Note: This article is a supplementary piece to the Pace and Analysis articles I publish on the individual races
Average Qualifying:
Teammate Head to Heads:
Average Race Pace:
-
This article is part of a series of articles I will be completing throughout the year, where I am going to analyze the average pace of the drivers and teams, in both qualifying and the races, to be able to gain a picture of performance levels.
I have collated the fastest laps by each driver in qualifying, to show the average gap to the fastest driver. One caveat that arises, is that the top 10 drivers, through progressing to the final qualifying session, have a better track condition that those who only took part in Q1 or Q2. Due to this, the gap will be larger for the drivers outside the top ten than if qualifying was performed in one representative session. However, since the final session represents the point at which the top drivers are truly pushing, I’ve ruled it a better grounding point for the true limit of the cars, rather than only focusing on the first qualifying session in which the best times are not recorded.
Qualifying Pace-
With no further ado, here are the gaps to pole:
Additionally, I have collected the data for the gaps between teammates. I did this by using their fastest lap times set in the same session, so if one driver got into Q3, whilst the other only got into Q2, then I would count their Q2 times. Additionally, the lap times have to be representative, to avoid comparing out laps completed before a driver breaks down, as this would give us a very inaccurate representation of the drivers’ pace:
Race Pace-
Next up in our data sets is the race pace of the drivers. I have calculated the average pace of the drivers, removing first laps, in-laps, out-laps and virtual safety car laps, as all these all not representative of a driver’s general pace. Additionally, if a driver has a spin, or another error that would greatly reduce their lap time, I have not counted these laps, as they would also not be representative of a drivers’ general pace. I have only included drivers that completed at least 75% of the race distance ((which for Japan, excludes Alexander Albon, Daniel Ricciardo and Zhou Guanyu) so to not skew the season long averages against drivers that did not drive on low fuel with the best track conditions.
As different drivers have a varying number of race stints, this skews the overall pace. Generally, if a driver makes more stops, their pace will be faster on average. This will be taken into account in my final thoughts and analysis. Additionally, the average pace per stint and number of stints are recorded at the bottom of this article, for those interested in viewing more precise estimates of pace relative to other drivers on the same stint.[2]
Analysis:
- It is more difficult to directly compare drivers’ race pace than in previous races this season, due to the large variety of tyre strategies and stint lengths.
- Leclerc had an amazing race, showing consistent pace and tyre management to be the only driver other than Magnussen to pull off an effective one-stop. Whilst not being as fast on average as his teammate as a result, Leclerc showed off how Ferrari has seemingly fixed their tyre woes and have provided their drivers a car that has strategic flexibility.
- Both Mercedes drivers were incredibly close to each other throughout the race. Whilst Lewis was a little slower in the first stint due to damage, he then proceeded to be a little faster than George in the next two stints.
- McLaren really messed up Lando Norris’ strategy in this race. Despite stopping Norris on his medium stint earlier than any other driver, the team still felt the need to stop at the same time as Leclerc for the final stint. As Norris was already behind the one-stopping Leclerc and went onto the same tyres, it was virtually impossible for him to finish ahead of Leclerc after that decision. A tyre offset is generally needed to make overtakes in Suzuka, so McLaren should have stopped Norris later and attempted to reclaim fourth place.
- I have no idea what was going on with Lance Stroll’s race. His stint lengths and tyre degradation were particularly poor, only recording eight valid laps on his medium stint. Looking at the data and how fast Stroll’s tyres were degrading is concerning. Unless it comes out that his tyres were mistakenly made of Swiss cheese, Lance has really got to work on this element of his race craft to ensure never repeating a performance like this. Whilst his teammate’s stints were up there with the McLaren and Mercedes’, Lance’s were comparable to the Alpine drivers, who had the slowest car.
