Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were dominant at Suzuka on Saturday, but the data shows just how far they were ahead of the rest of the pack.
The difference between the two Red Bull drivers was just 0.066 seconds, but there was a huge gap between them and the other nine Japanese constructors. Digging deeper into the data reveals the following:
Red Bull Street is right in front of us, but it could have been more than that.
Additional reporting by Pablo Hidalgo
In almost every metric, Red Bull is significantly better than its competitors. Verstappen finished 0.430 seconds ahead of third place (Lando Norris), but the data showed that Red Bull still had a gap of 0.154 seconds.
Red Bull recorded the fastest times in all sectors, but this was not actually achieved during either driver's flying laps. Verstappen set the fastest times in sectors one and three, while Perez set the best times in sector two.
The gap between Red Bull drivers was the second lowest on the grid, with just 0.059 seconds separating Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo.
Sergio Perez's late braking gives Max Verstappen an advantage
As for how Verstappen pitted Perez, a theme throughout the flying lap was that Perez tended to brake later than his teammate.
This explains how Verstappen was able to get better traction out of the final corner, but overall Verstappen's style gave him the lead.
Another comparison is that Verstappen had better traction and acceleration against Lando Norris in sector two, and was able to gear up even in the slowest corners of the track, with the exception of the final chicane.
McLaren shines in sector 1
As for the other constructors, McLaren looks set to shine in sector one on race day and has been strong there all weekend. Lando Norris' time of 30.8 seconds was just 0.023 seconds off Verstappen's best time.
Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, completed the section in a time of 30.837 seconds, surpassing Perez and taking third place in the standings.
Aston Martin to rise significantly in 2023 and 2024
Comparing times from this year to last year can be a bit misleading considering Suzuka has moved up the calendar, but one statistic that can be compared is the lap difference between the teams.
In that respect, Aston Martin was the big winner as they shaved a staggering 1.779 seconds off their 2023 time, with Fernando Alonso happy with the new upgrades.
There was also a positive sign that Red Bull improved its 2023 time by a minimal margin of 0.680 seconds, suggesting the grid is closing the gap slightly.
The stakes also made huge strides, while both Haas and Mercedes improved by more than a second.
Fernando Alonso leads Lance Stroll by a wide margin, while Haas battle proves to be the most even on the grid
In terms of driver standings relative to his team-mates, Ricciardo was just 0.059 seconds behind Tsunoda, but a place in Q3 proved crucial.
This was the smallest difference in the field, but it's no surprise that it's the largest, as Alonso beat Lance Stroll by 1.338 seconds and led 4-0 all season.
Another player with a 4-0 lead is Esteban Ocon, who has managed to perform well in his Alpine car, while Valtteri Bottas, Tsunoda and Albon are also yet to lose to their teammates.
The Haas duo are the only two tied for two points each.
Recommended by PlanetF1.com
F1 2024: Qualifying results between teammates
Japanese GP data shows signs of life for Mercedes W15, Aston Martin turns heads
Nico Hulkenberg was (easily) the fastest man on the track
In terms of top speed, the fastest Haas drivers to date were Nico Hulkenberg, who reached 238km/h, and Kevin Magnussen, who matched Alex Albon with a speed of 326km/h.
Pole sitter Max Verstappen reached 324km/h, but the lowest record on the grid was 319km/h set by Oscar Piastri, Norris, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
As for speed traps, Hulkenberg took first place in traps 1 and 3, with Logan Sargent earning a surprising name for his second speed trap time.
Close field behind Red Bull
Apart from Red Bull in the lead, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes are all competing for time, making the group incredibly tight.
Ferrari struggled too much in the final sector, especially in the final corner, where they braked earlier than anyone else, but if you look at their best sector, you can see that they lost a lot of time there.
Hamilton was always braking late and going up one gear respecting the others. Prioritize corner entry and then need more traction on exit. Mercedes lacked a bit of high-speed corner performance compared to Ferrari and especially McLaren.
Read next: 2024 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Winners/Losers