Formula Professor

Formula 1 explained 🏎️ Stats • Upgrades • Track insights • Analysis • Tech Where engineering meets speed ⚙️

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Silverstone Circuit, once known as RAF Silverstone, began as a World War II bomber base with three runways laid out in a triangle. The first-ever Formula 1 GP was held here in 1950. Pretty different layout than now :P

After 76 years, the Silverstone Circuit is about to hold its 61st F1 race weekend.

📸: Google Maps

#F1 #Formula1 #SilverstoneCircuit #BritishGP #F1History

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

The Spanish 2-time World Champion didn't sugarcoat things after the Austrian Grand Prix: "We knew where we were going to be. It will be the same in Silverstone and Spa. It's hard to enjoy driving with such a difficult car."

If you look at the final gaps on the second graphic, the situation is truly devastating for Aston Martin. Alonso finished a massive 3 laps down behind the race winner, George Russell, while his teammate, Lance Stroll, suffered a DNF.

It is wild to see a team with such massive factory backing fall this far back to the very bottom of the grid. The upgrades can't come soon enough. Heartbreaking.

source: F1 media pen

photos: XPB Images (For editorial purposes only.)

#F1 #FernandoAlonso #AstonMartin

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Red Bull fans might noticed, this drone (or a prototype of it) was seen in one of their video before the 2024 season where Max took the RB20 for a spin around Silverstone 😎

[Formula 1 @F1]

This is how the high-speed drone shots at the Red Bull Ring came together! 🤩🎥

#F1 #AustrianGP

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Why am I not showing the 2017 data, even though it was the start of the wider, high-downforce aero era? 🤔

To keep things 100% accurate, I am starting this comparison with 2018. It’s because F1’s official system only started saving live, raw car telemetry from the 2018 season onwards.

This deep sensor data simply does not exist for 2017. To make sure the comparison is completely fair and precise, 2018 is my true baseline! 📉

How was Verstappen’s top speed so low even though he won the race? 🏆
The 2018 Red Bull (which still had a Renault engine back then) was famously slow on the straights compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.

However, they had a really great chassis and aerodynamics. Which is exactly the opposite of how things are in 2026! :P

Absolute top speed (314 km/h): This happened on lap 35. On the main straight, he used the slipstream and the DRS from a lapped car to get that extra boost! 💨

Photos: Steve Etherington, Philip Platzer/Red Bull Ring, Ferrari Media Centre (For editorial use only.)

#F1 #AustrianGP #TopSpeed

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

📊A surprising top-speed comparison between the last two Grands Prix.

As seen in the image, cars reached much higher top speeds in Barcelona than in Spielberg.

The main reason for this difference comes down to track elevation and layout:

🇪🇸Barcelona: The main straight has an approximately 11-meter (36 ft) downhill slope over a roughly 660-meter (2,165 ft) full-throttle section.

🇦🇹Spielberg: The straight between Turn 1 and Turn 3 climbs about 35 meters (115 ft) over a shorter distance of about 557 meters (1,827 ft).

Additionally, air density plays a role. At a temperature of 35 °C, the air at 720 meters (2,362 ft) is approximately 6% less dense than at 160 meters (525 ft). While less dense air reduces aerodynamic drag, the uphill incline and shorter straight in Austria still limited the final top speeds.

(Note: Elevation and distance figures are close approximations and may vary by a few meters depending on the telemetry measuring points.)

#F1 #TopSpeed #AustrianGP

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Remember, he already predicted the 2026 cars back in 2023. One week before the British GP, this is what Max Verstappen said about this year's cars on Silverstone's layout.

"I did a few laps on the simulator, and I just started laughing. It felt like a different track, to be honest. You barely have battery around the lap, it’s just constantly flat.

It’s going to feel very different compared to what we’re used to around Silverstone because of the layout of the track.

Here you have long straights and big braking zones, so you can charge the battery. There you have long straights but fast corners, so you can’t really charge the battery, which means you don't have a lot of energy to spend.

So, it’s going to be a tough one."

photos: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool (For editorial use only.)

#F1 #MaxVerstappen #Silverstone

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

@Mete_Hristovski what I don't understand is what happened to Ferrari. Probably it was the different track characteristic, but still they seemed struggling

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Mercedes was forced to tweak their diffuser after rival complaints.

Mercedes arrived at the Canadian Grand Prix with their first major upgrade package of the season. Their rivals also took an interest in several solutions at the rear of the W17.

Since winter testing, teams have been trying to find clever ways to extend the diffuser, for example by introducing extensions attached directly to the rear crash structure.

Making the diffuser work as effectively as possible is a crucial aspect, especially now that the current generation of cars relies less on ground effect.

Ferrari had already proposed an innovative, serrated diffuser extension during winter testing that the FIA rejected for allegedly stretching the rules. However, after Mercedes debuted a similar design in Canada, Ferrari demanded clarification.

This led to a technical directive following the Barcelona Grand Prix, a document that comes into force from the Austrian Grand Prix weekend onwards.

Source: https://t.co/QKuUNa3MvC

Original photos via: @carpentiers_f1

Disclaimer: The artistic drawing style is AI-generated. No technical details were modified, ensuring total accuracy to the original analysis!