Further Resources-
Qualifying Pace:
Driver Fastest Qualifying Time Max Verstappen 88.197 (0%) Sergio Perez 88.263 (+0.075%) Lando Norris 88.489 (+0.331%) Carlos Sainz 88.682 (+0.550%) Fernando Alonso 88.686 (+0.554%) Oscar Piastri 88.76 (+0.638%) Lewis Hamilton 88.766 (+0.645%) Charles Leclerc 88.786 (+0.668%) George Russell 89.008 (+0.920%) Yuki Tsunoda 89.413 (+1.379%) Daniel Ricciardo 89.472 (+1.446%) Nico Hulkenberg 89.494 (+1.471%) Valtteri Bottas 89.593 (+1.583%) Alexander Albon 89.714 (+1.720%) Esteban Ocon 89.811 (+1.830%) Lance Stroll 90.024 (+2.071%) Pierre Gasly 90.119 (+2.179%) Kevin Magnussen 90.131 (+2.193%) Logan Sargeant 90.139 (+2.202%) Zhou Guanyu 90.143 (+2.206%) Average Race Pace:
Driver Pace Max Verstappen 96.028 (0%) Sergio Perez 96.309 (+0.293%) Carlos Sainz 96.441 (+0.430%) Lando Norris 96.579 (+0.574%) Oscar Piastri 96.908 (+0.916%) Fernando Alonso 96.91 (+0.919%) Charles Leclerc 96.921 (+0.929%) George Russell 96.943 (+0.952%) Lewis Hamilton 97.002 (+1.014%) Lance Stroll 97.715 (+1.756%) Nico Hulkenberg 97.91 (+1.960%) Yuki Tsunoda 97.916 (+1.966%) Logan Sargeant 97.937 (+1.988%) Valtteri Bottas 98.161 (+2.221%) Kevin Magnussen 98.596 (+2.674%) Esteban Ocon 98.743 (+2.827%) Pierre Gasly 98.928 (+3.020%) All Stints:
Best Stints Pace Sainz 3rd (16L/NH) 94.726 Verstappen 3rd (18L/NH) 94.727 Hamilton 3rd (13L/UM) 94.822 Perez 3rd (19L/NH) 94.92 Russell 3rd (15L/UM) 95.206 Sargeant 4th (10L/NS) 95.671 Alonso 3rd (19L/NH) 95.779 Piastri 3rd (20L/NH) 95.798 Leclerc 2nd (26L/NH) 95.889 Norris 3rd (26L/NH) 95.941 Sargeant 3rd (5L/NM) 96.056 Hulkenberg 2nd/3rd (18L/NH) 96.185 Hamilton 2nd (14L/NH) 96.387 Russell 2nd (13L/NH) 96.475 Verstappen 2nd (16L/NM) 96.523 Stroll 4th (17L/NS) 96.644 Sainz 2nd (19L/UM) 97.036 Perez 2nd (16L/NM) 97.039 Norris 2nd (13L/NH) 97.298 Verstappen 1st (12L/NM) 97.321 Tsunoda 2nd/3rd (29L/NH) 97.346 Alonso 2nd (18L/NM) 97.401 Piastri 2nd (18L/NH) 97.506 Stroll 3rd (10L/NH) 97.591 Ocon 3rd (18L/NM) 97.416 Norris 1st (7L/NM) 97.614 Perez 1st (11L/NM) 97.648 Gasly 3rd (19L/NH) 97.682 Sargeant 2nd (10L/NH) 97.754 Magnussen 2nd (29L/NH) 97.827 Bottas 2nd/3rd (29L/NH) 97.829 Sainz 1st (11L/NM) 97.909 Leclerc 1st (22L/NM) 98.14 Alonso 1st (9L/NS) 98.318 Piastri 1st (8L/NM) 98.334 Ocon 2nd (12L/NH) 98.593 Russell 1st (18L/NH) 98.727 Bottas 1st/2nd (14L/NH) 98.749 Stroll 2nd (8L/NM) 98.849 Gasly 2nd (14L/NM) 98.877 Tsunoda 1st/2nd (13L/NH) 98.897 Hamilton 1st (19L/NH) 98.948 Hulkenberg 1st/2nd (26L/NH) 99.01 Stroll 1st (8L/NS) 99.012 Sargeant 1st (18L/NH) 99.82 Magnussen 1st (18L/NM) 99.836 Ocon 1st (15L/NH) 100.457 Gasly 1st (12L/NH) 100.961 Key: 1L= One Lap, 2L= Two Laps, NH= New Hards, UM= Used Mediums, NM= New Mediums, NS= New Softs
Number of Stints:
Number of Stints Drivers 2 Leclerc, Magnussen, Bottas*, Hulkenberg*, Tsunoda* 3 Verstappen, Perez, Sainz, Norris, Alonso, Russell, Piastri, Hamilton, Ocon, Gasly, Bottas*, Hulkenberg*, Tsunoda* 4 Stroll, Sargeant
