The 'ERS' bit is interesting in my opinion, so here is some info:

Each team chooses an ERS deployment strategy for the lap, to minimise laptime for a given energy amount.

We DON'T expect the finish speed to be the same as the start speed, as it depends on where the finish line is (Higher finish speed is better if it is closer to the braking point; higher start speed is better if it's closer to the corner exit).

Still, for a given track, we expect this strategy to be similar for everyone. The 6km/h difference between RBR (5 lost) and Ferrari (1 gained) is strange, so it's either due to overdeployment early in the lap by RBR (or inefficient ERS) or underemployment by Ferrari (or efficient ERS).

The tow Max got from TSU definitely affected that metric (but not the one about the top speed, which I evaluated on the longest straight).

However, even when considering his previous lap (no tow), he still lost speed at the end vs the start of the lap.

SAUDI ARABIAN GP - VER & PIA Pace per Stint

🔵Verstappen was quicker than 🟠Piastri on both stints... but was his/RBR's potential higher?
Hard to tell🤔

Stint 1 (M): VER led, PIA 0.132s/lap slower
Stint 2 (H): PIA led, PIA 0.028s/lap slower

Takeaways:
- VER was more consistent (less variable laptimes).
- PIA was closer on Hards/low fuel than on Mediums/high fuel. He had reasons to manage during the 1st stint (waiting for the penalty), but also during the 2nd (was in front with a good lead).
- Hards lasted A LOT: both drivers improved laptimes throughout the 2nd stint! (Fuel burn impacted more than tyre deg).
- PIA's deg on Hards looked worse than VER's.


Made via @JMP_software

Did you know?

PIA was much quicker through the fast corners on lap 49 than on lap 23, even though his tyres were much fresher earlier. How?! 🤔

Physics explains it!
The maximum lateral acceleration is:
ay=μ(g + 0.5 ρ Cx A / m v^2)
🟢 μ: tyre-road grip coefficient (decreases with tyre wear)
🔵 v: speed (Downforce is proportional to speed squared)
🔴 m: car mass (decreases as fuel burns)

Here's how:
- Slow corners (green): speed (v) is low ➔ ay is ~μg, mainly tyre grip, and his pace didn’t improve much there!
- Fast corners (blue): speed is high ➔ downforce dominates. As mass (m) drops with fuel burn, the relative effect of downforce becomes even greater!

I hope you learnt something today, I love explaining these things! 🤩

Made via @JMP_software

MIAMI GP PREVIEW 🗒

City circuit combining two long DRS-assisted straights (and a 3rd shorter one) with the extremely slow end of Sector 2.

One-step softer compounds vs ‘24 (like in Jeddah).

High aero efficiency + good traction are key!

2024 race pace (below): NOR got his first win (and McL’s since ‘21)!
McL, RBR, and Ferrari were close in performance.

My prediction:
🟠McL > 🔵RBR ~ 🔴Ferrari ~ ⚫️Mercedes
(Very hard to predict who will be the second force!)

📸 @pirellisport

MIAMI GP - REAR WINGS 👀

🟠McLaren, 🔴Ferrari, and ⚫️Mercedes improved their downforce significantly over last year, allowing them to run less loaded wings in Miami for a significant drag advantage! 💡

This is not the case for 🔵RBR: this could in part be a choice, but partly dictated by their smaller downforce improvement compared to other teams. 🚨

🟠McLaren's change is radical: a less loaded DRS plane AND a much shallower lower plane. Expect a massive improvement in top speed vs last year from them. 🚀

'24 top speeds in best quali lap:
🔵RBR 338km/h
🔴Ferrari 338
⚫️Merc 337
🟠McL 336

'25 top speeds...?

Antonelli got his first (Sprint) pole... in the last corner! 😲

PIA was ~0.070s in front before that, but ANT's better exit was worth over a tenth! 👏

MIAMI GP - SPRINT QUALIFYING

Vertappen was full throttle far more (60.5% of time) than any other driver in Sprint Quali: his more loaded wing gave him excellent traction and high-speed grip, making him even quicker than ANT in the fast corners!

