After an exceedingly long wait, Formula 1 is set to start its 2020 season at the Red Bull Ring for the first Austria Grand Prix. Everyone seems extremely excited as it will be the first time that the 2020 cars race against each other in an official F1 Grand Prix. Some teams are preparing new aerodynamic components so that their cars are faster and, as the season will be shorter than regular, the drivers and the teams need to score good points since the very beginning. After the 8-race calendar was announced, Formula 1 and the FIA have been implementing some new characteristics so that the season starts with the right foot. In this piece, we are going to talk about the brand-new TV graphics for the 2020 F1 season.

Today, Formula 1 has announced that they have developed new graphics for the season alongside Amazon Web Services (AWS) and they will make their debut during the Austrian Grand Prix from July the 3^rd to July the 5^th. We have seen graphics that include information such as cornering speed, possible pit-stop strategy, etc. In these new raft of new graphics, Formula 1 will concentrate them into car performance scores, and they will compare cars’ performance throughout the lap in real time, high-speed cornering, low-speed cornering, car handling and straight line performance. These are meant to involve fans even more into the car performance and how the engineers work with that kind of information. It should be noted that these data will be gathered thanks to the 300 sensors that every Formula 1 car has, this means that over a million data points will be generated per second.

“Over the past two years, Formula 1 has embraced AWS’s services to perform intense and dynamic data analysis. The F1 Insights we’re delivering together are bringing fans closer to the track than ever before and unlocking previously untold stories and insights form behind the pit wall.” Expressed Rob Smedley, Formula 1’s director of data systems. “We’re excited to be expanding this successful relationship to bring even more insights to life, allowing fans to go deeper into the many ways that drivers and racing teams work together to affect success.”

5 never-before-seen graphics will be appearing in the Formula 1 events throughout the season. These will expand the information that the fans are used to have. If you pay attention to the data that will be appearing in the graphics, you might be able to predict what could happen next, just like the engineers that are sitting in the pit wall. The first graphic will be the ultimate driver speed comparison which will allow fans to compare the speed of their favourite drivers with another, fans will be allowed to recognise the speed difference when there is an extra factor, just like tyre wear. This graphic will debut during the 70^th Anniversary GP on August 7-9. The second graphic will be the driver skill rating, this will grade the driver performance throughout the weekend taking in considerations factors like qualifying performance, race pace, tyre management and overtaking/defending skills. This graphic will debut in the second half of the season. The third will be high-speed/low-speed corner performance, as the name indicates, fans will be able to know which is the speed that the drivers are taking their cars while they are in high-speed corners (over 109 mph) or low-speed corners (below 78 mph). This graphic will appear from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards. The fourth never-before-seen graphic will be car/team development & overall season performance, this data will be based in order to the drivers’ race-to-race performance and will compare their pace as the teams will be bringing aerodynamic and power-unit improvements. This graphic will debut in the second half of the season. Finally, the last graphic that will be introduced in the second half of the season as well will be the qualifying and race pace predictions, this will be based on the last sessions, like free practices and their pace.

Formula 1 and the FIA have not been wasting their time and they have introduced some good changes into the category so that the fans are involved even more in the sport and in all the data the engineers have. Which graphic are you most excited about?