Sector Times

Every circuit on the Formula 1 calendar is split into three sectors, with the sector boundaries at marshal posts around the track. The official timing system records each driver's time through each sector on every lap. In qualifying, a theoretical best lap is the sum of each driver's three best sector times — this is often faster than any actual lap completed, because a perfect S1 is rarely combined with a perfect S2 and S3 in the same lap.

Sector times are colour-coded in the official timing tower. Purple means that driver is setting the fastest time through that sector across the whole session — the absolute best any driver has achieved. Green means it's that driver's personal best for that sector this session, but not the overall fastest. Yellow means they're slower than their own personal best.

In the RacePace Telemetry Explorer, the sector comparison table uses the same tri-state colour system. When you compare two drivers, the fastest sector between them glows purple; the personal best green; the slower one stays yellow. This makes it immediately clear whether a driver is consistently faster in S1 (usually a high-speed section), S2 (usually the mixed technical middle), or S3 (often the final chicane or stadium section before the main straight).

Sector analysis often reveals the story beneath the headline lap time. A driver might be 0.3s behind on aggregate but actually faster in S1 and S3 — their deficit is entirely in S2, pointing to a problem through one particular corner complex. Engineers use this to guide setup changes, and drivers use it in their coaching feedback after a session.

The Telemetry Explorer shows a tri-state sector breakdown at the bottom of the comparison view — choose your drivers and look for the purple, green, and yellow pattern.