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This Is How Drastically Formula One Lap Times Have Evolved Over The Years

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This Is How Drastically Formula One Lap Times Have Evolved Over The Years

Basically, Driver61 created a massive graph that highlights the evolution of F1 lap times, with divisions for the different decades and different points plotted on the chart that highlight the introduction of different regulations or safety improvements.

A pretty stunning amount of research went into making this video. Driver61 calculated the relative pace difference between years by breaking down the fastest lap times from every race of every season. And, of course, he plots out the big changes that would have altered those lap times.

The really interesting part is that you can see when technology prized speed and when it came to prize safety. There were massive decreases in speed in the 1950s through the early 1970s as engineers moved to a mid-engine layout, found better ways to optimize handling, and began to experiment with aerodynamics. Things evened out a little more during the later years, so while we’ve still made net decreases, it hasn’t been anywhere near as drastic as the change from 1950 to 1960.

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My own personal interest is, of course, with the safety changes. There are some accidents, like Niki Lauda’s crash at the Nürburgring and Ayrton Senna’s death at Imola, that resulted in fairly immediate changes that slowed lap times. Those were often temporary spikes, though; after a few years, teams and engineers began to understand how to find speed despite the safety restrictions.

You also gain a little extra context when Driver61 adds other lines on the chart that represent current lap times for Formula 2, Formula 3, and Formula 4 cars — which is fascinating in and of itself. Today’s F4 cars are as fast as the cars in the early 1970s, while F2 could keep up with 90s F1 machines. Wild, right?

How Do We Need To Change Eau Rouge At Spa-Francorchamps?

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Stuart shows how physics impacts the car: basically, as the car dips into Eau Rouge, it gets heavier; as it lifts, it gets lighter. Drastically changing forces can result in a loss of control, and the positioning of the barriers at the track often see cars bounce back into oncoming traffic. Factor in Spa’s unpredictable weather, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

The main concern here then ties into both the corner itself and the construction of the car. The problem is the secondary impact, or the one that happens after the main crash has taken place. F1 cars are designed with single accidents in mind, so the car can very effectively disintegrate and deform in a predictable manner that also protects the driver behind the wheel. By the second impact, though, all those life-saving structures are gone. The car isn’t designed for that second hit. That’s often where we see injuries.

As Chain Bear notes, though, the track itself is fine — it’s the safety measures around it that are the problem. We can realistically keep Eau Rouge and Raidillon just as it is, but with changes to the narrow runoff sections.

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But to go along with Chain Bear’s video, I want to offer a little historical perspective as well. I just wrapped up The Science of Safety by David Tremayne, a book that covers the evolution of safety in Formula One — and Spa does feature frequently in discussions about safety.

Eau Rouge was, in large part, one of the reasons why the F1 circus experimented with other Belgian race tracks, like Zolder or Nivelles-Baulers. Spa was a track that required a serious amount of skill, which is why drivers liked it — but it also resulted in several serious injuries and deaths. After Ayrton Senna’s death at Imola, F1 popped some chicanes into the track just before Eau Rouge, but it wasn’t a hit. The track went back to normal, with a very slight modification coming for 2002. People have been incredibly touchy about Spa, and in particular, Eau Rouge. And changes to it have been largely ineffective: a middling barrier after Jackie Stewart’s 1966 crash, an inelegant chicane, a little bit of gravel. Nothing has really made an impact.

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Something, though, has to change. In an era of carefully mitigated risk, Eau Rouge continues to offer not so much a challenge as a hazard. It’s the only track in the modern era that sends a chill down your spine, and not in a good way. It’s time to prize F1’s other legacy — the ever-evolving push for safety around the iconic tracks — and not the staid nature of danger.

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