Hamilton loses 8 km/h within the snake in comparison with Verstappen
The primary sector of the American circuit is probably the most demanding for the automobiles, highlighting these with higher aero-mechanical steadiness. Earlier than flip 1, high speeds throughout groups have been comparable, though McLaren, regardless of a decrease rear wing, appeared to expertise greater drag. Throughout braking, George Russell and Max Verstappen managed oversteer attributable to the wind.
Entrance-end load switch made the rear lighter, inflicting it to lose grip the second steering enter was utilized. On nook exit, Lewis Hamilton struggled to handle rear traction, leading to oversteer. As proven within the throttle graph, the British driver, who opened the throttle sooner than rivals, needed to partially raise, reaching full throttle barely later than the others.
Largest points between turns 5 and 9
Nonetheless, the SF-25’s most vital issues occurred between turns 5 and 9, the ultimate a part of the “serpent” part. On this high-speed part, Lewis Hamilton was on common 8 km/h slower than the reigning world champion. He tried to maintain extra throttle open to hold velocity by way of the corners, however small lateral slides prevented him from being totally efficient.
Focusing on flip 11 for straighter throttle utility
Maranello needed to undertake a compromise setup to stabilize the automobile in each sector one and three. The stiffness stage was set medium-high to optimize aerodynamic efficiency, at the price of traction and mixed velocity. At flip 7, the place drivers brake whereas steering, Lewis Hamilton misplaced as much as 10 km/h in comparison with Oscar Piastri attributable to rear tires at their restrict.
To cut back traction loss, Lewis Hamilton braked earlier to get on the throttle with straighter wheels. Regardless of this, he remained gradual exiting the chicane at turns 8 and 9. Within the hairpin resulting in the lengthy straight, the 4 analyzed drivers selected totally different distances relative to the apex. Max Verstappen, quickest by way of the center of the nook, traveled an extended path however maintained a better common velocity. Conversely, Lewis Hamilton aimed for a tighter apex with a “V-style” trajectory, making an attempt to use throttle with minimal steering angle to keep away from extreme rotation on nook exit.
Traction deficit prices Hamilton three-tenths in 300 meters
Within the last slower sector of the American observe, Verstappen made a distinction with a special method, delaying the apex to achieve on braking within the RB21. Lewis Hamilton once more struggled to handle the SF-25, which lacked mixed grip, struggling understeer on the apex of flip 15 and oversteer on exit. An analogous, although much less pronounced, downside occurred at flip 13, the place he struggled to switch energy to the observe. These two errors price him roughly three-tenths of a second over simply 300 meters in comparison with Verstappen.
Lando Norris, alternatively, suffered oversteer exiting flip 13, which finally price him a shot at pole place. Throttle graphs present that he needed to raise considerably on exit. This error price him round one-tenth of a second, roughly matching his hole to Max Verstappen’s Pink Bull on the finish of the lap.
