Mercedes behind Ferrari when it comes to strategising in Formula One

The world champions are no match for Ferrari’s speed of thought, writes Graham Caygill.

Nico Rosberg of Mercedes-GP finishing second, left, and Sebastian Vettel have had close battles in the 2015 Formula One season. Vladimir Rys / Getty Images

In the early 1990s, Williams were the dominant force in Formula One, winning successive drivers’ and constructors’ titles in 1992 and 1993 with 20 wins and 30 pole positions in 32 races.

They had the quickest car, on raw speed, in 1994 and 1995, yet only won 12 of 33 races and were beaten to the drivers’ title both years by Benetton’s Michael Schumacher.

Williams’ undoing, ultimately, was strategy.

They were continually out-thought on the pit wall by Benetton, and in hindsight it was clear that Williams had become so used to being dominant they had got out of the practice of creative thinking.

When you are that far ahead of your rivals, as Williams were in 1992 and 1993, all you had to worry about was getting the car home.

Benetton, with a genius in Schumacher behind the wheel, were able to get close enough to Williams to be able to capitalise on the British team’s poor strategy calls when they actually had competition.

Fast forward two decades to this season, and twice in the first six races Mercedes-GP have bungled strategy calls.

At Malaysia in March the team chose to pit after only three laps, due to a safety car period, a move that lost them the race to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

And two weeks ago, at Monte Carlo, the team made the bizarre decision to pit Lewis Hamilton, who had led throughout, late in the race during another safety car period in the errant belief he had a big enough lead to get back out still in front.

He did not as he lost track position to teammate Nico Rosberg and to Vettel and a race he had dominated for the opening 65 laps, ultimately finishing in third.

Mercedes, for the second successive season, have the fastest car in F1, with a raw pace advantage in qualifying of up to half a second a lap.

With the unreliability in their machinery that hindered them on occasions in 2014 having yet to rear its head, they have won five of the six races, claiming pole in all of them.

Hamilton and Rosberg are first and second in the drivers’ championship, so in fairness the German manufacturers are still getting most things right.

Where Mercedes have stumbled is when races have become complex with safety car periods. In Australia, China, Bahrain and Spain, where the races have been straight forward, Mercedes have triumphed.

Ferrari have improved considerably following their worst season in 21 years in 2014 when they failed to win a race, and while they are not a match for Mercedes on speed, they are close enough that they can capitalise on errors and pressure them, as they did in Malaysia and Monaco. Mercedes appear out of practice at making the right decisions in the heat of battle after having things their own way for so long, and despite the fact he has not had the speed to fight Mercedes, Vettel has twice finished ahead of Hamilton this season and is only 28 points behind the 2014 world champion in the standings.

Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix will be a tough test for Mercedes.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is notorious for having several safety car periods, with seven of the past 10 races in Montreal having had at least one occasion for the safety car being out.

The long straights will suit Mercedes and they should again be the fastest package, but they must be prepared for some fast-thinking on Sunday with their strategy if they are to avoid more bad calls.

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