![]() The harder tires at least allowed for a little more racing in 2017, and lap times dropped like a stone. Improvements in qualifying times from 2016 to 2017Ģ016 vs 2017: We compare DHL Fastest Lapsįast times in qualifying are one thing, but as regards actual races, there has been much criticism in recent years of the way Formula 1 has become more like endurance racing with too much emphasis on fuel saving and nursing of tires and not enough racing on the limit. Bahrain has several long straights and only a few fast corners.Īcross all qualifying sessions – excluding the Italian GP which was hit by rain on Saturday – the improvement was 2.450 seconds on average, an increase of 0.477 seconds per kilometer. Although the new rules produced an increase in cornering speeds, top speed down the straights went down due to the higher wind resistance of the wider cars. The reason for that was mainly due to the layout of the circuit in the desert. The Bahrain circuit is at the bottom of our list, as times there failed to even improve by a full second overall and by a mere 0.134 seconds per kilometer. The same was true for the Chinese GP where an improvement of 0.683 seconds per kilometer was achieved in qualifying with the same compounds that were used in 2016. What’s also surprising in all of this is that tire compounds used in the Hungarian GP were the same as those used last season, one grade harder this year. The Hungaroring near Budapest produced the biggest difference, as cars there were a whopping 0.831 seconds per kilometer quicker than in 2016. However, that figure was exceeded at several tracks. Drivers were no less than 4.191 seconds faster in qualifying than they had been last year, an improvement of 0.598 seconds per kilometer. It’s no wonder, then, that the overall difference in Belgium was greater than at any other circuit. The longer the track, the greater the likelihood that the difference in times will be greater. Drivers complained about lack of grip all season, even at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.Ģ016 vs. Since Pirelli only tested with team “mule cars” as they worked on wider boots for 2017 and tire loads could not be properly simulated as a result, the Italians erred on the side of caution, which meant that tires were one grade harder than they had been in 2016. ![]() The subject of tires deserves a very special mention in our analysis. ![]() Cars’ performance improved greatly in 2016 thanks mainly to the introduction of the ultrasoft tire, but the major leap forwards took place this year. Cars and tires became wider, aerodynamics were sharpened up, all with the aim of significantly improving lap times, producing higher cornering speeds and making racing more challenging for drivers. The existing situationįormula 1 got its biggest facelift since 2009 for the start of last season. Have the 2017 Formula 1 cars lived up to their promise and become much faster? We compare 2017’s lap times with last year’s.
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