Ruth Buscombe

Sir Lewis Hamilton now has his first Ferrari podium and an Oscar. Happy Monday.

🛞 Watch the front-left tyre today. 🇨🇳 Shanghai is brutal on it. Through the long Turn 1–2 complex the tyre is loaded for several seconds, and once graining begins the driver starts sliding, temperatures rise, and lap time disappears quickly. The Sprint told us a lot. Medium tyres showed front-left graining at around 0.13s/lap, particularly through that opening complex. The Hard tyre looked extremely stable, degrading at roughly 0.01s/lap. That opens three realistic races over the 56 laps: 🟡⚪️ M → H (baseline one-stop) 🟡⚪️⚪️M → H → H if graining forces the issue ⚪️🟡H → M the wildcard reverse strategy Normally starting on Hard is risky here because the undercut is powerful. But when Mercedes have the straight-line advantage down the 1.2 km back straight, teams may need to create a different race entirely. Expect the usual Shanghai cat-and-mouse: traction out of Turn 13, deployment on the straight, and managing that front-left tyre. Because what looks like a simple Medium–Hard race on paper… rarely is in China. The Chinese GP Race Strategy Briefing just dropped on YouTube 🎥 and in your inboxes on the Newsletter 📩 🔔 Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: : @TheRaceStrategySociety?sub_confirmation=" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@TheRaceStrate… 🚨If you haven’t joined The Race Strategy Society yet, you can still get the Chinese GP briefing for a VERY limited time: mailchi.mp/kentixen/the-r…

🛞 Watch the front-left tyre today. Shanghai is brutal on it. Through the long Turn 1–2 spiral the tyre is loaded for several seconds. Once graining starts the driver begins sliding, temperatures rise, and lap time disappears quickly. The Sprint told us a lot: Medium graining around 0.13s/lap Hard degradation just ~0.01s/lap That’s why the race could split between: • M → H one-stop • M → H → H if graining becomes severe The difference between those two strategies might simply be who can protect the front-left tyre. 📩 The Chinese GP Race Strategy Briefing just dropped. 🚨If you haven’t joined The Race Strategy Society yet, you can still get the debrief for a VERY limited time: mailchi.mp/kentixen/the-r… 🔔 Want more? Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: : @TheRaceStrategySociety?sub_confirmation=" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@TheRaceStrate…

Lap 11. 🚨 VSC deployed. 🚨 You’re on the pit wall. Do you box… or stay out? Ferrari chose to stay out. In the full debrief I break down the strategist thinking behind that moment and why these calls are harder than they look. 📬 The Melbourne Race Strategy Debrief is out now. 🚨If you haven’t joined The Race Strategy Society yet, you can still get the debrief for a VERY limited time: mailchi.mp/kentixen/the-r… 🔔 Want more? Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: : @TheRaceStrategySociety?sub_confirmation=" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@TheRaceStrate…

🚀 Day 1 of F1’s 2026 era. The data already tells us a lot… and also very little. Lap times only tell part of the story. F1 Insights powered by @awscloud help unlock a few more secrets behind the fastest laps in FP2. 🚨 These cars are tricky to drive We saw several drivers running wide or dipping wheels into the gravel at Turn 3 in FP2, an early sign the 2026 cars are less forgiving. That’s expected. The new regulations have cut downforce by roughly 15–30%, leaving drivers with less grip and more to manage in the cockpit. A fast lap now means balancing: • tyre prep on the outlap • energy harvesting and deployment • executing a clean lap And mistakes are costly. The Mercedes comparison shows it perfectly. Russell is ahead for most of the lap, but a small mistake exiting Turn 13 costs 0.139s. Without it, he likely finishes ahead of Antonelli. Russell also manages his energy better across the lap, keeping stronger deployment for the finish. Antonelli runs short of energy late in the lap, losing around 0.114s on the run to the line. 🔋 Energy management is already shaping performance Across the fastest laps we see very different energy strategies. Some drivers deploy early, others harvest early and spend it later. In Piastri vs Antonelli, Antonelli deploys earlier while Piastri harvests more in sector one. That leaves Piastri with more energy for the final straight, gaining time right at the end of the lap. ➡️ No team has fully nailed the energy model yet. ⏱️ Where the lap time is coming from 🟠 Piastri’s advantage over ⚪️ Antonelli comes from small gains in traction zones: • Turn 1–2 exit • Turn 5 exit • Turn 9–10 run • Final sector (T13–T14) The time is built through acceleration phases and the run onto the straights, not one standout corner. ❓ What we still don’t know (a lot!) It’s still Friday, and key variables remain unknown. 🔹 Fuel loads – remember 10 kg ≈ 0.3s per lap 🔹 Engine modes – teams may not be at full power 🔹 Sandbagging – teams sometimes hide pace to protect an advantage or avoid revealing their true performance 👀 Teams are still learning the cars and energy systems, before moving to the usual fine tuning of setup and tyre prep. 📊 Early takeaway The first day of 2026 shows how much performance now comes down to clean execution and energy management, while teams continue learning how to unlock this new generation of Formula 1 cars. #paidpartnership

