Driver Consistencies Explained

I have been requested to analyse how consistent the drivers were over a whole race and compare average lap times, with standard deviations included.  I start by copying all the lap times into a spreadsheet and taking all the laps (minus any safety car periods) and calculating the mean and Standard Deviation.

Then I make a graph with the calculated data.  From the graph made, the dots represent the mean average lap times and the vertical bars cover one standard deviation from the mean. Laps driven under the safety car are also not considered because these were not set competitively.

I was also requested by Maverick to look at the lap times without the in-laps and out-laps for the pit stops included… and the results are, well, interesting to say the least.  A lot of drivers change position and it really shows how important strategy is in deciding the outcome of a race – For example in some races, Barrichello has been slower than Button but if you take away the pit stops (as he was on a different strategy), he was often very close!