[1] I only count a stint if a driver has completed five or more laps, to avoid short stints for fastest lap attempts skewing the data on the table. This has led to the official first stints of Tsunoda, Bottas and Hulkenberg (who only recorded one valid lap in his first stint) not being included in the table, though this is represented through the labeling of their stints as 1st/2nd and 2nd/3rd
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Sprint-
- Charles Leclerc
- Max Verstappen
- Sergio Perez
Pole Position: Max Verstappen
- Sergio Perez
- Max Verstappen
- Charles Leclerc
Bold Prediction: Both Haas cars in Q3
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- Max Verstappen-
Once again, Max dominated. He drove away from the field and had a pace advantage over everyone else. There’s little else to say, his performance was next to perfect, as it is every weekend.
2. Sergio Perez-
Whilst his teammate still dominated, Sergio Perez also had a fantastic weekend. On a track he has struggled at in the past, he nearly matched Max in qualifying. Whilst missing his chances to pass Max at the start and win the race, Sergio still delivered fantastic pace and audacious overtakes to ensure that Red Bull achieved their third 1-2 of the season.
3. Carlos Sainz-
Carlos once again proved the stronger Ferrari driver over the weekend. He maximized his good starting position to continue his 100% podium rate this season.[1] People are already starting to question why Ferrari made the call to replace Carlos, he is clearly one of the best drivers in F1. After spending years being underrated, it appears that F1 fans, teams and casual spectators are waking up to this fact. Ferrari currently have the best line-up in F1, let’s hope they don’t lose it.
4. Charles Leclerc-
Whilst not having the best qualifying performance, Charles more than made up for it in the race. Charles and Ferrari executed a fantastic one-stop strategy that no other driver could make work. Charles’ ability to post consistent lap times with minimal degradation (even compared to his own teammate) show that he is maximizing that Ferrari in the races. Once he has improved his qualifying, Charles could be unstoppable this season.
5. Yuki Tsunoda-
Last, but definitely not least, is the home hero Yuki Tsunoda. He was able to beat his teammate in qualifying, run a sublime strategy in the race and finish in front of an Aston Martin to get the last point on the table. His attitude is amazing, he puts the team before himself and combined with Perez’s strong performances, he has guaranteed that Daniel Ricciardo will never drive a Red Bull again. Getting a point at home clearly meant so much to Yuki and as someone who remembers his first year, when he was consistently outqualified by Pierre Gasly and swore too much on the radio, it has been a pleasure to see Yuki grow into one of F1’s most solid performers.
Tally:[2]
- Max Verstappen- 3
- Carlos Sainz- 3
- Charles Leclerc- 2
- Sergio Perez- 2
- Yuki Tsunoda- 2
- Nico Hulkenberg- 1.5
- George Russell- 1
- Oscar Piastri- 1
- Lando Norris- 1
- Lance Stroll- 1
- Oliver Bearman- 1
- Zhou Guanyu- 1
- Kevin Magnussen- 0.5
[1] Bar when he was in hospital for appendicitis.
[2] Of how many times drivers have featured in these lists.
