PWP: The Strategist reviews the start of their season

We are currently through a rare spring break in Formula 1, giving drivers and team members a chance to recharge before a busy schedule through the summer.

Everyone apart from The Strategist, that is. Our secretive guru has been tucked away in Grove from the very moment we returned from Melbourne, dissecting where their Australian GP Pit Wall Predictions went wrong.

After a strong opening round, The Strategist has suffered a few bumps in the road since. After eventually finding them sweeping through data in the simulator room, we sat down and spoke all things PWP.

Yes, it was a great start! The race being straightforward with very little incident played a big part. Both of our drivers enjoyed good, clean races which meant my predictions came to fruition and I walked away with healthy points!

The contrast between a crazy race in 2021 and 2022 left me torn on how this race would go. I predicted it would be a quieter race than it turned out to be, and with Alex being forced to retire suddenly, I lost a few points that were there for the taking, but that’s the way it goes sometimes! F1 is an unpredictable sport so I commend the top scorers in Pit Wall Predictions so far.

The race itself was record-breaking in terms of the red flags produced which speaks for itself when we speak about its predictability. It was a tough round for me and the majority of our fans, but nobody, including myself, should be disheartened by it. There’s a long way to go yet and a lot will change between now and the end of the season.

Looking at past races from not just this season, but previous seasons, too. This doesn’t give you every answer but it certainly gives you an inclination as to what the race could look like and a baseline to work from.

I am confident my fortunes will turn. We’ve had two fairly unpredictable races out of three so far. I expect Baku will be similar as we take on a punishing street circuit, but by the time we review my position again, I expect to be higher in the overall rankings.

We’ve made a strong start! We are in a battle with several cars around us and despite walking away from the last two rounds with no points, we’re walking away from them knowing we have a car capable of a fight which gives us great confidence for the upcoming races and the rest of the season. Alex has shown once again his strength and Logan has been unlucky not to reach Q2 on all three occasions this season. We have a car that can compete, we have talented drivers and we have a team working hard at track and at Grove, so there’s plenty to be excited about.

I’m currently looking into the Baku picks. It’s useful that Logan has raced on this circuit in F2 before as it means we have data to work with. Having also spoken to Logan, I know he enjoys this track so I’m excited to see how both drivers get on.

All I will say is this; there will be safety cars.

Our thanks to The Strategist for taking time out of their busy research schedule to chat all things Pit Wall Predictions. The Azerbaijan GP round is now open if you wish to set some early calls – don’t worry, you can always come back and edit them before lights out in Baku.