2022 F1 Monaco GP: Lap time distribution / by stint

2022 F1 Monaco GP: Lap time distribution / by stint. Lap time distribution.

Let’s take a look at the lap time distribution (including by stint) from the 2022 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo

Lap distribution

Open image in new window for optimal data visualization

Race pace: Lap time distribution — source: f1pace.com

This is the lap distribution chart.

The y-axis is fairly self-explanatory. It just shows the driver.
The x-axis shows the lap time in intervals of 1 second, with the minor ticks at the bottom showing intervals of 0.5 seconds.
The curves—also called slabs—show the density of the data for each driver. The density refers to the number of laps done with a specific lap time.
The higher the slab, the more laps done with that specific lap time.
Why are the slabs “incomplete”?
The slabs are not incomplete but accurately reflect the data.

Most density charts generate a density estimate outside of the range of the data. This assumes that the distribution would look a certain way on the sides of the slab by doing some mathematical calculations. This was done many times for cosmetic reasons—the “complete” slabs look pretty cool. So while estimating the density makes the slabs look better, they generate some misleading information, according to f1pace.com

For example, if a driver did many laps with a time of 1:25.250, then you would expect the slab to be pretty high around that section of the plot. However, perhaps the driver never had a lap time below that time. His fastest lap time was 1:25.250. The slab will “cut” short at 1:25.250. This reflects the fact that he had 0 laps below that time. If we had estimated the density outside of the range, then the slab would extend towards the left side of the plot, perhaps until 1:25.000. This is not real data. The driver had no laps faster than 1:25.250. In this case, the slabs would look quite nice, but they wouldn’t accurately represent what happened during the race. Because of this, less traditional trimmed slabs have been created that show the density of only the laps that happened during the race.