Ferrari SF-23: Poor reliability and subpar soft tire management. This is a concise summary of the Prancing Horse’s performance. Verstappen, on the other hand, continues his winning streak, securing his 52nd career victory. The Dutchman has broken the record for the highest percentage of races won in a season. Max’s team maintained consistency, although Norris initially tried to take the lead. The McLaren MCL60 demonstrated an excellent pace throughout the 71 laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Lando attempted a one-stop strategy. Unfortunately, the pace difference compared to the three-time world champion was too high, forcing the young Englishman to make an additional pit stop. Finally, the Spanish lion, Alonso, roared back to life. Fernando, with the talent and speed of his AMR23, managed to keep Perez behind him, briefly surrendering a position but regaining it two corners later.
As mentioned earlier, it was a bitter Sunday for Ferrari. The hydraulic problem that occurred to Charles Leclerc during the formation lap didn’t allow the Maranello team to gain points on Mercedes. Sainz showed consistent pace with the yellow-banded Pirelli tires during the middle stint, surpassing both Mercedes W14 cars at that time.
Brazilian GP 2023/Analysis of 1st stint: Ferrari SF-23 with elevated EOSS thanks to DRS. Red Bull and McLaren perform best on the throttle.
Today’s analysis attempts to understand how drivers managed the most challenging parts of the Interlagos track during different phases of the race. The study is based on telemetry data from four teams during their fastest laps in each stint, aiming to comprehend the behavior of their cars with varying fuel loads and tire conditions.
Examining the data from the first stint, we can observe a significant speed difference on the secondary straight between Verstappen and Alonso, compared to Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. The latter had the advantage of DRS and the SF-23 showed better straight-line speed. Additionally, it’s clear that Fernando adopted a different line through the corners. The Spaniard preferred to delay his turn-in point and focus more on entry than exit.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
With a heavier fuel load, Lando and Max were more aggressive on the throttle. These two young talents reached 100% throttle earlier than the Spaniards, particularly achieving better minimum speeds in the slow turns between Turns 8 and 10. Ferrari had the highest top speed at Turn 6 but suffered from a poor deceleration compared to Max Verstappen, with a 100 km/h speed drop between top and minimum speed, compared to Max’s 85 km/h.
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The throttle usage graph provides an interesting insight into Turn 11. In qualifying, with low fuel, this corner is taken flat out. However, in the race, with a full tank, drivers are forced to lift off. Alonso’s AMR23 has less fuel in this section, making him reduce the throttle more than the drivers we’re analyzing.
Brazilian GP 2023/Analysis of the 2nd stint: Ferrari SF-23 improves throttle usage, lacks minimum speed, and load transfer skills
Now, let’s focus on the analysis of the fastest lap during the middle stint of the race. The top drivers used a strategy with soft, medium, and again red-banded Pirelli tires towards the end. The data for the following graph is based on the harder tires and shows Verstappen setting the fastest lap of all.
In Turn 4, no one used the DRS. Sainz had the highest top speed, choosing a late braking point. However, Carlos may have overshot the turn and paid for it on the exit. Overall, he managed to go full throttle earlier than in his first stint, catching up to Max and finding better traction on the exit.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
The challenges for car number 55 are evident in the cornering through Turns 6 and 7 and the change of direction between Turns 8 and 9. Unlike his competitors, Carlos managed to keep his foot on the accelerator in Turn 6 but struggled with the car’s agility. In Turn 11, Verstappen was the best, using only 10% of the throttle and later, as we will see, being able to use 100% throttle with the soft tires.
Brazilian GP 2023/Analysis of the 3rd stint: Norris and Verstappen are the only ones to go flat out in Turn 11. Ferrari SF-23 is 27km/h slower in cornering.
In the final stint of the race, the behavior of the two Spanish drivers is similar, but Norris and Verstappen exhibit a different approach. The latter, in particular, is quite effective in bringing more speed into Turn 6 and has a higher EOSS at Turn 4. Additionally, both drivers have a late braking point at Turn 10 and are able to take Turn 11 flat out.
Norris set the fastest lap of the race, outpacing the Dutchman by nearly six-tenths of a second in the middle sector. The young Englishman achieved this advantage with a better top speed before the Turn 8 braking point and demonstrated faster cornering speed. Lando also exhibited better traction on the exit, aided by the hybrid system, allowing for a higher speed point.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
Sainz and Alonso struggled to achieve the same performance. Carlos, in particular, faced traction issues with the red tires, losing time on each exit. The SF-23 struggled with grip in the transition between Turns 6 and 7, suffering from a significant lack of adhesion. The Ferrari driver had the lowest throttle usage and, crucially, was 26 km/h slower than Norris at Turn 7.
Brazilian GP 2023/Fuel-saving Analysis: Norris is the most conservative, Ferrari minimizes fuel-saving
Now, let’s take a look at fuel consumption management during the race. Gasly and Norris are the most conservative drivers in this regard. The Englishman, in particular, emphasizes fuel-saving in the first half of the race and uses more fuel towards the end. Carlos Sainz is the driver who uses the most fuel, running at full thermal power after a few laps. Alonso’s approach is more varied, combining aggressive driving with moments of fuel-saving, sometimes going beyond 10% fuel saving.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
All the surplus fuel is used by the Aston Martin driver during the final laps of the race, in a practical attempt to defend against Sergio Perez’s attacks. Both Checo and Max have a consistent and similar fuel management strategy, alternating between aggressive driving and fuel-saving based on their team’s guidance from the Austrian pit wall.
Source: Leonardo Pasqual and Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
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