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[southern cross]

Barrichello is today's moral winner, what the heck was that three stops strategy for?! He was leading, no need for that. They always had two stops even in previous races. Please don't tell me we have left behind Ferrari, McLaren and Renault favoritism for their no.1 driver just to find Brawn doing just the same. It would be plain sad.

[Denthúl]

The three-stop strategy was the strategy Brawn decided to use before the race. Then, during the race, having lost the position to Barrichello, Button and his engineer decided to switch to a two-stop strategy. However, I'm not entirely sure that they made the most of Barrichello's strategy, though I didn't note down which laps he pitted on. I'll have to wait until the data is released by the FIA, I guess.

[Jensonb]

Barrichello is today's moral winner, what the heck was that three stops strategy for?! He was leading, no need for that. They always had two stops even in previous races. Please don't tell me we have left behind Ferrari, McLaren and Renault favortitism for their no.1 driver just to find Brawn doing just the same. It would be plain sad.

Uh, Jenson was the one moved onto their unfavoured strategy.

So...

[FerrariFan63]

Barrichello is today's moral winner, what the heck was that three stops strategy for?! He was leading, no need for that. They always had two stops even in previous races. Please don't tell me we have left behind Ferrari, McLaren and Renault favortitism for their no.1 driver just to find Brawn doing just the same. It would be plain sad.

Both of the Brawns started on three stops. Given that the hard tyre was seconds a lap slower than the softer tyre, I don't think it was an unreasonable strategy. Brawn himself claimed that Rubens lost because he was too slow in one stint.

[avisekm]

They are trying to promote Button as the champion and dont want to take any chances......truly Barrichello is the moral winner....

[Denthúl]

I thought as much:

Stop 1 - Lap 19, 18 laps added
Stop 2 - Lap 31, 18 laps added, should have roughly 24 to go on
Stop 3 - Lap 49, ? laps added, fuelled to the end of the race

So, why on Earth did they not keep him out for longer on the soft tyre? Yes, he wasn't running as well on them, but he was still in the mid 1:23s whereas Jenson would have been at least a second slower on the harder tyres. Additionally, with him taking between seven tenths and a second out of Button per lap before his second stop, why did they bring him in so early? This was poor use of a strategy that should have won the race. Rubens and his engineer really need to sit down and think about this.

[southern cross]

Uh, Jenson was the one moved onto their unfavoured strategy.

So...

I didn't know Button would have gone three-stops as well. It somehow seems not right, nobody else has used that strategy and it has proved to be a failure, I thought on default that Brawn would have known better. Only Barrichello has stopped thrice, excetp for those who suffered damage/had problems.
I hope you're right, anyway... and no need for the wavey gif, thanks

[Denthúl]

So, here's some numbers for us all to enjoy.

Before his third stop, Rubens set these laps:

45 1:23.382
46 1:23.594
47 1:23.683
48 1:23.536
49 1:23.385

After his second stop, Jenson set these laps:

50 1:25.225
51 1:24.962
52 1:24.788
53 1:24.698
54 1:24.829
55 1:24.545

Rubens came out, what, seven seconds behind? Six more laps in the mid to low 1:23s would have put him ahead. Of course, that's not the worst of it. These are the laps leading up to his second pit stop:

22 1:23.352
23 1:23.354
24 1:23.288
25 1:23.377
26 1:23.009
27 1:23.004
28 1:22.762
29 1:22.780
30 1:22.829

During that exact same period of time, after Jenson had pitted and put in a lot of fuel, here are his lap times:

22 1:24.172
23 1:24.256
24 1:24.125
25 1:24.124
26 1:24.142
27 1:23.757
28 1:23.607
29 1:23.646
30 1:23.368
31 1:23.460
32 1:23.890
33 1:23.742
34 1:23.436
35 1:23.386

If he could've managed six more in the 1:22s, whilst Jenson was settling in to the 1:23s (laps in bold are Jenson's lap times where Rubens could have stayed out) then again, he'd have had an advantage. They could have done so much more today.

[southern cross]

I thought as much:

Stop 1 - Lap 19, 18 laps added
Stop 2 - Lap 31, 18 laps added, should have roughly 24 to go on
Stop 3 - Lap 49, ? laps added, fuelled to the end of the race

So, why on Earth did they not keep him out for longer on the soft tyre? Yes, he wasn't running as well on them, but he was still in the mid 1:23s whereas Jenson would have been at least a second slower on the harder tyres. Additionally, with him taking between seven tenths and a second out of Button per lap before his second stop, why did they bring him in so early? This was poor use of a strategy that should have won the race. Rubens and his engineer really need to sit down and think about this.

Yep, you're right. I'm sorry if I raised concerns of favouritism if it all boils down to very bad strategy, I just hope Barrichello and his team mate are treated equally, 'cause he had enough of that with Schumacher.
So, you're sure Button was planned on the same strategy? That would have meant risking to lose a position to Webber in the final stint!

EDIT: (For the sake of transparency, my first post should have included that I heard Button telling on team radio to his engineer during the first SC-free laps that he was faster than Barrichello and wanted them to make him retake the lead. Again, I really hope everything is down to bad strategy and to be wrong. )

[EagleF1-27]

I thought there might have been something fishy going on with the changing strategy to favour Button, but then Brundle pointed out that Button was making better use of his hard tyres. Guess that means he was more consistent than Barrichello on any fuel load or tyre.

[racechick]

I guesss we'll have to see how the season pans out at Brawn but I felt sorry for Rubens today it should have been his race.

[LittleSnowBear]

Felt sorry for Rubens too, but i've been doing that for years

[McLaren Fan]

I think there is a bit in both sides of the argument. It's true that Barrichello didn't use the hard tyres as well as Button, but Brawn didn't play their cards as well as they should have done with Barrichello as well...

[scotty]

Rubens had to keep putting in the quick laps in his 3rd stint when he was relatively light on the softs, and he didn't. Simple as that. I don't know why Brawn didn't make his last stint on the hard tyres very short though...

Obviously hindsight is 20/20

[bud]

Rubens wasnt happy in the press conference, you could tell he was pissed off that Jenson was moved to a two stopper.