🗒Notes on US GP Sprint!

⚫️Mercedes’ updated floor worked (engineers said) and HAM kept up with VER on the first laps. Then, 🔵RB’s superior pace showed

🔴Ferrari’s wear was not great, but its great too speed helped SAI defend

Solid race by GAS/ALB/RIC 👌

Tomorrow’s higher track temperatures should make the Hard compounds more viable and could make the softs overheat.

In general, expect tyre wear to be higher due to that, in addition to the effect the higher fuel load will have on wear.

Your thoughts?🤔

Sprint Start - US GP

Sainz was the best starter, thanks to his soft tyres📈

NOR/ALB/STR/TSU/LEC/ALO were the best starters on Mediums.👌

Piastri's sprint race was underwhelming from the first few metres. 📉

Top Speeds - US GP Sprint

Verstappen did have the same setup as Perez (identical speed on the straights in qualifying), but when neither had DRS his top speed was much lower (<300): he probably set the ERS in cruise mode, while PER used more power in VIII gear to overtake! 🧐

Gap to Verstappen - US GP Sprint

HAM kept up with VER up to lap 5, then the difference in pace between the two became larger and larger. 📉

LEC's pace dropped off massively in the last few laps. Engine power didn't drop, he lost all the time in the corners: nursing the tyres?

Teams Tyre Wear per Compound

🟨Mediums (considering both drivers):
1)RB was quickest
2)Then Ferrari (LEC)
3)Mercedes
4)McLaren
5)Aston (much slower than others)

Only Sainz use Softs, but his wear was excellent: his pace dropped off less than LEC's, who was on Mediums!

Race Pace
1)🔵RedBull
2)🟢Mercedes
3)🟠McL and🔴Ferrari

Gap between teammates (seconds/lap):
0.52 LEC vs SAI (different tyres)
0.82 HAM vs RUS
0.98 VER vs PER
1.28 NOR vs PIA (‼️)

Mercedes' floor did wonders: HAM has a chance if VER needs time to overtake the others.

🗒Thoughts on #USGP Race!

-Max gets his most deserved win of the year in an open and strategic race👌
-Mercedes made HAM lose 5s in 2 laps by pitting too late🤕
-Classic Alonso ‘luck’: retiring after a great recovery😭
-McL now 4th in the WCC!📈

Stroll got into the points despite starting from the pit lane: the new package worked decently!

AstonMartin’s dreadful qualifying was mostly linked to having just a session to setup the new package correctly

They’ll get a lot of comparative data from this weekend!

What’s YOUR take?🤔

Race Pace US GP:

Performance:
🔵RB>🟢Merc>🟠McL>🔴Ferrari>>🟢AM>🔵Alpine

Aston's upgrades DID work it seems: first time that STR (updated car) was quicker than ALO (old car)
Stroll had a lower average fuel load (he did 9 laps more): that amount to less than 0.3s/lap though!

HAM was as quick as VER, on average: max was managing his pace at the end, but he would have had to fight for the win if not for Mercedes' errors concerning strategy and pit execution!

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Mercedes was fastest on the Medium tyres!🔥

⬜️Performance on Hards
RB>McLaren=Ferrari>Mercedes>>Aston

🟨Performance on Mediums
Mercedes(!)>RB>McL>Ferrari=Aston

Ferrari's pace would have looked better had LEC done 2 stops⏱
Worst wear: McL on Hards, Ferrari on Mediums.

Top Speeds per Lap at the US GP:

💡Aston's update might have cut their drag: STR reached 337km/h (the highest speed in the race), 3km/h more than Alonso (who was running the older package)

His top speed without DRS was 3km/h higher, too: 309 vs 306km/h

Mercedes was draggy but quick!👌

Average Time in Pits

🟠McL was fastest, and🔴Ferrari was just 0.05s behind: Ferrari's problem was pit strategy, not execution

🟢Mercedes' pits required reasonable time on average, but Hamilton's stops were slower than Russell's and cost him crucial time!

Gap to VER!

🟢Stroll's pace was VERY competitive: as quick as Leclerc in his 2nd stint despite pitting 3 laps earlier. He recovered over Verstappen in his last stint! Promising

🔴LEC was losing massively once others pitted📉

🔵VER managed his gap to HAM perfectly👌

Verstappen used a different type of brake pads which deteriorated quicker than expected.

In the last few laps, he had balance problems as the brake bias changed unpredictably.

He had to sacrifice his braking performance to ensure that he didn’t lock any axle.

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Tyre Strategies at the US GP:

LEC extended his first stint the most: 23 laps on a full tank, on Mediums!

Zhou, instead, pitted after just 9 laps.

Albon got into the points despite being the only driver who used two used sets, which probably impacted his pace a bit.

LapTimes - Colour indicates the stint

Mercedes was the fastest on low fuel!
Mexico's low air density should suit their high-downforce, higher-drag car, but how much did the too-low floor improve pace?🤔

The two Mercedes also had slightly fresher tyres compared to most other competitors in their 3rd stint:
- 17 laps by RUS in the 3rd stint, 18 by HAM
vs
- 19-22 laps by their main competitors, except for STR (16 laps).

Aston's pace looks promising💡

Made via @JMP_software

📈Best starters:
SAI, VER, PIA, ZHO

📉Worst:
GAS, LEC, RUS, BOT

Just 0.3s difference in reaching 200km/h between best and worst, though!

Which tyre compound was best, Medium or Hard?🤔

🟡Medium tyres were more grippy than ⚪️Hards in the first 20 laps

Hards only made sense for very long stints, where their slightly lower wear rate compensated for their inferior all-out performance.