🗒Notes on #BahrainGP!

-VER wins, getting points for 42 races straight!🔥
-Unlucky Bahrain for LEC again; Ferrari much better on the Hards than Softs
-Sauber and Haas quicker than expected
-Alpine slowest by far

🔵RB>>🔴Ferrari>⚫️Merc>🟠McL>>🟢Aston

The season seems to have started where the 2023 season left, with the only exception of McLaren being behind Ferrari and Mercedes on race pace.

What’s YOUR opinion?🤔

FASTEST SECTORS - Quali 📊

Verstappen was 0.23s quicker than Perez in Sector 1, also thanks to the tow

Leclerc did a monstrous Sector 2: 0.15s quicker than anyone else!

The RedBulls were only the 5th fastest car in Sector 3: they are not invincible at all

RACE PACE - BahrainGP

VER was 0.41s/lap quicker than his teammate, on average!
SAI: same pace as PER
The McL/Mercedes battle was TIGHT: just 0.08s/lap between the 4 drivers!

Laptime change vs 2023 (s/lap):
Ferr -2.26
Merc -1.90
McL -1.89 (and fewer pits)
RB -1.86
Aston -1.24

Race Pace for the 2023 race, for comparison📊

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SECTOR ANALYSIS - #BahrainGP

Verstappen was quickest in every sector:
-0.31s over Alonso in Sector 1
-0.73s (!!) over Leclerc in Sector 2😳
-0.19s over Sainz in Sector 3

Mercedes was uncompetitive in the twisty sector 2, where McLaren shined

GAP TO VERSTAPPEN - BahrainGP

VER gained well over 0.5s/lap vs most drivers in the first stint.
He was managing his pace in the last stint (on softs), when his pace advantage reduced.👌

Alonso was 2nd quickest in the last 15 laps (thanks to fresher tyres: compare to STR).

Start Analysis - Charles_Leclerc vs Max33Verstappen


Leclerc reached 200km/h slightly earlier, thanks to the slipstream, but not enough to get P1.

He launched using way more throttle than Verstappen but went full-throttle later.

Best 0-200km/h: PER (5.4s).
Worst: HUL/RIC (6.3s).

🛞COMPOUND PERFORMANCE - BahrainGP

The 🔴Softs and ⚪️Hards showed surprisingly similar behaviour in the race.

The graph shows the (fuel-corrected) fastest laptime produced at every tyre age: VER's fastest lap stands out!

I wonder how the 🟡Mediums would have performed. 🤔

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Leclerc doesn't surrender easily: he braked later than Perez despite his braking system issue!🔥

Despite not having a tow, Perez's top speed was 3km/h higher, which was crucial to conclude the overtake.

The double slipstream made Sainz reach 303km/h while Russell was 'cruising'.

Perez was alongside Leclerc since very early on the straight, so his top speed was not impacted by a tow.

Rear wings!👀

SaudiArabianGP: medium-low load levels💡
✅Full-throttle for very long: low drag needed!
✅Some downforce for the fast corners+braking👌

Aston: medium load ▶️ (less top speed, more grip)

Ferrari/RedBull/Alpine/Williams/McL: medium-low🔽

Mercedes/VCAB: low⏬

🗒Notes on #Saudi Arabian GP!

-Traction and braking (Ferrari’s strength… when they work properly!) matter much less than in Bahrain
-Low asphalt abrasion➡️Strong track evolution
-Many fast left-handers➡️High wear of the right tyres
-Low drag: crucial

What’s your prediction?🤔

Rear wings - Saudi Arabian GP
(RB as reference)

-🟢Merc: shallow lower plane and lower angle of attack of the upper plane➡️Least drag and downforce
-🟠McL and particularly🔵RB generate most of their downforce through the upper plane➡️More effective DRS
-🔴Ferrari: opposite to RB

Drawings made by my collaborator @CatalinEpu 🔥

TOP SPEEDS - FP1

Already 10km/h higher than in Bahrain quali! (due to the less loaded wings the teams are running)

Aston's wing produces tons of drag (and downforce)➡️Clipping (battery runs out on straight end). Lower PU mode too, probably

Still 5km/h away from 2023 quali

Verstappen vs Alonso - FP1

Aston's more loaded rear made Alonso quicker on most corners and braking points
On the flip side, that produced severe clipping, as well (yellow arrows), producing a massive 11km/h deficit vs VER

Probably a lower ERS mode, too

BEST SECTORS - FP2📊

Alonso was quickest in both the slowest sector (S1, many medium-speed corners) AND in the fastest one (S33: two straights connected by a hairpin)➡️Considering his relatively loaded rear wing he was higher on power than most drivers, but possibly on less fuel too.

Merc had a 9km/h top speed advantage over McL: completely different wing levels (Compare the 3rd sector!) But which one will be the right choice?🤔

BEST MINISECTORS - FP2

More loaded rear wing (and possibly less fuel) ➡️Alonso was the king of Sector 1, dominating almost all the fast corners from T4 to T13

Mercedes' less draggy rear wing paid dividends between turns T13 and T27🚀

Top Speeds:
-334 RUS
-332 VER
-330 ALO

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