Trap speeds are academic, or not?

Trap speeds are academic, or not?

Common enough to see a high-trap-speed vehicle perform well below the
leaders. After all, the trap is at one spot, usually a fast section
where no overtaking occurs in modern F1.

How important is max speed differential? An F1 car is at max speed
for, what, one or two seconds? And is a 3kph differential, for 2 secs
at 300kph, enough to compensate for the huge proportion of a straight
required for a pass, let alone commiting to braking and corner
trajectories.

Still, it's nice to know that one's favourite car is the fastest.

Re: Trap speeds are academic, or not?

<brafield@hotmail . com > wrote
> Common enough to see a high-trap-speed vehicle perform well below the
> leaders. After all, the trap is at one spot, usually a fast section
> where no overtaking occurs in modern F1.
> How important is max speed differential? An F1 car is at max speed
> for, what, one or two seconds? And is a 3kph differential, for 2 secs
> at 300kph, enough to compensate for the huge proportion of a straight
> required for a pass, let alone commiting to braking and corner
> trajectories.

I'm agreeing, that it's mostly academic.
In F1 now they have an almost infinite 'stages' of
adjustment of the downforce (inverse to top speed).
So probably all go for the level that on their
car gives quickest overall lap time.
(if so, only answer to top 'trap speed' and low overall
speed, is they are considerably lacking somewhere ---)

To large extent it indicates to us (in the trade-offs)
some ideas of where they 'doing well'.
Example, if equall on top speed, better on overall times,
they likely either 1. better aero tech, or 2. trading off
extra horsepower for downforce.

Personally, (non F1) I would be willing to give up
a bit of lap time, for better top speed.
Because you can pass an opponent on the straight,
but you normally can not pass in corners.