This is based on each driver's fastest lap in any part of qualifying, converted to a percentage from the fastest of all. If a driver didn't set a representative time at all his average is just taken from those races when he did:
Other than confirming the very big gap between the big 3 teams and the rest, there were a few surprises:
Other than confirming the very big gap between the big 3 teams and the rest, there were a few surprises:
- Grosjean's problems are all in races, not in qualifying
- After being outqualified in the first four races, Sainz has asserted himself at Renault
- Like Grosjean, Hartley is doing better in qualifying than races
- Sauber 0.85% (very impressive for a rookie; Ericsson virtually dead-heated with both Nasr and Wehrlein)
- McLaren 0.45% (Vandoorne was 0.37% behind over the full season in 2017)
- Ferrari 0.32% (Despite all the - justified - criticism, Raikkonen was 0.36% slower than Vettel last season, so is doing no worse on this measure at least. For what it's worth, in 2014 Alonso was 0.44% faster than Kimi on average)