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F1 delivered a thrilling Japanese Grand Prix. Often one of the best tracks for drivers, Suzuka has recently proved a difficult track to make overtakes. However, mixed up tyre strategies provided for battles throughout the field this year. Whilst the final result was predictable, the action was exciting, something that should please any fan of good racing.
Red Bull returned to dominate the field after their Australian hiccup. Whilst Verstappen’s win was expected, what surprised was how close Sergio Perez was throughout this weekend. Japan is one of Verstappen’s best tracks and Sergio had a relentless struggle here last season. I fully expected him to qualify in seventh and finish around fifth. Yet, Perez seems to have stepped up his game, only being 0.066 seconds slower than Verstappen in qualifying. He then proceeded to have an entertaining race, battling the rest of the field after his pit stops, to finish exactly where Red Bull need him to. Also, overtaking both Mercedes through 130R was inspired. Channeling his inner Alonso, Perez showed that he has the bravery to stop the second Red Bull seat going down under.
McLaren have had a slightly less fortunate week than the bulls. I fear I was not firm enough in the article I wrote on McLaren’s performance earlier in the year. Whilst the article I wrote back then expressed doubts and reservations on McLaren’s expectations of challenging Red Bull, I was actually certain that they would not be the second-best team this year. Thus, it was not to my surprise to see McLaren now claiming that it would now take another twelve months of development to improve, followed by the shock announcement that David Sanchez, who only started his job three months ago, was leaving.[1] Despite this, the grand prix itself was not even that bad for McLaren. They still look like they are solidly the third best team and can challenge for podiums in the right circumstances. But the team set expectations too high at the beginning of the year, disappointing their drivers and exemplifying the amusement of Ferrari fans. If McLaren had set realistic expectations, people would be singing their plaudits for seemingly dethroning Mercedes as a top team. Instead, we’re all busy wondering what happened to the Red Bull challenger we were promised.
This week’s stewards thankfully proved to be more competent than the ones in Australia. Towards the end of the race, Fernando was delivering another defensive masterclass, driving slowly to keep Piastri in DRS to stop George Russell from being able to advance and overtake on his faster tyres. No twenty second penalty was given to Fernando for driving slowly this week, but when Russell and Piastri had a moment at the chicane, I was nervous that one of them would get an unnecessary penalty. This was because the divebomb Russell made to attempt to overtake Piastri led to Piastri going off the track to avoid a collision. I was initially hesitant that Piastri may get a penalty for leaving the track, when his space was incredibly limited, but then Russell was put under investigation for pushing Piastri off the track. This was even though Piastri benefited from not taking the chicane. But the stewards took the right decision this week, to not punish hard racing. After Australia’s debacle, I was pleased to see the attitude of ‘let them race’ being adopted. I hope future stewards can learn from the fair handling of this incident.
Overall, a good weekend for F1. Suzuka reminded us why it was one of the greatest tracks in F1 history, moves were made across the field, Tsunoda got some points at home and Alpine dropped back like a stone. I couldn’t really have asked for much more.[2]
[1] McLaren will need “another 12 months” to fix F1 weaknesses, Fillip Cleeren, Autosport (1 April 2024) https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mclaren-will-need-another-12-months-to-fix-f1-weaknesses/10593701/; McLaren’s Big Ex-Ferrari F1 Hire Out After Three Months, Josh Suttill, The Race (2 April 2024) https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mclaren-reshuffle-ex-ferrari-f1-hire-david-sanchez-out-after-three-months/
[2] For my thoughts on Ferrari’s race, see my forthcoming article on the five star drivers.
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Note: This article is a supplementary piece to the Pace and Analysis articles I publish on the individual races
Average Qualifying:
Teammate Head to Heads:
Average Race Pace:
-
This article is part of a series of articles I will be completing throughout the year, where I am going to analyze the average pace of the drivers and teams, in both qualifying and the races, to be able to gain a picture of performance levels.
