Ruth Buscombe
@RuthBuscombe • 28,616 subscribers
Strategy,Analyst & Presenter at F1🏎 Speaker🗣️ AWS Motorsports Technical Advisor & Brand Ambassador 🔗 to Strategy Newsletter in Bio👇Enquiries [email protected]
Videos
Mercedes calculated THIS?? 🤯 In the moment, it feels wrong. Box just before the Safety Car, lose the free stop, driver frustrated. But the numbers tell a different story. Lap 21: 22.s pit loss → 0.3s margin That is the limit. This was Russell’s last chance to pit under green. Wait one more lap, and he loses the position to Charles. So they pulled the trigger. Meanwhile, Antonelli? 22.6s and growing. Every lap he stayed out, the margin increased. The overcut was working. No need to react. Just trust the car. And a Pit Wall operating to the limits. 🎥 We go deeper into this on Japanese GP Debrief YouTube out now. How Mercedes held their nerve, how McLaren triggered the cascade, and why Antonelli’s pace was there all along. If you want to understand how this race was really decided, it’s all in the full breakdown. 🔔 Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: : 📨 Want more? Full debrief with race traces, data, and the telemetry breakdown is live in the newsletter. 🔗Missed it? Click for a time limited link to sign up now:
Ruth Buscombe79,534 views • 2 months ago
🇧🇷 Why Red Bull Might Start from the Pit Lane for the São Paulo GP Sometimes, the smartest move in Formula 1… is to break parc fermé on purpose. Once qualifying ends, cars are “frozen” — no more setup changes, no ride-height tweaks, no new wings. But if you do break it, you must start from the pit lane — and that gives you one priceless thing: freedom. When Max Verstappen said after qualifying that “the car was all over the place — sliding, no grip,” that’s exactly when teams consider a full reset. By starting from the pit lane, Red Bull could rebuild around an overtaking-special setup — lower drag, higher top speed — and even fit a fresh power unit. That adds extra electrical deployment and better energy recovery, giving a sharper launch and more punch on the straights. It’s slower through corners, but it makes overtaking far easier: you close the gap sooner, hit DRS earlier, and spend less energy in the pass. It’s been done before: ⚙️ 2017 – Hamilton rebuilt from the pit lane, stormed to P4. ⚙️ 2021 – Mercedes trimmed out the car and went from last to first. So if Red Bull resets now, it’s not surrender. It’s strategy. 🎥Full São Paulo GP Strategy Briefing now live on YT — exploring how tyre degradation, harder compounds and unpredictable weather keep rewriting F1’s story in Brazil 👉🏻 🚨Haven’t Subscribed yet? 🔔If you want the Full Video Subscribe for F1 strategy deep-dives: 📨 Get the full technical briefings direct to your inbox:
Ruth Buscombe94,528 views • 7 months ago
Abu Dhabi GP. We have a decider 👀🇦🇪🏎️ 🟠 Norris arrives with a 12 point lead and a car with the strongest tyre thermal management in the field. 🔵 Verstappen arrives having cut a 104 point deficit through efficiency, consistency and pressure performance. 🟠 Piastri might be in third but History adds another layer. It’s been 15 years since we’ve had a three way decider BUT the last two three way title deciders, the driver starting third became World Champion. Kimi in 2007. Sebastian Vettel in 2010. Whilst P1 and P2 fight it out P3 slipped through the net. And Yas Marina is the perfect arena to settle it. Sector 1️⃣ Front support, direction change, stability on turn in. Sector 2️⃣ Pure efficiency and high speed braking through the double DRS zones. Sector 3️⃣ Combined traction and tyre thermals. This is where the race is won and lost. This track is rear limited and the finale is almost always a Medium to Hard one stop. Rear stability on the Medium decides the