will have a tough time making the right call.

"With strategy we know what to do, but whoever makes a good decision to come in earlier or stay longer... it will be quite a tricky decision," he added. "Today we tried to stay out quite long but you are nowhere, three or four seconds away."

Mark Webber agrees there will be a more opportunities to make mistakes, but expects the teams to get on top of their strategies fairly quickly.

"Strategy has always played a role," he said. "But yes there are a lot more opportunities to screw things up, unquestionably. Actually, in a bizarre sort of way, if we raced here tomorrow and you had a dry grand prix there wouldn't be many surprises. We know what's probably going to come our way and we just have to get ready for that. It's just in relation to what everybody else does that your strategy might be a surprise."

And Kamui Kobayashi predicts some "very strange" moments in the coming season.

"We can maybe see a Hispania overtaking a Red Bull, it's funny no? But I think it's possible," he said. "If the Red Bull has very old hard tyres and the Hispania has new super-softs tyres, I think it will overtake even though he is a backmarker. It is nice to see, but I think for spectators they will be confused."

Pirelli have been taking the comments on board, and in response to some concerns they have announced that they will supply an 'extra hard' compound tyre for the Turkish Grand Prix in May. Tyre wear is high at the Istanbul Park circuit, especially through the multi-apex turn 8. Auto Motor und Sport report that the drivers will get the opportunity to test the compound during Friday practice at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Credit: ESPN F1 (en.espnf1.com)