I have collated the fastest laps by each driver in qualifying, to show the average gap to the fastest driver. One caveat that arises, is that the top 10 drivers, through progressing to the final qualifying session, have a better track condition that those who only took part in Q1 or Q2. Due to this, the gap will be larger for the drivers outside the top ten than if qualifying was performed in one representative session. However, since the final session represents the point at which the top drivers are truly pushing, I’ve ruled it a better grounding point for the true limit of the cars, rather than only focusing on the first qualifying session in which the best times are not recorded.
Qualifying Pace-
With no further ado, here are the gaps to pole:
And for the teams:
Additionally, I have collected the data for the gaps between teammates. I did this by using their fastest lap times set in the same session, so if one driver got into Q3, whilst the other only got into Q2, then I would count their Q2 times. Additionally, the lap times have to be representative, to avoid comparing out laps completed before a driver breaks down, as this would give us a very inaccurate representation of the drivers’ pace. Williams have no comparison for Australia, as Sargeant did not take part in the weekend after Albon’s crash:
Race Pace-
Next up in our data sets is the race pace of the drivers. I have calculated the average pace of the drivers, removing first laps, in-laps, out-laps and virtual safety car laps, as all these all not representative of a driver’s general pace. Additionally, if a driver has a spin, or another error that would greatly reduce their lap time, I have not counted these laps, as they would also not be representative of a drivers’ general pace.[1] I have only included drivers that completed at least 75% of the race distance (which for Australia, excludes Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen) so to not skew the season long averages against drivers that did not drive on low fuel with the best track conditions.
As different drivers have a varying number of race stints, this skews the overall pace. Generally, if a driver makes more stops, their pace will be faster on average. This will be taken into account in my final thoughts and analysis. Additionally, the average pace per stint and number of stints are recorded at the bottom of this article, for those interested in viewing more precise estimates of pace relative to other drivers on the same stint.[2]
And for the teams:
Analysis:
- Ferrari had a good chance to win this race even if Verstappen did not retire. Perez’s pace was far off the Ferrari’s and McLaren’s; being 0.64% off Sainz’s average. This is more than Perez has been behind Verstappen for the first two races of the season, implying that Verstappen’s pace would have been slower too, albeit with track position.
- Leclerc, whilst weaker than Sainz throughout the weekend, started to show signs of improvement during his final stint, with his lap times dipping into the 79-second range. The Ferrari has seemed a tad inconsistent over the first few rounds, so my interpretation of this race’s data is that Leclerc is beginning to learn how to extract the maximum from his car but isn’t quite there yet.
- The McLaren race pace was also great in Australia. Whilst not quite measuring up to Ferrari in qualifying, they were with them in the race. Norris even set the fastest stint of the race. McLaren could be challenging for wins around similar circuits.
- There were three clear tiers this weekend, which are beginning to show up in the averages. The top tier is Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren, the middle tier seems to be Aston Martin, Mercedes and RB and the other teams seem to be in the lower tier. At this point, only the top three teams seem to hold any hope of race wins.
- Lap 18 was not included in the analysis for most drivers due to the presence of the VSC. Ocon and Bottas were exceptions as they were only around halfway through lap 17 when the green flag was called. The other notable exception was Magnussen, who seemed to have a perfect reaction to the green flag, as unlike every other driver in a similar position on the track to him, his lap time did not appear to be an outlier.
- Additionally, Magnussen appeared to have a minor problem in the last few laps, as the times began to dramatically drop. Without this drop off he would have outpaced Hulkenberg.
- Bottas showed decent pace throughout the race. He may have been in the hunt for points if Sauber’s pit stops were not occurring.