🚨 YOUTUBE Video Now Out!! 🚨 🔗 youtu.be/0woMUGdm7LA?si… If you know how to get your phone battery 🔋 to the end of the day…
and pay off your credit card 💳… you’re already halfway to understanding Formula 1 in 2026. Energy deployment is now managed across the entire lap, not just on the straights. Boost behaves a bit like your phone battery 🔋, something you manage continuously. Overtake works more like a credit card 💳, giving you extra performance when you’re close enough, if you have the energy budget to use it. In the latest Race Strategy Society YT VIDEO, we break down the systems behind the new era of Formula 1. ➡️ How energy deployment works across a full lap
➡️ Why 350kW of electric power changes race strategy
➡️ The difference between Boost and Overtake modes
➡️ How Active Aero replaces DRS in 2026
➡️ Why braking alone cannot recharge the battery
➡️ What the 4 MJ battery window actually means 🔔 Want more? Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: : @TheRaceStrategySociety?sub_confirmation=" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@TheRaceStrate… 🚨If you haven’t joined The Race Strategy Society yet, you can still get the debrief for a limited time: mailchi.mp/kentixen/the-r…

Excited to be back with @F1 #F1TV this season! (Even if I couldn’t make the Photoshoot.) Promise I’m in the Press Release and Live all weekend on #F1TV and @AppleTV from the Paddock in Melbourne.

The rules have changed. The race to understand them has begun. The 2026 Formula 1 season brings one of the biggest technical resets the sport has seen in years. Hybrid power now rivals the engine, active aerodynamics replace DRS, and every lap becomes a strategic balance of when to deploy energy and when to recharge it. A bit like managing your phone battery through the day… and knowing exactly when to use your credit card. Use energy at the right moment and you unlock lap time. Use it at the wrong moment and the opportunity disappears. This week’s Race Strategy Society breaks down the new regulations in the simplest way possible, so when the lights go out in Melbourne you’ll understand exactly what the teams are trying to do. 📬 Edition 1 of the Race Strategy Society is out NOW! 
🚨If you haven’t joined The Race Strategy Society yet, you can still get the debrief for a VERY limited time: mailchi.mp/kentixen/the-r… 🔔 Want more? Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: : @TheRaceStrategySociety?sub_confirmation=" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@TheRaceStrate…

ruth: “i’m gonna wait for lando to get out of the earshot before i put where mclaren are [in her ranking]” lando: “be careful.” betty: “he just said be careful” ruth: “P1 obviously!” 😭😭😭😭

Ruth’s Diffuser of the Day goes to 🥁 🥁 🥁 Ferrari!

Thank you Sauber, and Goodbye. Again. Reposting this from the end of 2023 🤍 Back then, I said goodbye to Sauber after eight seasons, sitting on the pit wall for the last time, racing right to the final chequered flag for a place that had become home. I talked about joining as a 26 year old in my first season as Head of Strategy racing in F1, about Hinwil, about the people, about growing into a strategist and into a life where the paddock felt like home. Now it feels like the other side of that moment. I said goodbye in 2023. Now Sauber says goodbye. Different chapter. Same gratitude. Thank you for the memories, the lessons, the laughter, and yes, especially P6. 🍀🏁 I still remember the cold day in December 2022 we raised a glass to becoming Audi. Underdogs to Manufacturer. Underdogs to Manufacturer once more.✨ Thank you Sauber, and Goodbye. Again.

Strategy will be crucial - here are the teams' tactical options 👉 f1.com/ABD25_Strategy… #F1 #AbuDhabiGP

🇦🇪🏎️✨ The enemy of my enemy is my friend  Why Abu Dhabi Strategy Is Not Normal Strategy   The final race rewrites every rule. If this were any other Sunday, teams would optimise for their own result.
But this is the decider.
For every driver their own interests or a Championship objective function replaces the race objective function.
You score against your rivals, not the stopwatch.   Here is what matters: Lando Norris just needs a podium.
He does not need to beat Verstappen.
He only needs to finish top three and the title is his.   Max Verstappen must win, pray for or cause chaos.
A calm one stop with everyone finishing in pace order ends his title hopes.
He needs a race that forces errors, forces reaction and forces a collapse into traffic.
He needs George Russell and Charles Leclerc in the way.   Oscar Piastri stands between them with the freedom to enforce McLaren’s needs.
Rear gunner. Undercut blocker.
Or the opportunist ready to pick up the pieces if Norris and Verstappen repeat Turn 1 history. And then there is the most dangerous historical truth.
In the last two three way finales, the driver entering the weekend in third became World Champion.
Vettel in 2010.
Kimi in 2007.
Both won because the two leaders took each other out of the race.   This is the logic of a title decider:
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.   We can summarise the entire strategy picture with one simple rule:   ➡️ If average tyre degradation is more than 0.10 seconds per lap, it becomes a two stop
➡️ If it stays below 0.10, one stop remains the fastest race   McLaren need the tyre to hold.
Verstappen needs it to break.   I left it late to send this out deliberately. Move too early, and you risk being copied.   Intent.   Fellow Race Strategy Society members I would never leave you hanging.   📬 Full Abu Dhabi Strategy Briefing is out now.
 🚨If you haven’t joined The Race Strategy Society yet, you can still get the briefing for a VERY limited time: mailchi.mp/kentixen/the-r… 🔔 Want more? Subscribe to the Strategy Channel for extended video briefings: : @TheRaceStrategySociety?sub_confirmation=" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@TheRaceStrate…

