CHINESE GP - TOP SPEED PER LAP

The two Ferrari drivers reached the highest top speeds in the race, as in Australia!🚀

Yet, in both events their quali top speed was modest: how?🤔

Telemetry reveals that Ferrari's ERS deployment favors the higher gears, sacrificing a bit of laptime to limit tyre wear and to attack/defend better.

There are several reasons why early deployment is better for laptime (and that’s why it’s used in quali):

1) The earlier you deploy, the sooner you gain speed, and the longer you use that speed before the braking point.

2) Drag is quadratic with speed: gaining the same speed at lower speeds causes a smaller drag penalty.

3) Kinetic energy is quadratic with speed, or speed follows the square root of kinetic energy: adding the same kinetic energy to the car will make its speed increase more if the speed is low.

4) The same speed increase constitutes a larger relative (percentual) speed increase if the speed is low.

CHINESE GP - RACE START ANALYSIS

Tsunoda was quickest off the line! 🚀

0.3s quicker to reach 200km/h than his new teammate Verstappen (OCO was slower than TSU until 200km/h, when he matched him).

Very different throttle use: linear/progressive for TSU, abrupt for VER.💡

The two Alpines were slowest off the line.🚨

BEST QUALI LAP ANALYSIS

🟠PIA got pole, yet wasn't the best in any metric: his lap was consistent and mistake-free!👌

🟢RUS lifted the foot JUST before the finish line!😬Fortunately, the time loss was minimal.

🔵VER: Best aero efficiency (as in Australia)✈️
- Highest top speed (336)➡️Lowest Drag;
- Fastest in T7 (275, didn't lift!)➡️Highest Downforce.

🔴HAM:
- Just 2km/h slower at the end vs start of the lap (best/balanced deployment🔋);
- Struggled to put the power down (just 55.7% of the time spent full throttle).

Who will get pole in Japan? 👀

SUZUKA PREVIEW

Probably the track which stresses the tyres the most!

It requires:
1) Excellent cornering ➡️ High downforce and stability needed [🟠McL’s strength];
2) Avoiding excessive drag ➡️High efficiency [🔵RBR’s strength];
3) Limiting tyre wear [🔴Ferrari’s question mark].

I expect McL to be the favorites, and another solid weekend by VER and RUS. Ferrari’s performance will depend on whether they can solve their issues quickly, but I would not count on that for Suzuka.

📸 @pirellisport

What’s YOUR prediction? 🤔

Japanese GP - REAR WINGS

Teams are opting for less loaded wings than in 2024 (a wet race will be even trickier)!

🟠 McL and 🔴 Ferrari are using a spoon-shaped lower plane to retain downforce.

🔵 RBR's one is flat, instead.

⚫️ Mercedes's wing looks the least loaded.

📸 @AlbertFabrega

The link will bring you to any analysis you might ever desire or think of 👀

https://buymeacoffee.com/f1dataanalysis/japanese-gp-analyses-repository-3591147

Japanese GP - Qualifying | Corner Analysis

VER gained 0.112s in the last chicane, getting pole by just 0.012s! 🔥

- 🟠NOR lifted and braked early; 🔴LEC less so; 🔵VER did for last.
- VER had to brake the most (largest longitudinal accel.) Yet, he still made the corner (largest lateral accel.).
- Yet, his exit was no worse than LEC's.

Japanese GP - Qualifying | Aero Characteristics

The race could be wet, at least in part! 🌧

In that case, teams running a more loaded aero setup (McL, Haas) should gain over those that focused more on reducing drag (Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull): the drag penalty will be lower, and downforce will be even more important.

JAPANESE GP - RACE PACE

🟠 NOR and 🔵 VER were quickest, and had identical pace!

PIA was just 0.03 s/lap slower on average but was quicker than them at the end (yet slower than ANT, who had a fresher tyre)!

🟢 ANT 0.02s/lap quicker than 🔴 LEC.

1-2) McL/RBR (NOR/VER)
3) Mercedes (ANT) +0.26 s/lap
4) Ferrari (LEC) +0.28 s/lap
5) Racing Bulls (HAD +0.59 s/lap
6) Williams (ALB) +0.62 s/lap
7) Aston (ALO) +0.91 s/lap
8) Haas (BEA) +0.93 s/lap
9) Alpine (GAS) +0.94 s/lap
10) Sauber (DOO) +1.38 s/lap

Tyre strategies during the race

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https://buymeacoffee.com/f1dataanalysis/japanese-gp-analyses-repository-3591147

Japanese GP - Tyre Degradation

One of F1's main problems: the Hard tyre was FASTER than the Medium — and lasted longer too! 💡

The Medium just can't handle the stress, so drivers can't push as much, making it slower. 🚨

Just one viable strategy ➡️Boring races

What's YOUR opinion? 🤔

BAHRAIN PREVIEW

3 DRS zones, 2 of which follow a slow corner: overtakes will be plenty (unlike in Suzuka)!

Like Suzuka, however, the race will be a 1-stopper due to the hardest compounds (C1-C3).

🟠 McL’s high drag will be handy in Sector 2;
🔵 RBR’s low drag in Sectors 1 and 3.

🔴 Ferrari is finally bringing a new floor, which would solve (part of) their issues: in 2018 and 2019 they finally regained performance once in Bahrain.

📸: @pirellisport

BAHRAIN GP - REAR WINGS

Bahrain requires less loaded wings than Suzuka - Despite that, McL and Ferrari are using the same ones seen in Japan.

Mercedes' top speed was the highest in quali; despite that, they've further reduced the wing load.

RBR, instead, has increased it!💡

Many unexpected choices: expect some teams to change spec for qualifying.

📸 @AlbertFabrega

BAHRAIN GP - PRACTICE 1
TOP SPEEDS vs 2024 QUALIFYING

Mercedes is running a very unloaded rear wing this year, a choice maybe influenced by having the worst top speed last year!

They are 8km/h faster already (partly due to wind), yet there are still 4 faster teams!

McL's downforce is excellent: having high drag is a good tradeoff .👌

All the analyses 🔥👇

https://buymeacoffee.com/f1dataanalysis/bahrain-gp-analyses-repository-3609450