Further Resources-
Qualifying Pace:
Driver Fastest Qualifying Time Max Verstappen 75.915 (0%) Carlos Sainz 76.185 (+0.356%) Sergio Perez 76.274 (+0.473%) Charles Leclerc 76.304 (+0.512%) Lando Norris 76.315 (+0.527%) Oscar Piastri 76.572 (+0.865%) Fernando Alonso 76.71 (+1.047%) George Russell 76.724 (+1.066%) Lance Stroll 76.78 (+1.139%) Yuki Tsunoda 76.788 (+1.150%) Lewis Hamilton 76.96 (+1.377%) Alexander Albon 77.13 (+1.600%) Valtteri Bottas 77.34 (+1.877%) Kevin Magnussen 77.427 (+1.992%) Esteban Ocon 77.617 (+2.242%) Nico Hulkenberg 77.976 (+2.715%) Pierre Gasly 77.982 (+2.723%) Daniel Ricciardo 78.085 (+2.858%) Zhou Guanyu 78.188 (+2.994%) Average Race Pace:
Driver Pace Carlos Sainz 81.458 (0%) Charles Leclerc 81.491 (+0.040%) Lando Norris 81.552 (+0.115%) Oscar Piastri 81.749 (+0.356%) Sergio Perez 81.977 (+0.636%) George Russell 82.37 (+1.120%) Fernando Alonso 82.432 (+1.195%) Lance Stroll 82.541 (+1.329%) Yuki Tsunoda 82.609 (+1.413%) Daniel Ricciardo 82.844 (+1.702%) Valtteri Bottas 82.858 (+1.719%) Nico Hulkenberg 82.864 (+1.726%) Kevin Magnussen 82.887 (+1.754%) Esteban Ocon 82.897 (+1.766%) Zhou Guanyu 82.93 (+1.806%) Alexander Albon 82.941 (+1.820%) Pierre Gasly 83.146 (+2.072%) All Stints:
Best Stints Pace Norris 3rd (16L/UH) 80.333 Sainz 3rd (15L/NH) 80.485 Piastri 3rd (16L/UH) 80.561 Leclerc 3rd (22L/NH) 80.588 Russell 3rd (10L/NH) 80.7 Perez 3rd (21L/NH) 81.084 Alonso 3rd (18L/UH) 81.096 Stroll 3rd (18L/UH) 81.447 Sainz 2nd (22L/NH) 81.543 Tsunoda 3rd (19L/NH) 81.711 Gasly 3rd (13L/NH) 81.711 Norris 2nd (22L/UH) 81.764 Hulkenberg 3rd (20L/NH) 81.91 Ocon 4th (12L/UH) 81.93 Leclerc 2nd (21L/NH) 82.016 Perez 2nd (17L/NH) 82.18 Magnussen 3rd (22L/NH) 82.188 Bottas 3rd (18L/NH) 82.191 Piastri 2nd (25L/UH) 82.215 Zhou 2nd/3rd (19L/NH) 82.231 Ricciardo 2nd/3rd (26L/NH) 82.344 Sainz 1st (14L/NM) 82.367 Albon 2nd/3rd (28L/NH) 82.618 Russell 2nd (33L/NH) 82.731 Leclerc 1st (7L/NM) 82.754 Alonso 2nd (22L/UM) 82.764 Norris 1st (12L/NM) 82.787 Piastri 1st (7L/NM) 82.798 Hulkenberg 2nd (16L/NM) 82.887 Ocon 2nd (5L/NH) 83.077 Ocon 3rd (24L/NH) 83.12 Tsunoda 2nd (23L/NH) 83.126 Stroll 2nd (25L/UH) 83.155 Bottas 2nd (25L/UH) 83.155 Perez 1st (12L/NM) 83.177 Russell 1st (6L/NM) 83.168 Alonso 1st (15L/UH) 83.192 Hamilton 2nd (7L/NH) 83.205 Albon 1st/2nd (17L/NH) 83.252 Gasly 2nd (22L/NH) 83.263 Stroll 1st (6L/UM) 83.264 Zhou 1st/2nd (25L/UH) 83.273 Ricciardo 1st/2nd (20L/NH) 83.284 Magnussen 2nd (23L/NH) 83.347 Tsunoda 1st (7L/NM) 83.349 Hamilton 1st (5L/NS) 83.456 Bottas 1st (6L/UM) 83.624 Ocon 1st (7L/NM) 83.662 Magnussen 1st (5L/NM) 83.851 Hulkenberg 1st (15L/NH) 84.112 Gasly 1st (15L/NM) 84.219 Key: 1L= One Lap, 2L= Two Laps, NH= New Hards, UH= Used Hards, NM= New Mediums, NS= New Softs
Number of Stints:
Number of Stints Drivers 2 Albon*,Ricciardo*,Zhou*, Hamilton 3 Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Perez, Stroll, Tsunoda, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Albon*, Ricciardo*, Gasly, Bottas, Zhou*, Russell 4 Ocon Albon, Ricciardo and Zhou had either two or three stints, as I did not count their opening stints due to them being too short.