opening phase. Thermal discipline on the Hard decides the ending. Track position into S3 decides whether you can defend. And finales behave differently: • Drivers only race the rivals that matter. Others choose not to interfere. • Some gamble harder on strategy because it is the last race. Some go conservative. This reshapes overtakes, pit windows and pace deltas in ways you never see earlier in the season. The permutations mean any other car on the podium can flip the championship. A single position between Lando and Max, or between Lando and Oscar, changes who takes the title. And the question everyone will be asking: If the opportunity arises, will McLaren use Oscar to help Lando secure his first World Championship? Three contenders. One finale. A title decided by thermals, timing and who you meet on track at the wrong moment. 📬 Full Abu Dhabi Strategy Briefing drops later this week. 🚨If you haven’t joined The Race Strategy Society yet, you can still get sign up for the Abu Dhabi briefing for a limited time: 🔔 Want more? Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: :
Ruth Buscombe79,136 views • 6 months ago
🚨 Italian GP Strategy Briefing 🇮🇹🏎️ 🤔 Do you know why the pit loss is so long at Monza? While rivals fly down the straight at 350+ kph, you’re crawling through the pit lane at 80. That relative loss makes Monza one of the longest pit stops of the year ~24s under green. And that’s why the one-stop 🟡→⚪️ rules here. Add a second stop without a Safety Car and you’re buried. Discipline beats gambling at the Temple of Speed. 🇮🇹 Want more? The full briefing covers: 🔎 Why graining makes Monza look more complex than it is 🎲 How teams choreograph tow games in qualifying 📈 What past winners teach us about execution 📬 Sign up to get the full briefing in your inbox: ▶️ Watch the extended breakdown on YouTube:
Ruth Buscombe40,045 views • 9 months ago
Welcome to Budapest 🇭🇺🏎️ New pit building ✅ New grandstand ✅ Same spicy strategy vibes 🧠🔥 Hungary’s hosting its 40th Grand Prix and it’s got an upgrade! 36 garages, rooftop lounges, tunnels that actually make sense… But the real chaos? Still happens at Turn 1. The Hungarian GP Strategy Briefing is now live: 📩 Want it in your inbox each race? Sign up to The Race Strategy Society: 🎥 Prefer the full YouTube breakdown? Watch here: Let’s go racing 🏁 #F1 #HungarianGP #Formula1 #F1Strategy #RaceStrategy #Budapest
Ruth Buscombe22,887 views • 11 months ago
🚨 RACE DAY STRATEGY BRIEFING — HUNGARIAN GP 🇭🇺🏎️ A Ferrari on pole. Rain on radar. Wind changing everything. You don’t win this race by guessing - you win it by being ready for everything. 📉 Just 0.084s covered the top 5 in Q3 — the closest ever in this format. And a shift in cloud cover and wind direction turned the grid upside down. That’s Budapest. 🛞 Tyre choices today: ⚪ C3 (Hard) – reliable, low deg (~0.04s/lap) 🟡 C4 (Medium) – the workhorse, but sensitive to grain in cool/damp (up to 0.18s/lap in 2022) 🔴 C5 (Soft) – blisteringly fast, but will not last only good for a very short stint. So what’s the play? → 1-stop? Possible (C4 to C3 most likely) but will need management. → 2-stop? Lets you push → Wet start or late drops? Game-changer. Everyone resets. 🧠 Best strategy today? ➡️ Have a plan. ➡️ Be ready to bin it. Because in Hungary, strategy wins races: 📖 2019: Hamilton’s 2-stop masterclass on Verstappen 📖 2022: Ferrari gamble on Hards — and it cost Leclerc the win 📖 1998 & 2023: Sometimes, 19 qualifying laps is the plan 📩 Sign up to the newsletter here for the full briefing: 🎥 Watch the extended YouTube breakdown here: Let’s go racing. 🔥 #HungarianGP #F1Strategy #RaceDay #Leclerc #Ferrari #F1 #F1Tech #Budapest
Ruth Buscombe14,280 views • 10 months ago
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