PWP: The Strategist hopes to bounce back Down Under

After an impressive start to life as ‘The Strategist’ in Round 1, the unpredictable nature of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit caused some issues for our Grove guru.

The Strategist only managed a 50% score in Round 2 which, while respectable, doesn’t hit the heights of their 35 points out of 40 in Round 1.

Currently, sitting 18th in our global Pit Wall Predictions rankings, they’ll be looking to bounce back and return to winning ways at the Australian Grand Prix.

Read on for The Strategist’s tips and insights ahead of Round 3.

I’m not predicting the bold 57-lap strategy again this time round, as much as I would back Albono to pull it off again.

I think a more likely target will be between laps 11-20.

Again, we’ve seen the two drivers pit close to each other in the first two grands prix of the season whether through strategy or Safety Car timing.

Either way, it’s a safe bet to back Logan pitting in the same window as Alex, so I’ll go for the 11-20 option again.

The Safety Car hasn’t been called out on the opening lap since 2015, and despite seeing it twice last year at Albert Park, I think that it’s more likely we’ll see just the one this year.

I think Logan will pit first despite Alex pitting first in both rounds so far.

However, given how close the pair have pitted in previous races, this one really is a 50/50 call.

Despite maybe not the 57 laps some will hope, I still think we’ll see the hard compound bolted to Albono’s FW45 during the race so it’s realistic that he could complete a healthy 31+ laps on that tyre.

I’m opting for 31+ laps.

We saw Logan run mediums for 32 laps in Saudi Arabia, so if the hard compound comes out I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 31+ lap stint from our young American.

Again, I’ll go for the 31+ laps option.

Chances of rain for the race look slim currently, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing the wet weather tyres.

I think most likely the hard compound will get Alex over the line in Aus.

Similarly for Logan, I think he will aim to get the hard compound to the end of the race.

Will you take The Strategist’s advice or make your own calls? The choice is yours; just be sure to submit your Pit Wall Predictions before lights out on Sunday.