Charles Leclerc manages to qualify his Ferrari SF-23 in second place. On Sunday, the Monegasque will start alongside the world champion Max Verstappen for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Charles was able to put together an excellent lap despite the track deteriorating significantly. The sudden drop in temperatures and increasing wind led to a general lack of grip. Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, did not find the right feeling. The Spaniard missed the racing line several times during the lap, and in the final corner, he struggled with significant understeer, affecting his exit speed.
Aston Martin’s resurgence is surprising. Stroll and Alonso will start from the second row. The two did not complete a perfect lap, but overall, they managed to be the best among the rest. In general, Q1 and Q2 were the tightest qualifying sessions in Formula 1 history. In the first third of the track, the top 15 were grouped within half a second. In the central section, between the first and the tenth in the rankings, the gap was only 354 thousandths of a second.
Brazilian GP 2023/Analysis Q3 – Sector 1: Ferrari SF-23 Excels in Throttle Percentage. Verstappen Makes the Difference in Corner Exit
With telemetry graphs related to yesterday’s qualifying, we want to compare the fastest laps of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Lance Stroll. In the first sector, it can be observed that Leclerc is the fastest at Turn 1’s braking point, but the difference in speed with the other drivers is not actually that significant.
The three drivers brake almost simultaneously, and the most conservative, due to rapidly changing track conditions, is the young talent from Hasselt. The Dutchman shows a minimum speed 7 km/h lower compared to the other drivers examined. When it comes to accelerating, however, the three-time world champion is forced to lift off the throttle to control his RB19.
On the straight leading to Turn 4, the Ferrari SF-23 demonstrates the most efficient DRS (Drag Reduction System). Car number 16, in fact, manages to achieve the highest top speed at the end of the straight (EOSS) at 329 km/h. Despite this, the Monegasque driver in the red car was unable to set the best lap time in this section due to the lower speed compared to car number 1 in the transitional section between Turn 1 and Turn 3.
Brazilian GP 2023/Analysis Q3 – Sector 2: Red Bull Achieves Optimal Cornering. Ferrari SF-23 Loses out in Minimum Speeds
In the middle sector, Max Verstappen builds most of the advantage that he carries to the finish, being the only driver to go below 36 seconds in Sector 2. At Turn 4, the Dutchman enters the corner with a minimum speed 10 km/h higher than Stroll and Charles Leclerc. Max quickly understood the track conditions, obtaining the best time at the second braking point.
Coming out of Turn 4, the three drivers use the throttle similarly, showing an equal top speed before Turn 6: 285 km/h. Between Turns 6 and 7, the world champion brakes later and, once again, manages to bring 10 km/h more into the corner.
In the short stretches between Turns 8 and 10, Lance Stroll demonstrates the best traction. The Canadian is the slowest at the apex but manages to achieve the highest speed before braking. This ability of the AMR23 is guaranteed by an excellent cooperation of the rear suspension system, allowing car number 18 to make a difference and secure the third position on the grid.
Brazilian GP 2023/Analysis Q3 – Sector 3: Stroll Misses the Braking Point at Turn 12, Verstappen Is the Fastest
The last sector is the shortest on the Interlagos track. The most challenging point is in tackling Turn 12. This involves a very important braking point leading to the long, high-speed stretch towards the finish line. We can see that Stroll makes a mistake in the braking point and overshoots. The error delays his acceleration, resulting in a loss of lap time.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have a more similar approach. The Dutchman manages to bring 2 km/h more into the corner and reaches 100% throttle earlier. Thanks to this better setup, the world champion was able to achieve the fastest time in the sector. LCharles eclerc has a better speed on the straight but, like Lance Stroll, arrives quite wide at the braking point, delaying the acceleration.
Source: Leonardo Pasqual and Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
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