Alfa Romeo produced their strongest performance of 2021 so far in qualifying at Zandvoort, but where has McLaren’s pace gone?
Lap Time Watch articles archive
Lap Time Watch
The second-slowest car around Spa starts second on the grid
Lap time watch: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix
Posted onGeorge Russell’s qualifying performance at Spa-Francorchamps was made all the more remarkable by the relatively poor pace his Williams team displayed earlier in the weekend.
Why Hamilton thinks a “great leap forward” by Red Bull has swung the title fight
Lap time watch: 2021 Austrian Grand Prix
Posted onLewis Hamilton said Red Bull have “made a great leap forward” after taking their third pole position in a row. Here’s what the data says.
Williams are having their most competitive weekend for five years
Lap time watch: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix
Posted onGeorge Russell nearly reached Q3 as Williams posted their most competitive performance since the same race five years – and 99 grands prix – earlier.
Trends in F1’s pecking order emerge at Paul Ricard
Lap time watch: 2021 French Grand Prix
Posted onAfter the seventh qualifying session of the 2021 F1 season, the pecking order of the teams has come into clearer focus.
Ferrari surprised to be quickest for the second weekend running
Lap time watch: 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Posted onAzerbaijan Grand Prix pole-winner Charles Leclerc admitted he did not expect Ferrari to lead the way at the Baku City Circuit as they did in Monaco two weeks earlier.
Ferrari are fastest for the first time since Japan 2019
Lap time watch: 2021 Monaco Grand Prix
Posted onFor the first time since Sebastian Vettel took pole position at Suzuka in 2019, Ferrari have set the quickest lap time during a race weekend.
Did ‘benchmark Barcelona’ reveal how close F1’s title fight will be?
Lap time watch: 2021 Spanish Grand Prix
Posted onThe Circuit de Catalunya is often described as a “benchmark” F1 track, so the 0.03s gap between the title contenders points to an exciting year ahead.
Why the ‘third-quickest’ team may be the true pace-setters in Portugal
Lap time watch: 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix
Posted onRed Bull failed to beat their practice pace in qualifying, and set the third-quickest time behind Mercedes and McLaren, after an unhelpful “gust of wind”.
Despite rules complaints, Aston Martin are only 0.07s slower at Imola
Lap time watch: 2021 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Posted onAston Martin claim they were unfairly disadvantaged by the FIA’s rules change, but they almost matched their 2020 lap times at Imola.
Analysis: F1 field closes up as Mercedes lose two seconds in four months
Lap time watch: 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted onThe top five teams are within a second of each other in Bahrain – three more than last year – which suggests 2021 will be a much more competitive season.
Ranked: The F1 cars of 2020, from fastest to slowest
Lap time watch: 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Posted onWith the final qualifying session of 2020 in the books, we can answer the question: Who had the quickest and slowest F1 cars this year?
Bottas breaks Lauda’s 46-year-old record as Mercedes pair are closest team mates in qualifying
Lap time watch: 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
Posted onValtteri Bottas set a new record for the shortest ever lap in F1. And George Russell’s impressive performance meant Mercedes had the most closely-matched team mates.
All Ferrari-powered teams lap slower in Bahrain, by up to 1.3 seconds
Lap time watch: 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix
Posted onHaving locked out the front row in Bahrain last year, Ferrari are lapping 1.2 seconds slower this year, and their customers have also lost performance.
The unwelcome development Ferrari face in their third home race
Lap time watch: 2020 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Posted onFerrari have been steadily improving but AlphaTauri pulled off another surprise performance in qualifying at Imola, which could have championship implications.
Bottas misses pole despite being fastest in all three sectors
Lap time watch: 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix
Posted onValtteri Bottas knows he had a car quick enough for pole position – he set the fastest time in all three sectors of the Algarve circuit. But he lost out to team mate Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull cut Mercedes’ lap time advantage to new low at Nurburgring
Lap time watch: 2020 Eifel Grand Prix
Posted onAlexander Albon said Red Bull’s upgrade has “put us a lot closer to the Mercedes” after his team mate lapped within two-tenths of a second of them. But they aren’t the only team who’ve closed the gap.
Ferrari make their biggest step backwards of 2020 so far in Sochi
Lap time watch: 2020 Russian Grand Prix
Posted onFerrari are over one-and-a-half seconds slower in Sochi than last year. They lapped quicker at the Russian track three years ago than they managed today.
Mercedes’ advantage cut to lowest level of 2020 so far at Mugello
Lap time watch: 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix
Posted onMercedes have their smallest lead over the rest of the field all season at the high-speed Mugello, where the drivers are lapping faster than they did at Spa.
264.362kph: The stats of Hamilton’s record-breaking fastest-ever F1 lap
Lap time watch: 2020 Italian Grand Prix
Posted onWhile Lewis Hamilton set the fastest ever lap of a Formula 1 circuit in his Mercedes at Monza, former record holders Ferrari lapped over a second slower than they managed two years ago.