How much faster have Formula 1 cars got over time?

In 2022, Ralf Schumacher drove the Williams FW25 that he raced in the 2003 Formula 1 season at the Red Bull Ring. This was no mere demonstration run, however. Instead of the grooved Michelin tyres the car was built for, he ran on modern Pirelli slicks, and set a fastest lap of a 1:08.170, which was only two tenths off Michael Schumacher’s pole lap there in 2003, and would have been the third fastest lap time if set during the Austrian Grand Prix that year, being just under nine tenths off Max Verstappen’s fastest lap, in a car 19 years older, driven by a driver 22 years older.
Classic Formula 1 cars are frequently brought out of retirement to do demonstration runs, but it’s rare to see them running at 100%. Attempts have been made to make direct comparisons between Formula 1 cars of different eras, most notably in the official Formula 1 games, and assorted Assetto Corsa mods. These however do leave a lot to be desired in terms of simulation accuracy, and the behaviour of the AI. I however prefer to use cold, hard data in the form of qualifying lap times.
In this video, we are going to take a sample of circuits that have been on the Formula 1 calendar for a long time, and compare the fastest qualifying lap times set each year to see just how much faster Formula 1 cars have gotten over time.

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DISCLAIMER: Special mention to all the original sources of certain clips used in my videos. Please do check out their content for the full videos.

Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. There are certain scenes from the Formula 1 calendar where race footage is used. All those rights are property of FOM. Other photos and news elements are used solely for the purpose of assisting the original content and to illuminate a more in depth story.

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction
1:56 Mongrip
3:08 F1 Car Evolution
14:26 Silverstone
21:00 Monza
26:07 Spa-Francorchamps
28:30 Monaco
34:49 Nürburgring
39:32 Hockenheimring
43:32 Suzuka
45:37 Albert Park
47:37 Sakhir
48:41 Sepang
49:34 Conclusion

#F1 #Formula1 #f1car

[mro]

How much faster have Formula 1 cars gotten over time ?
F1: YES

[ondrejkratochvil]

btw in the 1980s they've used specialized qualifying tires, that lasted for just one quali attempt - and for example keke rosberg's lap around Silverstone was that fast thanks to those tires...

[adriensparow]

I alway forget just how slow were the 2014 and 2015 cars

[federicofuentes]

I intended to have this video on the background while I worked and I kept turning to it, pausing and going back because it was so interesting and well researched. Long story short, I'm now 55 minutes behind on my work because this video is brilliant, engaging and well researched. Congratulations.

[thefuturecontrol]

Peter Brook just makes the data presentations on F1 that I need in my life. Numbers make me happy

[mcbeaulieu]

Awesome content once again Peter! But my only gripe is that you didn't include Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which has basically not changed since 1978. There's probably been as many config changes as Silverstone

[alexherman]

What I took from this was the crazy jump from 2015 to 2016 for Mercedes despite the regulations being more or less unchanged. 2-3 seconds in some cases 😮

[HAWGGY]

Thanks for the informative video and your hard work to compare all the stats and lap times!

[hobbyracer]

Some lap times you did use a slower one as the fastest and as someone who is interested in this topic as well here are my corrections for the most recent layouts of the tracks.
*Also I assume you didn't count in laps done in testing sessions outside of race weekends, so I don't mention them here

Silverstone:
you forgot to mention that the 2016 lap has also not been the official pole time, but the Q2 lap time as the Pole lap was a 1:29, 287

Monza:
- 2013 was a 1:23.755, not a .775
- 2003 the best lap time was done in pre Q by Montoya: 1:20.656
- 2005 the best lap time was done in FP1 by de la Rosa: 1:20.201
- 2004 how did you not mention the pre Q lap done by Montoya: 1:19.525

SPA:
- 2014 the best lap time was done in FP2 by Hamilton: 1:49.189
(- 2011 pole lap, even tho it was the fastest lap, it was in drying conditions and not that grippy at all)

Nürburgring:
- 2013 the best lap was done by Lewis Hamilton, not by Vettel

- Suzuka:
- 2003 the best lap time was done in pre Q by Trulli: 1:30.281

42:40 "... in what can only be described as a hate crime against motorsport, ..."
That is my favorite comment about the layout change to hockenheim. I need to remember that one

[dyn]

this questin always been the back of my mind since i watch f1 over the year, thank you for the vids <3

[ashleymerritt]

2004/5 cars are just the absolute shit! Total monsters.

[everythingman]

I remember there was a great music video edit going over Formula 1 regulations from 1950 until the (then, in 2011) present day set to Pendulum's "Set Me On Fire". I believe the channel that made it was Formula1Fan4Eva or AyrtonCZ01 or something like that.

Not only did that video finally explain the difference in tire width from 1992 to 1993 and the narrow track regulations for 1998, but it also got me into Pendulums music! Good times.

This video just reminded me of that.

[keskonyha]

It's a great video thank you very much . I only miss the hungarian gp circuit . The circuit only changed twice (1989, 2003) a little bit . The circuit is in the calender since 1986 . I think it's should in your video

[bzilla-di]

Even though Barrichello hit a 1:20 in qualifying, Montoya did a 1:19, on grooved tyres that's completely mad, the race. The highest average race speed and highest average speed on a fastest lap is still owned by Schumacher and Barrichello on Monza in 2003 and 2004 which is incredible as this was done on grooved tyres which shows you what animals those Ferrari's were. Not to mention that Williams BMW too.

[dariohp]

the parabolica corner was not reprofiled in the 50s. it was simply that they stopped using a longer back and main straight that were cojoined by two 90° corners (can be still seen today in satellite images). if my memory serves me well, those corners had stone bricks rather than tarmac. I can't remember when exactly they built the current parabolica shape but I do know that it is different to that used in the 20s and 30s as the circuit was damaged and reconverted during WW2. so I believe it was in the 50s that they rebuilt the parabolica with the new profile. but, in any case, the 2 square corners were in a different location and are still there. they rejoin the main straight on the outside of the oval rather than the inside.

[MichaelAMVM]

Pre war Mercedes Benz and Auto Union grand prix cars had coil springs, double A arms and/or longitudinal torsion bar springs all the way in the 30s. Watch Sport B's channel for the 1938/39 Grand Prix cars for more info.

[SpmMe]

I think this undersells the various boosts and restrictions on qualifying times a bit. Special qualifying tyres, "party mode", etc functioning as a boost or on the other hand race-fuel qualifying or race-tyre qualifying and other ideas doing the opposite. That can easily be a more meaningful difference than year-to-year car development.

Though of course the overall trajectory remains similar.

(ps: 1996 Schumacher Monaco pole lap in that crappy Ferrari holding up so well in that era is saying something...)

[MrKylev]

Amazingly well done video. This is the kind of long-winded videos that are hard to find because few people can pay attention long enough anymore.

[SouIblind]

Great video! Recently discovered your channel and have been loving it

[oddsandwindsocks]

Beautifully put together. Thoroughly enjoyed this