The FIA has revealed the fuel loads with which all 20 cars will start the Brazilian Grand Prix. We analyse the data here.
The fuel weights show that most of the top 10 opted for similar strategies and are fuelled to between lap 19 and lap 23, ie a fairly short opening stint in the 71-lap race.
A wet qualifying session always invites aggressive strategies given the importance of starting near the front, out of the likely carnage zone and the worst of the visibility problems.
The downside is that it denies teams the flexibility to synchronise their tyre and fuel stops in the event of changeable conditions, which is why those starting outside the top 10 may yet be sitting pretty if we get a wet-dry or dry-wet race.
The influence of fuel on lap times is much reduced in the rain – tyre grip and driver confidence are much more important – so we shouldn’t set too much store by the fuel-adjusted grid.
In any case, controlling for the fuel loads makes little difference to the qualifying order on this occasion, given the similarity in the strategies being pursued.
The one point of note is that polewinner Rubens Barrichello was carrying 5.5kg less fuel than fellow front-row man Mark Webber, a weight advantage worth 0.14s in lap time compared to the 0.09s separating the pair at the end of Q3.
Webber, then, is at least as fast as Barrichello and, on the evidence of Friday’s practice, faster than the Brawns in the dry.
His extra fuel means he can stretch his opening stint three or four laps longer, which may give him the chance to claim the lead if he doesn’t manage it off the start line.
Adrian Sutil’s superb third place on the grid was not in any way flattered by a light fuel load; indeed the Force India was heavier than both cars ahead of it.
Given the young German’s flair in the rain, he will no doubt welcome a wet race, but he should be a strong points contender whatever the weather.
Sutil, Jarno Trulli, Sebastien Buemi, Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica are all likely to pit within a lap or two of each other.
Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso are somewhat lighter, while Kazuki Nakajima is the heaviest of the top 10 and should be able to go to lap 26.
Most of those in the second half of the field have chosen to take on plenty of fuel to give themselves the option of a one-stop race and maximum flexibility in case of changeable weather.
While Barrichello starts from pole, the other two title contenders Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel had wretched Saturdays and have unsurprisingly both opted for heavy fuel loads; Vettel’s extra 11.5kg should take him five laps deeper into the race than Button.
Intriguingly, the pair will start next to each other on the grid as a result of Tonio Liuzzi’s five-place penalty for a gearbox change. The first lap is sure to be interesting…
Car weights including fuel (in kg, by grid order)
1. BARRICHELLO Brawn 650.5
2. WEBBER Red Bull 656
3. SUTIL Force India 656.5
4. TRULLI Toyota 658.5
5. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 651.5
6. BUEMI Toro Rosso 659
7. ROSBERG Williams 657
8. KUBICA BMW 656
9. NAKAJIMA Williams 664
10. ALONSO Renault 652
11. KOBAYASHI Toyota 671.6
12. ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso 671.5
13. GROSJEAN Renault 677.2
14. BUTTON Brawn 672
15. VETTEL Red Bull 683.5
16. KOVALAINEN McLaren 656.5
17. HAMILTON McLaren 661
18. HEIDFELD BMW 650.5
19. FISICHELLA Ferrari 683.5
20. LIUZZI Force India 680