2021 Abu Dhabi GP: Fight for pole

Click on the image to view the “image” in high resolution. Since it is a vector you can zoom in as much as you want. To get the hi-res png image click here.

The chart shows the difference in speed between both drivers. Sections that are coloured with darker green represent sectors in which Hamilton was faster than Verstappen. Sections coloured with blue-purple colour represent sectors in which Max was faster than Lewis.

To do this chart, I divided the track into 100 sections that I called “micro-sectors”. These are not the same as the mini-sectors provided by the F1 TV app. Then, I extracted the “telemetry” provided by the F1 Live Timing App and filtered the data to contain only the fastest lap done by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the quali session. This data is not very granular but it provides some useful information.

I then calculated the difference in speed between both drivers in each one of the 100 micro-sectors. The results were then plotted on the chart that you see.

Max vs Max!

I decided to also analyze the data between Max’s fastest lap and the last, aborted lap. People were asking if the tow provided by Perez was the action that allowed Max to claim pole. Interestingly, it seems like Max perhaps had enough in the tank to claim pole position, even without the tow. I can’t say for sure since Max’s final lap was aborted, but I’ll let you take a look at the chart and make your conclusions.

To get the hi-res png image click here.