It could be argued that the most important moment in any Formula 1 race weekend is the first lap of the Grand Prix.
All of the hard work done in practice and qualifying can be ruined in the first corner, just ask Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon after their collision in Japan.
Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, F1 race strategist Ruth Buscombe was speaking about one of the best starts she’s ever seen in the sport.
Buscombe has worked for Ferrari, Haas and Sauber, looking after the strategies of some fantastic drivers.
Every race presents a different challenge and the job of a race strategist is to prepare for every possible outcome.
There are always risks involved and split-second decisions can be the difference between scoring points or falling down the pack.
Buscombe has recalled the start that former Alfa Romeo driver Kimi Raikkonen pulled off at the beginning of the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix.
She admits that former team principal Frederic Vasseur was very sceptical when he saw which tyres his drivers were starting on that day.
However, it all paid off in the opening corners thanks to the Finn’s brilliant getaway.
Ruth Buscombe describes Kimi Raikkonen’s ‘greatest’ start in Portugal
The Portuguese Grand Prix was a staple of the F1 calendar between 1984 and 1996 but Jacques Villeneuve’s win at the end of that stretch appeared to be the final time the paddock would head to the country.
However, the improvised schedule in 2020 and 2021 saw a return to Portimao and the first event was so exciting that many hoped that the circuit would become a more permanent fixture.
Lewis Hamilton secured back-to-back wins in those two races, but changeable weather in 2020 saw Kimi Raikkonen execute an unbelievable start partly masterminded by Buscombe.
The 21-time race winner didn’t have the most successful spell of his Formula 1 career when he joined Alfa Romeo – now Sauber – but showed at times why he’s a former world champion.
For teams in the midfield, the occasional gamble has to be taken to try and gain an advantage over your rivals and this time around, it was a roaring success.
Kimi Raikkonen’s ‘greatest’ race start at 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix
Talking about the beginning of the race, Buscombe said: “We were the only car to pick the soft [tyres].
“So, you only get this information three minutes before the green flag, so you’re running back from the grid, you’re sat there and then just because of the way the roles work, the race engineers come back last, so they’re not there.
“So, I’ve got a clean shot straight to Fred [Vasseur], so as I sat there and again, he doesn’t say anything because he’s a good leader, but just looks at it, points at it being like we’re the only car – with a free choice – on softs.
“And I was like, I’m just not going to take eye contact, I think that’s the best thing to do.
“You can’t change the tyres now, you’re committed and then it started to, we would call it level zero rain, like a tiny amount of rain.
“And actually because we were on new softs, it was like one of the greatest starts in the history of Formula 1!
“It obviously wasn’t just the strategy, Kimi [Raikkonen] was amazing as well, but the combination of that compound and the way that the weather slightly changed made the soft to medium delta even bigger.
“And it was like a video game, and I was looking over at Fred and he was really happy.”
Kimi Raikkonen’s quick getaway was thwarted by Alfa Romeo’s struggles
Buscombe and the Alfa Romeo team would have been delighted with Raikkonen’s start in Portugal.
However, that joy would have been short-lived as he and teammate Antonio Giovinazzi both struggled during the race.
Giovinazzi could only finish 15 and Raikkonen narrowly missed out on points by coming home in 11.
Both drivers only managed to score four points in 2020 and after another season together the following year, Raikkonen and Giovinazzi departed ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were hired in their place, but with Nico Hulkenberg confirmed for 2025 and Carlos Sainz their number one target to partner him, another double change could be on the cards.
The post ‘Like a video game’: F1 strategist loved 21-time winner who drove one of the ‘greatest starts’ in F1 history appeared first on F1 Oversteer.