Ranking the F1 field from trackside
The stopwatch can be deceptive during Formula 1 testing, but watching the cars' behaviour from trackside gives a clear indication of which teams are already on top of their designs
Spend a few hours during a Formula 1 test wandering around the track perimeter road watching the cars circulating and you'll regularly spot personnel from Formula 1 teams, and sometimes Pirelli, watching. And there's a very good reason for that.
It's because, for all the data analysis involved in the optimisation and understanding of grand prix cars, there's real value in seeing how the cars respond on track (on top of the other information they can gather). For all the valid caveats about fuel loads, tyre choice and run plans, a car can only do what it can do. When going fast, it does not lie. This is what makes the 'eye test' valuable.
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