Driver styles/preferences

[raymondu999]

Through FP Vettel brakes quite early and soft for the final 2 corners around COTA, he avoids upsetting the car and is hard on the power before the apex, amazing grip, midcorner speed and traction.

Style really tailored to the EBD car.

I have noticed this too, Webber throws the car in at high speed and he has to take a shallower line to do it and he gets on the power after the corner of the apex. Vettel is driving like Jackie stewart, braking earlier turning later but importantly getting the power on at or before the apex which is making a lot of difference.

With the ebd that crucially means he isalso "on the downforce" sooner

[timbo]

With the ebd that crucially means he isalso "on the downforce" sooner

What's interesting is that during '11 Vettel definitely used to turn in earlier. Apparently he adapted his style again to maximize what's his car allows him.

[PlatinumZealot]

Through FP Vettel brakes quite early and soft for the final 2 corners around COTA, he avoids upsetting the car and is hard on the power before the apex, amazing grip, midcorner speed and traction.

Style really tailored to the EBD car.

I have noticed this too, Webber throws the car in at high speed and he has to take a shallower line to do it and he gets on the power after the corner of the apex. Vettel is driving like Jackie stewart, braking earlier turning later but importantly getting the power on at or before the apex which is making a lot of difference.

With the ebd that crucially means he isalso "on the downforce" sooner

I think Vettel has adapted his style better than Webber. Singapore onboards show this quite well.

[raymondu999]

Yes. Funnily enough, in 2010 it was Webber who initially adapted better. Vettel adapted later, but to a greater extent.

[H2H]

Interesting picture of Vettel studying the lines of the top three qualifiers of 2012 of this track while walking the track. In the BBC 5 Radio Horner discussed to Clive Woodward the level of detail with which the team monitored and analysed the driving of competitors. The minute evaluation of the relative performance by the teammates with their diverse feedback and the learning effect was also mentioned.





This is certainly done in other teams as well, however the ressources and efficiency of their use also play a big role. RBR certainly profited from great ressources, very smart people deployed in an intelligent manner and the respective qualities of both drivers in terms of feedback. Webber is more sensible on the aero side and still (thus?) stronger in the faster corners while Vettel is stronger on the mechanical side and is faster in the slower turns. As Prost said a long time ago, IIRC there is more time to be gained in the slow stuff as you stay there longer.


While one should not discount statistical effects (more races mean that bad luck tends to get evened out) Vettel has upped his game during the season in pretty much every year relative to his teammates from the Toro Rosso days on. Of course some will explain this with a supposed favoritism in the development direction, in which case it was certainly a smart thing to do by RBR considering the results. If we consider the fact that he is an extremly dedicated and intelligent worker who learns always a bit more about the car and is able to get out more from the analysis process then this strong trend can be at least partly explained. This can be seen in the adaption of his driving style during the season and tyre management over a race.

Maybe I will look at the stats to see if we saw something similar. One has to consider however that the pace of in-season development was completely different.

[SectorOne]

Yea other drivers do the same, Rosberg recently just commented on Vettel´s car saying what the car can do in the corners is "madness" after studying his onboard laps.

[Sevach]

There is a big chance that if a Mercedes or Ferrari driver picks up the throttle with the same agressiviness they will end up spinning yes.

[JimClarkFan]

Yea other drivers do the same, Rosberg recently just commented on Vettel´s car saying what the car can do in the corners is "madness" after studying his onboard laps.

Here is the thing though. Compared to Webber, whose car we are told is the same spec, Vettel takes a very different line into some corners.

Case in point was last week at Austin, in the last corner he was wider on the track than Webber and took a later turn and a steeper arc into the corner which allows him to have the throttle on earlier.

The more I watch Vettel, the less I think he is actually doing something magical with the car, and the more it seems to be about simply having what in my opinion is a better grasp of what line to take. He is reminding me more and more of Jackie Stewart.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhgOXVnHYXA

[SectorOne]

It´s partly driving style and partly setup.
Austin as you mentioned Webber topped the first two sectors, first one by 2 tenths, second one by a hair, and lost one tenth in last.
So in some areas Webber does things better, some areas Vettel does it better.

Obviously Vettel is the quicker guy overall but the different lines is partly setup, partly driving style.
Webber knows everything about how Vettel drive the car, where he´s on the throttle, how late he brakes etc so there´s no magic in that sense.

So at Austin, low fuel, you can say Webber took more right lines, then Vettel as it was really a mistake that lost him pole and not just being slow in the last sector. (the result is that he was slow but you get the idea)

What Rosberg means is similar to what a Caterham driver would say about the top cars being flat through one area whereas they have to feather the throttle.
Basically saying "my car can´t do that"

[Sevach]

Obviously Vettel is the quicker guy overall but the different lines is partly setup, partly driving style.
Webber knows everything about how Vettel drive the car, where he´s on the throttle, how late he brakes etc so there´s no magic in that sense.

It is not that easy, Fisichella had Alonso's data yet couldn't emulate that driving style, Button had Barrichello's data and understood the way he coped with oversteering cars and yet couldn't do it...

Webber probably knows what Vettel is doing, matching it is a different story...

Newey said Webber is very strong is very strong in terms of sensitivity to aero and Vettel is stronger in mechanical terms.
Assuming this mechanical sensivity extends itself to tyres might be an explanation why Vettel is so strong on these temperamental Pirelli's.

Understanding how to put little stress into them while still driving fast, that to me is his biggest strength, even in tracks where Webber is close (or ahead) in qualy Vettel's race pace is in another level.

[jamsbong]

Let me just jump in here. It looks as if Vettel is able to 'feel the mechanical grip' better than anyone.
I remember commentators often praise Button and Perez for their ability to be friendly to tires. Last year, Perez showed he was able to drive the tires longer than other drivers skipping one pitstop to move himself up. Button has always been made famous by commentators that he is SO NICE to the tires.

I personally find it difficult to believe anything the commentators said especially about Button. Vettel is clearly the benchmark in tire management now.

On other note. I miss Kimi on track. IMO, he is the master when it comes to smooth lines. His precision around corners is way way better than most drivers. Only Schumacher at his prime was matching Kimi's capability.
Although Vettel is very precise now but his has the extra downforce to help him. I want to see him in a so-so car where the car's behaviour is not exactly the way he wanted. In other words, not the best car and he is not confident driving it. I want to see that situation and how he copes with it. I think Alonso (although I never like this politician) has had to drive such a car for a number of years now. I think if Vettel is in that situation, fans may finally realise how good is genuinely is.

[Sevach]

Alonso is very adaptable, the early season tyres were very rear limited, the rears would be the first ones to go, and he was pretty much back to his Renault style (a bit calmer) forcing the front and keeping the back planted.

Vettel also adapt his style to minimize lateral energy (Pirelli's don't like that) and bring the best of exhaust downforce.

[raymondu999]

I'm not sure we've really seen evidence that the rears were the first to go in early 2013, nor for whichever side went first on the revised tyres either.

In fact the early 2013 tyres were meant to increase the compound grip capacity of the tyres - which would increase traction from apex to exit, so logically, that should help improve the rear tyre life.

[Sevach]

What Pirelli said before the season was in line with that true, but what we saw was cars killing the rears even in Barcelona.

Remember reading how the tyres were severely rear limited and Alonso was taking advantage.

[raymondu999]

My point is - how do you know the cars were killing the rears, and not the fronts?

We know from their radio transmissions that the Merc was killing the rears - but what of the other teams?