🇦🇪🏎️✨ Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying. The decider starts under the lights and Max puts down a marker. Lando pushes him all the way. McLaren locks out the second row and keeps the pressure on. This is still incredibly close. Q3 margins at Yas are tiny. Tyre prep. Out laps. Track evolution. Everything counts. Qualifying goes to Max. The fight is far from over. These F1 insights powered by @awscloud unlock the real story behind Qualifying. 🔵 Max Verstappen ⏱️ 1:22.207 Clinical when it matters • 67 percent full throttle • Strongest in combined load corners • Gains time into Turn 7, then holds the delta • Up to 3 to 4 kmh faster at top speed Finds about 0.20 seconds in just three corners: • Turn 5 about 0.08s • Turn 7 about 0.10s • Turn 14 about 0.06s This is a classic Verstappen pole lap. Minimal error, maximum commitment. 🟠 Lando Norris ⏱️ 1:22.408 (+0.201s) So close through most of the lap • 67 percent full throttle • Strong into Turn 5 but a slide on exit costs time • Within 0.02 to 0.06s of Max for most sectors • Slightly higher cornering percentage 23 percent The delta is built by small losses stacking up in the low speed traction phases. Norris has a car to fight. The execution window tomorrow is everything. 🟠 Oscar Piastri ⏱️ 1:22.437 (+0.029s from Lando) Locked in as a two car McLaren threat • 66 percent full throttle • Loses tiny chunks at Turn 7 and Turn 12 • Only 0.03s off Lando across a full lap Oscar is right there. Pressure creates opportunity. 📌 The Big Picture Max has track position advantage. McLaren has two cars in the fight. Strategy, Tyre evolution and race start will shape everything. The championship decider has officially begun. Who controls Turn 1 may control the world title. 👇 Who do you think wins the first lap battle?

🏎️🇦🇪✨ FP2 Pace: A Three Way Title Fight… With a Silver Wildcard Norris vs Verstappen vs Piastri. But Mercedes might be the ones who shape the championship. And remember, this is only FP2. Fuel loads remain unknown, tyre prep varies a lot at Yas, and 10 kg of fuel is worth roughly 0.3 seconds over a lap. Track evolution under the lights can swing pace quickly. FP2 goes to Lando, but he’s not won it yet… These F1 insights powered by @awscloud tell the full story. 🟠 Lando Norris ⏱️ 1:23.083 Confident on entry, dominant on exit. • 66 percent full throttle • Best rear stability in the field • Gains most of time in Turns 5, 7, 14 Advantage in the corners that decide the race. 🟠 Oscar Piastri ⏱️ 1:23.763 (+0.680s) That gap flatters the story. • Within 0.02–0.09s almost everywhere • A Turn 6 error costs about 0.17s • A slide through Turns 12–14 adds another 0.17s On clean laps, McLaren is a two car threat. 🔵 Max Verstappen ⏱️ 1:23.446 (+0.363s) Powered by efficiency. • 67 percent full throttle • Up to 4 kmh quicker down the straight Losses are in load and rotation zones: • Turn 1 −0.13s • Turn 14 −0.09s Not the finished article yet, but the race craft is proven. 🟢 George Russell ⏱️ 1:23.462 (+0.379s) Only 0.016s away from Verstappen. Close enough to play spoiler. • Small traction deficits at Turns 3–5 and 12 • But strong mid corner speed through Sector 1 and 2 If George qualifies between Lando and Max, the whole title picture changes. Mercedes is not here to spectate. 🔍 Where the finale sits right now Abu Dhabi is rear limited. Tyre heat decides your destiny. Tonight, McLaren looks strongest on the Medium. Red Bull brings the race day experience and peak efficiency. Mercedes lurks, one chance away from rewriting the championship math. FP2 goes to McLaren. The finale is still wide open. 👇 Who do you think takes control when the lights go down?

One big F1 family ❤️ The 2025 end of season drivers’ dinner! #F1 #AbuDhabiGP