When was Formula 1 most competitive?

When was Formula 1 at its most competitive? It's a simple enough question, but one that does not lend itself to easy answers.

There are many ways to approach answering this, but the most logical method to use is qualifying. Not only does qualifying reflect the raw performance of a grand prix car, but it is also less prone (although not free of) the myriad factors that distort the data produced by looking only at race results.

Excluding the anomalous Indianapolis 500s of 1950-60, a total of 877 world championship races have been held. When referring to 'F1' in the following analysis, that can be taken to mean all of those points-paying races, including those held in 1952-53, when the world championship was run to Formula 2 regulations.

Thanks to AUTOSPORT's wonderful FORIX database, it's possible to take a look at qualifying gaps in tremendous detail. Looking at the general trend of what is designed as a general overview of the numbers rather than an in-depth mathematical analysis, two periods stand out: the 1970s and the past dozen or so years.

The following figures cover the gaps from pole position to second, fifth and 10th in order to give an accurate picture of how tight it is at the top of the field.

The lap time figures are the most easily digestible, but in order to get a more accurate comparison the percentage time deficit is also included. This prevents long circuits, such as the Nurburgring Nordschleife or the old Spa-Francorchamps - or even Pescara! - distorting the figures.

QUALIFYING GAPS BY DECADE

          To 2nd       To 5th       To 10th
1950s     1.212s       5.007s       12.049s
          (0.663%)     (2.445%)     (6.068%)

1960s     0.967s       2.817s       5.460s
          (0.559%)     (1.535%)     (3.206%)

1970s     0.360s       1.059s       1.969s
          (0.369%)     (1.021%)     (1.838%)

1980s     0.436s       1.457s       2.671s
          (0.510%)     (1.716%)     (3.130%)

1990      0.385s       1.358s       2.349s
          (0.457%)     (1.622%)     (2.803%)

2000s     0.258s       0.900s       1.825s
          (0.290%)     (1.025%)     (2.063%)

2010s     0.256s       0.871s       1.973s
          (0.285%)     (0.967%)     (2.194%)

OVERALL   0.490s       1.671s       3.413s
          (0.434%)     (1.431%)     (2.847%)

What is clear from these figures is that the broad trend is for things to get closer over time. Only the fondly remembered 1980s, during which the disparity of engine performance in the turbo era often stretched gaps, seem to have interrupted that progression.

THE 21st CENTURY

The period 2010 to date has the lowest figures for the gaps to second place and to fifth, albeit with the caveat that it represents a sample set of only four years.

That said, it is not directly different to the 10 years that came before, meaning that it is worth analysing the 2000s as a whole. Even taking into account various different qualifying systems - including one-lap shootouts, the mercifully short-lived aggregate format and qualifying with fuel - that distort the picture, it is fair to narrow the search to this period.

QUALIFYING GAPS 2000-2013

           To 2nd      To 5th      To 10th
2000       0.284s      0.950s      1.483s
           (0.313%)    (1.122%)    (1.745%)
2001       0.311s      1.012s      1.805s
           (0.373%)    (1.165%)    (2.102%)
2002       0.194s      1.009s      1.829s
           (0.241%)    (1.268%)    (2.275%)
2003       0.165s      0.650s      1.379s
           (0.199%)    (0.804%)    (1.714%)
2004       0.312s      0.896s      1.618s
           (0.382%)    (1.065%)    (1.928%)
2005       0.412s      1.213s      2.539s
           (0.349%)    (1.033%)    (2.116%)
2006       0.241s      0.977s      2.000s
           (0.297%)    (1.208%)    (2.440%)
2007       0.188s      0.977s      2.000s
           (0.228%)    (1.095%)    (2.233%)
2008       0.267s      0.707s      1.896s
           (0.306%)    (0.802%)    (2.105%)
2009       0.182s      0.611s      1.712s
           (0.198%)    (0.679%)    (1.941%)
2010       0.254s      0.844s      1.827s
           (0.290%)    (0.960%)    (2.063%)
2011       0.283s      0.902s      2.457s
           (0.326%)    (1.018%)    (2.769%)
2012       0.214s      0.834s      1.814s
           (0.231%)    (0.896%)    (1.948%)
2013       0.289s      0.935s      2.457s
           (0.309%)    (1.028%)    (2.560%)

No single season is the best by all three metrics and it is important to note that from 2003-09 cars qualified using their starting fuel loads. Equally, the stretched gaps from first to 10th seen over the past three years are partly the result of the Pirelli rubber, which often leaves drivers to qualify on a significantly slower tyre (through compound choice or running on older rubber), or not make a serious Q3 attempt.

THE 1970s

While 2003 is the closest of 21st-century F1, something that was also reflected in a tight championship fight in which Michael Schumacher pipped Kimi Raikkonen, you have to look back to the 1970s for the closest years by what is arguably the most compelling of the three indicators - the spread of the top 10 in qualifying.

GAP POLE TO 10th 1970-1979

1970   2.111s (2.023%) 
1971   2.562s (2.007%)
1972   2.257s (1.870%)
1973   2.410s (2.076%)
1974   1.876s (1.602%)
1975   1.671s (1.416%)
1976   1.862s (1.583%)
1977   1.456s (1.642%)
1978   1.728s (1.943%)
1979   2.062s (2.306%)

The 1975 season did not go down to the wire, with Ferrari's Niki Lauda claiming the title at the penultimate race. But while the gap from pole to second in qualifying was 0.408s (0.335 per cent), the gaps to fifth and to 10th suggest it was the closest season of all time.

The gap to fifth was 0.910s and to 10th 1.671s, but with many longer circuits on the calendar (notably the Nurburgring) these gaps come out as 0.780 per cent and 1.416 per cent respectively. Remember, it is the percentage figure that is most relevant, if less easy to digest, given the distorting presence of the 14-mile Nurburgring.

And, appropriately enough given the buzz surrounding the movie Rush, the following season - 1976 - also comes out strongly.

So what does this cursory survey tell us? Well, what the mid-1970s and the current era have is relative parity in engines. The 1970s were dominated by the Ford Cosworth DFV powerplant, which was close to ubiquitous at times (from 1973-76, only the DFV and Ferrari powered winning cars).

Today, F1 uses 2.4-litre V8 powerplants of frozen spec, the performance of which are aimed at being close to each other.

This means that Renault, Mercedes and Ferrari aren't separated by much, although the Cosworth is reckoned to be at a disadvantage of six or seven tenths of a second, primarily thanks to the lack of trick engine maps designed to optimise the exhaust-blowing effect, which remains important despite the rule changes designed to negate it.

The logical question now is what happens in 2014? Three engine suppliers, currently evenly matched, will not run their new powerplants on track until next year.

If the differences are as large as they have been at times when the engine rules were free, we could see the trend returning towards larger gaps.

History would suggest that the much-maligned frozen engine formula might end up being looked back on with great affection a few years down the line.

Thanks to FORIX's Joao Paulo Cunha for compiling the data