TSU's setup was slightly less loaded (+3km/h top speed), and his best lap was set on mediums.

Still, he could stay full-throttle the LEAST of any other driver: as all VER's teammates before him, he might be struggling driving the hardcore RB21.

FP1 and SQ analysis + Sprint, Quali, and Race prediction👇

https://buymeacoffee.com/f1dataanalysis/miami-gp-sprint-quali-race-preview

Notes on Miami Sprint

We had:
- Drama even before the start (LEC crash);
- DNFs due to mistakes (SAI, ALO);
- Excellent strategic calls (HAM, TSU) and bad ones (NOR) saved by luck (safety car timing);
- Turn 1 controversy (PIA vs ANT);
- A crash/penalty/missed pit due to unsafe release (VER vs ANT).

In case of ALO, LAW’s fault was clear.

Still, mistakes were the cause of 2 DNFs (I’m specifying it here because it wasn’t clear enough.)

MIAMI GP - SPRINT: TOP SPEED PER LAP

TSU reached 345km/h during the few laps of the chaotic Miami GP Sprint: not bad on a damp city circuit! He was running a slightly less loaded wing than VER (worth around 3km/h in SQ).

BOR reached 329km/h WITHOUT DRS.

Only 319km/h for PIA (no DRS/tows).

MIAMI GP - RACE PACE

Mclaren's dominance was extreme: the SLOWER driver (NOR) was still over half a second quicker than any other (VER)!

Congrats, Williams: super-close to Mercedes and ahead of Ferrari. 👏

1) 🟠 McL;
2) 🔵 RBR +0.64s/lap;
3) 🟢 Merc +0.68;
4) 🔵 Williams +0.71;
5) 🔴 Ferrari +0.88.

Last year's race, as a reference:

Ferrari's demise and Williams' resurgence are clear and incredible.

VER had a damaged floor.

MIAMI GP - TOP SPEED PER LAP

Alonso beat HAM's record for the highest top speed in the 2025 season: 355 km/h! 😲

He got a QUINTUPLE DRS train behind HAD on Lap 5: he reached 12673rpm in 8th gear, or ~900rpm more than his usual 7th to 8th upshift rpm! 🚀

The two Williams and Ferrari reached the highest top speed on average (low drag + frequent tows and DRS).

VER only reached 321km/h without DRS: His more loaded wing and early ERS deployment strategy induced clipping (speed decrease at full throttle due to reduced electric deployment🪫).

The previous record for the season was set by HAM, in China (351km/h).

We're still far from last year's record, though (Albon reached 369km/h in Las Vegas).

F1 cars LOSE speed at the end of long straights, even at full throttle 🤯

This is called 'Clipping': here's how it works!

A F1 PU generates ~1000hp:
⛽️840hp from the combustion engine;
⚡️160hp from the ERS.

In the race, battery management is key. As such, engineers program the ERS to:
🟢 1) Deploy maximum power early on the straight (so that the speed gained can be used for many metres).
🔴 2) Progressively reduce its power output: at the end of the straight, the ERS is slowing the car down to recharge the battery!

Therefore, power reduces from ~1000hp (840+160🔋) to ~680hp (840-160🪫): power drops so much that the speed decreases!

Notice that the acceleration (red line) turns negative even at full throttle (green line). Low drag and efficient ERS decrease this issue.

This will only get much worse next year, as the contribution from the ERS to the total power will be much larger (The peak speed will reached even sooner with a larger drop in speed after that).

Made via @JMP_software

MIAMI GP - RACE: GAP TO RACE WINNER

RUS got on the podium, yet OCO (who finished P12) was closer to him in pace than RUS was to the driver he had in front (NOR)! 😳

That's the extent of McLaren's domination in Miami (Track-specific: the race was close in Jeddah).

Pace (only valid non-outlier laps)
PIA quickest;
NOR +0.09s/lap;
RUS +0.68;
OCO +1.20.

NOR recovered 3.7s to PIA (in management mode) after overtaking VER, but lost ~7s overtaking him.