#F1 #AustrianGP #Mercedes

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

A rare look at an f1 brake caliper 🤩🤩

[Xavier Gàzquez @xavigazquez]

Hi guys,

Details from the PitLane, from my camera 📸 in the @redbullring 🧐🧐
.
#xaviimages #aeroporn #f1technicalphotographer 📸 #F1Tech #F1
.
PD: To my friend @ScarbsTech 😜😜😜
.

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

The highest top speeds at the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying compared across the last three regulations. While the peak was 324 km/h in 2021 and 325 km/h in 2022, this year Max Verstappen (VER) topped the charts with 331 km/h! 🔥

To put that into perspective, the top 20 drivers in 2026 either matched or beat the absolute highest top speed recorded in 2022!

On the other hand, Aston Martin drivers would be last in every regulation in terms of top speed. It's still hard to believe for me that Honda engines are as powerful as Ferrari and Audi.

Also in 2026, four out of the top six cars are powered by Red Bull Powertrains engines!

Source: FIA via FastF1

#F1 #Formula1 #AustrianGP

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

I think George did exactly what a title contender should do. He took a risk by only losing less than a tenth, but it was still enough for pole.

On the other hand it shouldn't be a single yellow, that was a mistake by the race controll which they adressed after George and Kimi passed turn 9.

Please don't blame George guys, he saw it's a single yellow and played by the rules.

The mistake was made by the race controll!

Great post!

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

A defect in the rear wing caused Max Verstappen's crash today. Wing no longer connected properly at the end of the Straight Mode zone.

Team boss Mekies states in Red Bull's press release that it was a loss of 'aero performance' at the rear of the car.

source: ErikvHaren/X

photos: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

#F1 #MaxVerstappen #RedBullRacing #AustrianGP

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Antonelli’s team radio with his race engineer Peter Bonnington, alias Bono, at the end of today’s qualifying.🗣️

Photo by Andy Hone/LAT Images (For editorial purposes only.)

#F1 #KimiAntonelli #AustrianGP

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

To make George Russell's controversial pole position even more "interesting", it triggered a massive historic milestone: Mercedes and Ferrari power units are now officially tied for the most pole positions in Formula 1 history.

Just seconds before Russell crossed the line, Ferrari was sitting on a provisional front-row lockout, looking ready to extend their legacy. Instead, Mercedes snatched the top spot at the very last moment.

Life writes the best scripts.

Photos: Sam Bloxham/LAT Images, Wolfgang Wilhelm, Ferrari Media Centre (For editorial use only.)

#F1 #Ferrari #Mercedes

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Super Max doesn’t make mistakes!🫡🫡

[Erik van Haren @ErikvHaren]

Een defect aan de achtervleugel veroorzaakte vandaag de crash van Max Verstappen. Vleugel sloot niet meer goed aan einde Straight Mode-zone.

Teambaas Mekies stelt in persbericht Red Bull dat het ging om verlies van 'aero performance' aan achterkant auto. #F1

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Please watch this!

[Karun Chandhok @karunchandhok]

Explaining “yellow-flag-gate” & a confusing end to Qualifying. Fair play to @GeorgeRussell63 - did a great lap, knew the rules & got pole!

I am still a bit confused why it was not an instant double yellow flag for when a car has crashed on the fastest corner of the track with a blind approach🤷🏽‍♂️

Suspect the other teams will ask for a review on this.

#F1 #AustrianGP

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Can Russell keep his Austrian GP pole position?🧐

Here is a telemetry comparison of his two flying laps from Q3. As you can see, he lifted around 100 metres earlier during the yellow flag caused by Max Verstappen. He also got back on the throttle a bit earlier and lost almost 0.1 seconds in Turn 9.📊

What is your take on this? Would you let him keep the pole if it were up to you?👀

Let me know below!

Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images, Richard Pardon

Telemetry source: https://t.co/VYzpzHjTmg

#F1 #AustrianGP #GeorgeRussell

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

Red Bull Racing brought a heavily revised sidepod flank to their home race at the Austrian GP.

The bargeboards are now further subdivided to manage airflow more aggressively, and the sidepod inlets have received a noticeable geometry update compared to the specification run in Barcelona.

Also the exhaust deflector is redesigned, even though this aerodynamic solution is set to be banned from 2027.

Thoughts?

Original photos via: @carpentiers_f1

Disclaimer: The artistic drawing style is AI-generated. No technical details were modified, ensuring total accuracy to the original analysis!

#F1 #AustrianGP #RedBullRacing

[Formula Professor @formula_profes]

I compared the fastest FP2 laps at the Austrian GP in 2025 vs 2026! 📊

⏱ 2025 Fastest Lap (FP2): 1:04.580 (Lando Norris)
⏱ 2026 Fastest Lap (FP2): 1:07.014 (Kimi Antonelli)

Gap: +2.434s 📉

Looking closely at the speed traces in the 2026 car shows a higher top speed on the straights, but loses a massive amount of time in the corners and under braking. The delta time graph shows the gap steadily expanding through the technical sectors.

Telemetry source: https://t.co/VYzpzHjlwI

#F1 #AustrianGP #Telemetry