The comparison of F1 lap times on the first four circuits between 2022 and 2023
After a winter spent at the factory developing cars, teams can make an initial assessment by looking at the comparisons between the first races of 2022 and 2023. Overall, the performances are on the rise.
Cars evolve and gain momentum every winter between two seasons. This rule usually applies when the regulations don’t change too much. In 2022, F1 cars experienced a technical revolution with the return of ground-effect flat floors, but also the technical issues that come with it, such as bouncing.
In 2023, it was therefore the first season where it was possible to compare the times of the new regulation F1 cars, and the result is not the same everywhere.
Sakhir doesn’t escape improvements
For the first date of the 2022 season, the F1 went to Bahrain. It was a weekend that boded well for Ferrari’s future in the season. In qualifying, the Monegasque driver set a time of 1:30.558, beating his rival Max Verstappen by over a tenth of a second. This year, the two Red Bull drivers managed to go below the 1:30.000 mark, which was Charles Leclerc’s time in the 2023 edition. Max Verstappen claimed pole position with a time of 1:29.708. In total, seven cars were able to beat Leclerc’s pole time from 2022, the two Red Bulls, the two Ferraris, the two Mercedes, and Fernando Alonso.
In terms of pace, the assessment is different. Although the 2023 Grand Prix lasted almost four minutes less, the 2022 Safety Car, following Max Verstappen’s retirement, slowed down the drivers’ pace for five laps. For the fastest lap in the race, the quickest driver in 2022 was Charles Leclerc with a time of 1:34.570, achieved on the 51st lap out of 57. In 2023, it was Guanyu Zhou who set the fastest time, clocking in at 1:33.996, more than a second ahead of Pierre Gasly. The Chinese driver achieved this on the last lap while using soft tires. Max Verstappen, the Grand Prix leader, completed his fastest lap in 1:36.236, which was more than two seconds slower than Charles Leclerc in 2022.
Best time 2022: 1:30.558
Best time 2023: 1:29.708
Difference: -0.858s
In Jeddah, not the same observation
During the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the third edition of its history on the Jeddah circuit, the lap times could have melted after what was learned from the previous two races. Yet, the result was the opposite. In qualifying, Sergio Perez took the pole position with a time of 1:28.265, compared to 1:28.200 in 2022. Max Verstappen’s retirement may have prevented an improvement of this record, as the Dutchman had set a time of 1:27.761 in Q1, which was five tenths of a second slower than his runner-up. Towards the back of the grid, the lap times slightly improved. The passing time for Q2 was 1:30.256 in 2022, compared to 1:29.929 in 2023.
In racing, the phenomenon is the same. This year, Max Verstappen was the fastest on a lap, with a time of 1:31.906, the only one below 1:32.000. In 2022, Charles Leclerc had been the fastest with 1:31.634, while three drivers had done better than Max Verstappen in 2023.
Best time 2022: 1:28.200
Best time 2023: 1:28.265
Deviation: +0.065s
The qualifying time shattered in Australia
In Melbourne, the third race of the season, the cars flew in qualifying. In 2022, Charles Leclerc claimed pole position, dominating over Max Verstappen with a time of 1:17.868. This year, the Dutchman shattered that time with a lap of 1:16.732, but he’s not the only one. For comparison, in 2023, Leclerc’s pole time wouldn’t have allowed him to make it to Q3 and would have placed him 12th on the grid. Valterri Bottas, who finished last in the 2023 qualifying session, would have been positioned fifth on the grid in 2022.
In the race, the same progressions were not observed. Sergio Perez has only improved Charles Leclerc’s time by 25 milliseconds in 2022. However, this year, seven drivers went below 1:21.000 compared to two in the previous season. The overall pace during this Grand Prix has still increased between these two editions.
Best time 2022: 1:17.868
Best time 2023: 1:16.732
Difference: -1.136 seconds
A clear improvement despite the decrease in preparation
Despite a new format that allows less time to adapt to the track, lap times have significantly improved between last year and this season. In qualifying, in 2022, Charles Leclerc claimed pole position with a time of 1:41.359. This season, the Monegasque driver reclaimed it with a time of 1:40.203, over a second faster than his previous time. He actually beat last season’s pole position time in Q1.
In the race, the lap times also dropped. In 2022, Sergio Perez set the fastest lap time at 1:46.046. In this 2023 edition, George Russell managed to set the fastest lap after breaking Max Verstappen’s record on the last lap of the race. Nearly three seconds faster than Sergio Perez in 2022, with a time of 1:43.370. Sergio Perez’s record was even beaten by Alexander Albon, who was fifteenth in the drivers’ standings, on a single lap of the Baku circuit.
Overall, the single-seaters are faster, except during the Saudi weekend where the cars remained in the same times as last year. It remains to be seen if the teams will continue in this direction at Imola this week.
Best time 2022: 1:41.359
Best time 2023: 1:40.203
Difference: -1.156s
