Sebastian Vettel's Starts

[Galahad]

Vettel has been making some exceptional starts into the lead this season (feel free to move to another thread)

Circuit	End of Lap 1	End of Lap 2	2nd place driver
Melbourne	2.464	3.232	Hamilton
Sepang	1.939	2.425	Heidfeld
Istanbul	1.290	1.816	Rosberg
Monte Carlo	2.449	3.214	Button
Montreal (after SC start)	2.054	4.240	Alonso
Valencia	1.362	1.827	Webber
Silverstone	1.136	2.338	Webber
Hungaroring	0.589	0.338	Hamilton
Singapore	2.597	3.561	Button
Suzuka	1.340	1.509	Hamilton
Yeongam	1.075	1.304	Hamilton
Buddh	1.303	2.043	Button

 

[teabagyokel]

And, of course, out of DRS range by Lap 3 at every race bar Hungary!

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I think that is a general trend unless you lose the lead. Everyone else is both defending and attacking, or racing. If the guy in front makes a good enough start and has a fast enough car then the only thing they need to worry about is the Tarmac in front of them.

 

[FB]

The joy of qualifying on pole or is there something in the suggestion that Red Bull have a special setting for the first few laps?

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I'll go with the former. Red Bull have a Vettel, which is better than a Button... I mean button.

 

[Galahad]

Here are the other early leaders, for comparison:

Circuit	End of Lap 1	End of Lap 2	2nd place driver
Shanghai (Button)	1.378	1.160	Hamilton
Catalunya (Alonso)	0.780	0.601	Vettel
Nurburgring (Hamilton)	1.200	1.977	Webber
Spa (Rosberg)	0.485	0.314	Vettel
Monza (Alonso)	0.489	0.568	Vettel
Yas Marina (Hamilton)	2.576	2.711	Alonso

 

[teabagyokel]

Just some Classic F1 images totally at random:

(Senna)

(Hakkinen)

I think its possible the best car and best driver from the grid will just get away naturally on lap 1.

What Sebull do so well is a great lap 2, due to DRS!

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Here are the other early leaders, for comparison:

Circuit	End of Lap 1	End of Lap 2	2nd place driver
Shanghai (Button)	1.378	1.160	Hamilton
Catalunya (Alonso)	0.780	0.601	Vettel
Nurburgring (Hamilton)	1.200	1.977	Webber
Spa (Rosberg)	0.485	0.314	Vettel
Monza (Alonso)	0.489	0.568	Vettel
Yas Marina (Hamilton)	2.576	2.711	Alonso

It would be interesting to see if there is a correlation to the pole time delta.

[Edit] I notice that the two most significant time differences are those where a Red Bull is not in second place.

 

[Galahad]

Unless Mark Webber leads from pole at Interlagos, it's hard to decide whether it's a Red Bull thing or a Vettel thing.

However good his car is in qualifying, it isn't 2s/lap faster than the rest (which Vettel has managed on lap one four times this year).

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Unless Mark Webber leads from pole at Interlagos, it's hard to decide whether it's a Red Bull thing or a Vettel thing.

However good his car is in qualifying, it isn't 2s/lap faster than the rest (which Vettel has managed on lap one four times this year).

I think it is fair to say that Hamilton's McLaren wasn't 2.6s per lap faster this weekend than Alonso's Ferrari either.

 

[Andy Karter]

The thing I find hard to understand is that while Seb has been making some stunning starts this year Mark has struggled? It's not like Mark is new to F1 or has struggled in the past it's just this year he's been poor and it's cost him dearly and those (often Lewis) who find themselves stuck behind him on the grid.

 

[teabagyokel]

I don't think its something that has started in 2011. Remember Kuala Lumpur in 2004 - he started 2nd and ended lap 1 in 9th place. A similar thing happened in the wet at Silverstone in 2008. Anyone got any other examples?

 

[mjo]

Spa 2010

 

[Mephistopheles]

He does seem to get the job done but by fuck its boring to watch I hope for no more of this kind of dominance next season, if it does happen then I wont be upset about only seeing half the races live...

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Wow Vettels been brilliant off the start last season. Plus leading by so much after the first lap is amazing.

 

[johnnoble1990]

What surprises me is that he doesn't take P2 with him. It is a major advantage having no one in front of you in the early laps, but when the driver in P1 is so far gone, then the guy in P2 has that advantage by the end of lap 1.