[Craig Woollard]

With Formula One finally being faster than Formula One last year, I was curious to find out just whether this could have been just a one-off or whether these impressive hybrid engines paired with the reduction in downforce has finally produced the speed that we were all after. One thing that this also does not take into consideration is that the tyres are harder this year, and that there was reconstruction last year with the tyres. I thought that looking at the fastest time over a weekend was the right place to go about it:

Albert Park:
2013 (SSoft): 1:25.908 – VET – FP2
2014 (Soft): 1:29.375 – ROS – FP3 (+3.4)

Sepang:
2013 (Med): 1:36.435 – VET – FP3
2014 (Med): 1:39.008 – ROS – FP3 (+2.6)

Bahrain*:
2013 (Soft): 1:32.330 – VET – Q3
2014 (Soft): 1:33.185 – ROS – Q3 (+0.9)

*Local time significantly later in 2014

Shanghai:
2013 (Soft): 1:34.484 – HAM – Q3
2014 (Soft): 1:38.315 – HAM – FP2 (+3.9)

Catalunya:
2013 (Med): 1:20.718 – ROS – Q3
2014 (Med): 1:25.232 – HAM – Q3 (+4.5) – Hamilton’s pole was slower than Charles Pic’s 22nd place time in 2013.

Monte-Carlo:
2013 (SSoft): 1:13.876 – ROS – Q3
2014 (SSoft): 1:15.989 – ROS – Q3 (+2.1)

Montreal:
2013 (SSoft): 1:14.818 – ALO – FP2
2014 (SSoft): 1:14.874 – ROS – Q3 (+0.1)

Silverstone:
2013 (Med): 1:29.607 – HAM – Q3
2014 (Med): 1:34.508 – HAM – FP2 (+4.9)

Hungaroring:
2013 (Soft): 1:19.388 – HAM – Q3
2014 (Soft): 1:22.715 – ROS – Q3 (+3.3)

Spa:
2013 (Med): 1:48.296 – RAI – Q2
2014 (Soft): 1:49.189 – HAM – FP2 (+0.9) – Hard to decipher this one. Spa’s odd weather and mix of tyres skews data.

Monza:
2013 (Med): 1:23.755 – VET – Q3
2014 (Med): 1:24.109 – HAM – Q3 (+0.4)

Marina Bay:
2013 (SSoft): 1:42.841 – VET – Q3
2014 (SSoft): 1:45.681 – HAM – Q3 (+2.8)

Suzuka:
2013 (Med): 1:30.915 – VET – Q3
2014 (Med): 1:32.506 – ROS – Q3 (+1.6)

Austin:
2013 (Med): 1:36.338 – VET – Q3
2014 (Soft): 1:36.067 – ROS – Q3 (-0.3)

In short: due to the tyres, yes, it probably was a one-off. I do not expect the fastest laps of last year to be beaten at Interlagos or at Abu Dhabi. Generally these cars have been between 0.4 (Italy – low downforce) and 3.3 (Hungary – high downforce) seconds off the pace of last year’s times but perhaps there has been some steady progress, although the change to the tyres may have helped that. Though it could be argued that the cars were not as slow as expected at Marina Bay or at Suzuka – both circuits with corners in abundance.

I wonder how next season’s cars will perform…

[Matthijs]

I think next year’s cars will be:
– faster on the straights
– faster in the corners
– even more fuel efficient, so we will see less lift and coast
– not dominant in the way Mercedes was this year

I have high hopes of a great 2015. In recent history, when the regulations changed drastically (1998, 2009, 2014), there always was one dominant team from scratch (McLaren, Brawn, Mercedes), but the next season always proved to be a true cracker with high competition (1999, 2010, 2015?)

[Atticus]

To the OP, I think so and I think your analysis comes to the right conclusion.

Don’t forget, CotA’s track surface has just bedded in, it’s three years in operation, less oily, a bit more rough, just enough to provide ample times more grip than in 2012 and, to an extent, in 2013.

Interlagos, meanwhile, should be slippery like a… well, I won’t make the metaphor. But, you get the picture.

I also agree with Matthijs regarding 2015.

[MazdaChris]

Hasn’t Intrlagos been resurfaced and had a bit of reprofiling of the corners?

[Sri Harsha]

I think on average 2014 cars are around 1.8-2.2 Sec slower than 2013 cars. By 2015 middle we might see the cars getting closer and closer to 2013 times.

[davey]

Watch this video, paying particular attention to apex speeds:

http://wtf1.co.uk/rosberg-vettel-austin-pole-comparison/

[MazdaChris]

I think it would be interesting to compare the overall race durations to try and work out an average lapspeed this year compared to last. While I think the ultimate outright laptime may be slower, but I have a feeling that over the duration of a race, the cars in 2014 are faster. With more durable tyres and less fuel saving, it feels like drivers are able to consistently push for more of a race, with less dropoff in tyre performance compared to last year.

Obviously there are other factors – track resurfacing, slight layout modifications, atmospheric conditions, etc etc. But I have a feeling that a 2014 car on 2014 tyres would now beat a 2013 car on 2013 tyres over a race duration.

[Kingshark]

The cars are already faster than the pole time of Interlagos in 2012, and it’s still only FP2.

In FP2 in 2012, Hamilton was 2 seconds slower than Rosberg is now.

Hamilton pulls further ahead in second practice

[Atticus]

I still think Interlagos is as much a one-off as Austin, it’s just that my initial expectation about its tarmac was turned completely upside down (I expected it to be too oil-y to be as quick as the 2007-2013 surface, and it is somehow the opposite).

[Craig Woollard]

I still think Interlagos is as much a one-off as Austin, it’s just that my initial expectation about its tarmac was turned completely upside down (I expected it to be too oil-y to be as quick as the 2007-2013 surface, and it is somehow the opposite).

I think Interlagos was in part a one-off too. The high track temperatures and the brand new surface was producing a lot of grip. Saying that, Jenson Button felt that the new Formula One cars were the most powerful he has ever driven at Interlagos, due to less power lost at altitude. As Keith pointed out in the Stats & Facts article, every session last year bar the race was held in the wet so it is hard to judge, but they certainly were not slow here over one lap.

[Author]

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