Leclerc vs Vettel

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To start Leclerc has an advantage on the straight into T1, probably due to simply getting off the final corner to start the lap better, meaning Leclerc is already half a tenth up before braking for T1. Here Leclerc unusually has significant time with throttle/brake crossover in the early braking phase, likely to manage how much the weight shifts forward, and it’s not just T1 but other turns too though to lesser extents.

Although Leclerc’s apex speeds are generally lower than Vettel’s he gets better traction and in doing so he gains time on the next straight. Leclerc seems stronger in high speed corners here as evidenced by T6 with greater apex speed and less lifting of the throttle, but this may also be car balance related. This throttle technique was also visible in the high speed T11-12 in Melbourne, though that time Leclerc had a lower apex speed. Vettel shifts up before braking into T8 and T10, though the effect is negligible so this is perhaps just driver preference.

Leclerc vs Hamilton

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The immediate observation is that although Hamilton and Mercedes are faster through almost every corner, they lose that time gained on the following straight. Leclerc and Ferrari’s traction is clearly better here than Hamilton and Mercedes, with Hamilton even having to marginally lift at times. The aerodynamic philosophy of their cars with Ferrari likely having a more rearward aero-balance than Mercedes may explain this somewhat.

T6 indicates similar downforce levels, though Hamilton does lift less than Leclerc here. Drag levels are unknown of course, and Ferrari’s advantage on almost the entire length of each straight may intuitively be reasoned due to Mercedes running more wing and hence drag, or it may also be due to gearing as Mercedes look like they have run longer 7th and 8th gears than Ferrari, or perhaps something else entirely.

Looking deeper into the trace, however, one can compare the effect of DRS on top end acceleration (250+ km/h), hypothesising that a greater delta in speed with and without DRS points toward running more rear wing. With this method Ferrari look like they may have ran a little more rear wing than Mercedes (compare straights from T10-11 (DRS) and T13-14 (no DRS)). This ties into their superior traction quite nicely.

External factors can affect this method significantly, ERS deployment strategies, wind speed and direction, elevation, etc. can mask the true nature here, and they may be interfering somewhat with the Mercedes trace. For Leclerc, Verstappen, and Sainz, each DRS active acceleration curve is noticeably different to the DRS inactive ones, but for Hamilton this only holds for two, the exception being the DRS active straight from T3-4 more closely matching than expected the DRS inactive straight from T13-14. Bottas’ trace shows the same symptoms, Vettel’s doesn’t.

What is abundantly clear is that Ferrari have turned their PU back up to normal levels further confirming that it was turned down in Melbourne, even in qualifying.

Hamilton vs Bottas

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It appears as if their lines in T1-3 were different or this part of the trace isn’t synced properly. Nonetheless, Hamilton does consistently get on the power earlier than Bottas indicating better traction, the velocity trace also supports this. Hamilton shifts down an extra gear in T1, T4, T11, and T14, perhaps to help rotate the car or a slightly different line to Bottas that allows for better exits.

Throttle/brake crossover mentioned earlier is also visible in Hamilton’s inputs here, more so than Bottas’. Like Leclerc, Hamilton is also strong in the high speed turn 6 lifting less than Bottas. Apex speed is also higher with seemingly similar downforce/drag levels due to similar straight line speeds. Though note the odd delta at the end of the straight into T14 where Bottas doesn’t have the top end speed that Hamilton does. Perhaps an unusual lack of power as Bottas’ RPM drops then too.

Leclerc vs Verstappen

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Story is similar to the comparison with Hamilton and Mercedes, Leclerc and Ferrari gain most of their time on the straights, though in this case it is likely more power related due to Verstappen and Red Bull having a shorter gearing helping acceleration as well as the Honda PU RPM being consistently lower than the Ferrari PU.

Red Bull and Verstappen also seem to have run less downforce due to lower apex speed in T6. Poor traction relative to Leclerc also supports this but also points towards balance issues. The large lift in T7 is another sign of balance issues as the car changes direction. The positive for Red Bull and Verstappen is that they are still faster in the slower corners. Like Hamilton, Verstappen shifts down an extra gear in T1, T8, and T10, likely to help rotate the car better to get a good exit onto the next straight.

Verstappen vs Sainz

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McLaren and Sainz likely run and/or have less downforce than Red Bull and Verstappen as evidenced by T6 and T11, as well as higher straight-line speed though aerodynamic efficiency will also affect this. Traction appears to be superior for the McLaren which will also help their straight-line speed. It is unusual to see Red Bull struggle here further pointing towards balance issues, a clear example is Sainz going flat through T7 with Verstappen having to lift by 25%. Apex speed, however, for Red Bull and Verstappen is still higher.

The Renault PU seems to be at a higher RPM than the Honda PU but it’s hard to discern any genuine difference here because the McLaren looks to be geared shorter than the Red Bull. The clearest sign may be at the start of the lap where the Renault is slightly higher in 8th gear, matching consensus that there is little to split between the two PUs.

The DRS delta analysis mentioned above (see Leclerc vs Hamilton) indicates McLaren running more rear wing than Red Bull as they benefit more from DRS activating. This may also imply that Honda are behind Renault than it may seem, but time will tell.



