Post-Race Analysis: Germany 2020 — A Podium for Ricciardo and a Tattoo for Abiteboul
By: Ekagra Gupta
Tags: F1, Strategy, Data Visualization, Formula 1, 2020

Unfortunately for Norris, power unit issues spelled the end of his podium campaign. However, for Perez and Sainz, they were suddenly in contention as they were consistently clawing back the gap from Ricciardo between Laps 29 to 43 as shown in Figure 4 above. This combined with the lap delta information between Laps 29–43 in Figure 2 previously reveals that Ricciardo was losing between 0.2–1.0 seconds a lap to Sainz and/or Perez. At Lap 43, the gap to Perez was under 10 seconds and if Perez could manage the relative pace, he would have been challenging Ricciardo within 10 to 15 laps.

However, yellow flags and a full course safety car on Lap 45 gave Ricciardo a lifeline and placed the difficult position back with Racing Point and Mclaren. Had Perez not pitted under the safety car, then he would face a similar tyre disadvantage that Ricciardo faced. Under this circumstance, Ricciardo would likely have been able to make the overtake and secure the podium (of course there is always a chance that this may not have happened). Taking the option to pit neutralizes the tyre situation and allows for a straight fight as the race returns to green flag conditions. This is the route Racing Point took — and it nearly paid off. Perez took the fight to Ricciardo through the Turn 1 to Turn 4 complex but wasn’t able to make the move stick.

Despite this, Figures 2 and 4 from Lap 49 onwards show that it was a very close fight between the Racing Point and Renault. It would have only taken one mistake from either driver to throw it all away. So whilst retirements and safety cars were essential for Ricciardo’s successful drive, it was by no means an autopilot achievement. In a similar fashion to Pierre Gasly in Monza this year, Ricciardo held his own against the pressure and delivered a faultless drive from start to finish. Never forget, you need to be in the right place at the right time to make the most of good fortune.

Notable Mentions

It was another wild weekend for hometown hero Nico Hulkenberg who was filling in for an unwell Lance Stroll. With even less notice than both British Grand Prix, Hulkenberg was only able to garner 8 laps of the Nurburgring before Sunday’s race. A qualifying result of P20 may not look impressive, but for a driver who’s only seen three qualifying sessions this year with a largely unfamiliar car, it was impressive that he was able to get up to speed with even P19. Despite starting back of the grid, the German was able to deliver an immense recovery drive to finish P8. This becomes another glowing performance for Hulkenberg as he manages negotiations to return to the sport next year.

In a change of pace, Romain Grosjean also delivered a stellar drive after suffering from a finger injury due to loose gravel on the track. The Frenchman performed an unlikely yet successful one-stop strategy — benefitting from the surprisingly good pace from the hard compound tyre. The not-pitting under the safety car was crucial in establishing track position, and Grosjean delivered the goods by managing the threats from behind. Good strategy and a good drive came together to give Haas some much-needed points.

Not So Notable Mentions

Whilst largely out of his control, a power unit issue saw the end of Bottas’ Eifel Grand Prix. And whilst this would usually draw sympathy, a brutal lock-up into turn 1 whilst leading the race was the unforced error that saw him lose his lead and take a forced pitstop. It is debatable whether he would have been able to take the fight back to Hamilton without the retirement. Nevertheless, it is difficult to afford such mistakes — especially when Lewis Hamilton rarely does when in the same situation. Furthermore, Bottas’ gap to Max Verstappen in the championship is small once you remember that Verstappen has had 3 DNFs in the season.

It was also a weekend to forget for Albon who had a series of blunders including lock-ups accidents and almost accidents before a power unit issue also forced the British-Thai driver to retire. Whilst qualifying in P5, his gap back to his teammate was still large and his weekend performance was not one to silence the critics.

Watchpoints for the Next Grand Prix

It is sad to say it but the championship battle appears all but locked up baring a miracle. Bottas’ retirement allowed Hamilton to extend his lead by a clean 25 points. On a more optimistic note, the performance differential between Mercedes and has reduced over recent races — with big strides coming from Red Bull at the Eifel Grand Prix. This could bode well for coming races and give fans a potential fight for race wins.

Potential mid-field podiums are still on the cards and the battle for the best of the rest is as good as it has ever been. With F1 racing at more non-standard tracks, there is still excitement to be found in the remaining race weekends for the year. And let’s not forget the anticipation of Cyril Abiteboul’s famous tattoo.

Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear your thoughts.