[1] For example, I removed Oscar Piastri’s lap 38, as he went into the gravel and lost at least 5 seconds. Albon lap 56, Ricciardo lap 53 and Gasly lap 16 also looked suspect, but I was unable to find any evidence of a major mistake, so these laps were left in.
[2] I only count a stint if a driver has completed five or more laps, to avoid short stints for fastest lap attempts skewing the data on the table. This has led to the official first stints of Albon, Ricciardo and Zhou not being included in the table, though this is represented through the labeling of their stints as 1st/2nd and 2nd/3rd
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Pole Position: Oscar Piastri
- Max Verstappen
- Lando Norris
- Charles Leclerc
Bold Prediction: Sauber Double DNF
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- Carlos Sainz-
What more is there to say about Carlos’ performance that hasn’t already been said? After having an operation for appendicitis two weeks before, Sainz returned and won the race in a dominant fashion. It was a truly superhuman performance from Carlos, who continues to prove himself a driver who deserves to be in a top seat.
2. Lando Norris-
Sainz’s former teammate maximized all his opportunities in Australia. After pit strategy put Norris behind his teammate, Oscar Piastri, McLaren later ordered Piastri to let Norris past on lap 29. Norris then proceeded to build a 30 second gap to his teammate in 29 laps. This shows that Norris was dominant in the McLaren team in Australia and he believes that he could have beaten Leclerc to second, with better strategy.
3. Yuki Tsunoda-
Tsunoda is beginning to embarrass Daniel Ricciardo. In a year in which Ricciardo was supposed to prove he was still the driver who left Red Bull, he’s instead proving he is the driver who was dropped from McLaren. Whilst Ricciardo was nowhere during his home race, Yuki was consistently in the hunt for points and he left with six of them. Whether Yuki’s performances become consistent enough to lead to a Red Bull seat is yet to be seen, but he may have already ended Ricciardo’s chances.
4. Lance Stroll-
Lance deserves praise for his performance this weekend. He outqualified Alonso and finished ahead of him in the race, albeit this was assisted by Alonso’s debatable penalty. But still, Lance showed good pace, kept it clean and scored a large haul of points for Aston Martin to help maximize their opportunities in a week their silver rivals did anything but.
5. Nico Hulkenberg-
Nico Hulkenberg made it back-to-back points finishes in Australia. Whilst not maximizing qualifying, he maximized his race performance, to finish in front of all the other cars in the midfield, bar Tsunoda. With three front running cars retiring in Australia, this resulted in 9th and 10th finishing places for Haas, further bringing forward their revival under new team principle Komatsu.
Tally:[1]
- Max Verstappen- 2
- Carlos Sainz- 2
- Nico Hulkenberg- 1.5
- Charles Leclerc- 1
- Sergio Perez- 1
- George Russell- 1
- Oscar Piastri- 1
- Lando Norris- 1
- Lance Stroll- 1
- Oliver Bearman- 1
- Yuki Tsunoda- 1
- Zhou Guanyu- 1
- Kevin Magnussen- 0.5
[1] Of how many times drivers have featured in these lists.
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Note: This article is a supplementary piece to the Pace and Analysis articles I publish on the individual races
Average Qualifying:
Teammate Head to Heads:
Race Pace Averages:
Ryan's Lil' F1 Blog 