Data Analysis Fundamentals: 5. Analyse Driver Performance
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5. Analyse Driver Performance
03.01
| 00:00 | - Once we've covered our basics and we know the engine is in good health, we can get onto the key aspect of this course which is analysing the driver performance. |
| 00:09 | The core technique we're going to be using here is the variance or time delta channel which shows us the performance relative to a reference lap. |
| 00:19 | This is covered in detail in the practical skills section of the course however in brief, what we're looking for is the areas where we're seeing the largest loss in time and this will be apparent in the gradient of the variance channel. |
| 00:31 | To start with, it's best to focus on just one or two areas per session rather than overloading with too much information at once. |
| 00:40 | What we're trying to come up with is some actionable steps that can be put into place for the next session. |
| 00:47 | This requires us to dig into the areas we've highlighted in the variance channel and find out why that variance exists. |
| 00:54 | The 3 most common reasons would be braking too early or not hard enough, not holding enough cornering speed through the apex of the corner and then not getting back onto full throttle fast or hard enough. |
| 01:06 | This information should then form the basis of what the driver should focus on. |
| 01:10 | While the variance channel is usually the quickest and easiest way of finding time from the driver, what we can learn is actually going to be very dependent on the quality of the reference lap. |
| 01:22 | What I mean is that if the reference lap isn't extracting all the available performance from the car, then we will be chasing a benchmark that still leaves some lap time on the table. |
| 01:32 | This is quite likely to be the case if you're using your own laps as a reference. |
| 01:36 | In this case, we still have some tools at our disposal that can help highlight areas for improvement. |
| 01:43 | In particular, I'd suggest carefully analysing the braking performance to see if the driver is braking hard enough, soon enough and whether the driver is maintaining braking force up to the point of turn in or easing out of the brake when they've realised they've braked too early. |
| 01:58 | This will also be obvious in the traction circle where the driver is not able to ride the rim of the traction circle but instead you'll see the samples grouped around a small straight line between maximum braking and maximum lateral G. |
| 02:12 | We'll see the same situation where the driver is slow to get back to full throttle on corner exit. |
| 02:17 | We've covered braking performance and the traction circle in more detail within the body of the course so you can check back there if required. |
| 02:24 | The traction circle also shows you what your maximum lateral G force is on track and this can give you some indication of what the car is capable of. |
| 02:33 | This can be then used as a guide so you can decide if the car is capable of cornering faster than what the current driver is achieving. |
| 02:41 | This does need to be considered with a little care as the lateral G force can be significantly influenced by cornering speed. |
| 02:47 | Particularly in high downforce cars. |
| 02:49 | Likewise, a heavily cambered or banked corner can allow the car to generate cornering forces that can't be achieved on other parts of the track. |
