McLaren to use splash-and-dash pit strategy this weekend?

The highest Lewis Hamilton can start on the grid in France this Sunday is 11th, thanks to a 10-place grid penalty, awarded after the pit-lane incident in Montreal two weeks ago. That’s a best-case scenario.

Hamilton has been in bullish moood about his chances in France, so we presume he’ll want to start as high up the grid as possible, to give himself the best chance of clearing some mid-field traffic early on. But he can only start from 11th if he runs light on fuel, drive brilliantly and qualifies on pole position, presumably ahead of the Ferraris and Bobby Kubica’s BMW Sauber. That suggests McLaren will put their No.1 driver on an aggressive three-stop strategy.

Two stops usually works out better than three at Magny Cours, unless there is excessive tyre wear, in which case a three-stopper can really pay off. Ferrari won on a four-stopper in 2004, so there is hope for Hamilton if he uses the splash-and-dash method.

Of course, his fortunes may rest on his luck with traffic. McLaren will do their best to find him some clean air, but it would take just a few laps stuck behind a Red Bull or Honda, say, for Hamilton’s remote chances of winning to go out of the window.

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