Strategy Guide: The possible race strategies for Sydney

We're back in Sydney and back under lights, but this time, we go night racing twice and over the same distance.

Sydney Motorsport Park will host dual 200km races, which will feature refuelling and plenty of strategy opportunities.

Sydney is tough on tyres, which becomes an even bigger head-scratcher when the sun goes down, and temperatures drop.

Supercars.com explains the keys to strategy for this weekend's 51-lap, 200km races, and the fastest way to the finish.

What tyres do we have?

Dunlop’s Soft tyre compound, which was used at the NTI Townsville 500, is back for Sydney. Each car will have 28 Soft tyres (seven sets) for qualifying and the races. Eight (two sets) pre-marked event tyres must be handed back after practice. Each car also has 24 wet weather tyres (six sets).

What is the circuit like?

Drivers know Sydney Motorsport Park well, but that still doesn't make it easy to set-up a car for, year after year.

An anti-clockwise circuit, Sydney has six left and five right corners, with 63 percent of the circuit spent turning. It has the highest tyre wear rating of the 2024 calendar, and 35 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle, thanks largely in part to the 732m pit straight.

Drivers hit 270km/h on the front straight, and are 205km/h at the apex of the super-fast Turn 1. In stark contrast, Turn 8 is the slowest corner at a pedestrian 70km/h.

The keys to practice and qualifying

Sydney Motorsport Park is used frequently, and therefore does need to be rubbered-in as much as other circuits. Still, a key feature is low tyre grip and high tyre degradation, given cars are almost always cornering. It’s an aero-sensitive circuit, with aero stability required at Turns 1, 4, 7 and 9.

Set-up is centred on getting great drive through and out of corners, and being able to turn and accelerate simultaneously. It’s also not the toughest on brakes, with the biggest stops — Turns 2, 6 and 8 — medium energy braking zones.

Given Sydney is tough on tyres, teams will be keen to get an understanding of the impact of new minimum tyre pressure. Lowering tyre pressure affects turn-in stability, which is crucial in Sydney. The 90-minute practice session will permit teams to vary fuel loads, testing cars over one-lap and race runs.

For Qualifying, like any circuit, clear track is critical. Track condition will also play a big part as the track grip evolves, so getting front tyre and brake temperatures up will be important.

The lap time is approximately 90 seconds, and in a 15-minute session, two runs are probable. You have to nail the push lap, otherwise you’ll waste the tyre.

If you get through to the Shootout, drivers must get the front tyres up the temperature, so warm-up procedure is key. We saw in Townsville how early some drivers started their laps. However, don’t overuse the rear tyre too early in the lap.

Critical lap and expected strategies

At 51 laps and 200km, these races will be all-out attacks. Drivers are required to take on 80 litres of fuel in each race. Approximately 32 seconds of fuel will be split over the stops.

It's a long pit exit, with drivers blending into traffic on the run to Turn 2. Timing the gap for pit stops needs careful management to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Being held up by a car on older tyres will have a major impact on your race.

Tyre life management will be a talking point, as always, but having good tyre life will allow patient drivers to make places by waiting and making gains after others stop earlier.

Cars can conceivably get home on fuel from lap 12, but tyre wear cancels that out. The longest stint from the 2023 event was 23 laps, putting the spotlight on lap 28.

The even strategy is a two-stop strategy, centred on a first stop for four tyres and 40L on lap 18, and a second stop for four more tyres and 40L on lap 30-35. That sets up a 20-lap sprint to the finish.

To get out of traffic and make ground with light fuel and good tyres, drivers can make an early stop around lap 10 for four tyres and 20L of fuel, saving seven seconds in the pits and making up track position. It does make for a longer second stint, and a longer second stop (four tyres and 60L).

The bold strategy, which was used sparingly in 2023, is a one-stopper around lap 26, with drivers taking on all 80L of fuel.

Safety Car probability

The Safety Car has appeared in 24 of the 74 races held at Sydney Motorsport Park (32.4 percent). There was one Safety Car across the two Sydney races last year, after a crash for David Reynolds midway through the Saturday race.

What about the weather?

In a win for fans, all three days of the event are forecast to be clear. Partly cloudy conditions are forecast for Friday, while Saturday and Sunday are clear. However, wind could play a role on Saturday.