Post Race Analysis: Japanese GP

With so many different race strategies, we have analysed lap times to get a better picture of the raw pace of each car. We have compared the best lap time for each driver when on the same tyre compound and broken down the race into ‘stints’ to compare cars on similar fuel loads.

Stint 1

Romain Grosjean got a flyer to lead the first part of the race but the lap times overplay his fine start. Sebastian Vettel nursed his tyres through the first stint to get range in the second, allowing him to overhaul Grosjean in the third stint on much fresher tyres.

Stint 2

Despite cosseting his hard tyres for a long stint, Sebastian Vettel was still comfortably the quickest driver. He’s 1/2 (Betfred) to win in India and that’s a fair price considering he’s got so much in hand over his rivals.

Stint 3

Nico Hulkenberg continued his fine form with a sixth place finish but the big story was teammate Esteban Gutierrez finishing behind him in seventh place and matching his lap times during the final stint.

Summary
Business as usual with Sebastian Vettel winning his fifth race in a row. His margin of victory was only 7 seconds but he managed his tyres well and victory was more comfortable than it appeared.