Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that the strategy for the Racing Bulls team was not good enough at the Chinese Grand Prix.
After Isack Hadjar started from seventh and Yuki Tsunoda from ninth, both drivers finished outside of the points. The former finished the race at the Shanghai International Circuit in 14th, whereas, Tsunoda crossed the line in 19th after his front wing broke and had to be replaced.
Marko believes that Racing Bulls should have had at least one of the drivers on a one-stop strategy. Speaking to Motorsport.com after the race, Marko explained:
“I would say one stop at least with one car they should have tried, and then we saw once they are in traffic, it’s very, very difficult to overtake. That ruined their race.
“I think at least for one point would have been possible because they were always with Antonelli, on the same pace.
“So their strategy people have to really go into it and make sure that the right decisions are done.”
Tsunoda ran into an issue on the 48th lap of the race where his front wing suddenly snapped, forcing him to pit for a replacement. Addressing the obscure moment, Marko added:
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“Yeah, so he didn’t hit anyone or so. Maybe something was on the road or a technical failure. I don’t know yet.”
Heading into the race, a two-stop strategy was expected to be the best option due to the resurfaced tarmac on the Shanghai International Circuit. However, the increased tyre degradation didn’t pose as much of a threat as anticipated. Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola had commented after qualifying yesterday:
“The graining on the left front tyre is still there. And the wear on the medium tyre is quite high for some teams. It was even towards the limit.
“Therefore, we expect that the best strategy tomorrow will be a two-stop: medium, hard and hard. Nobody has data on the hard tyre yet, but we do think that is the best approach.”
