Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs principaux: Cappello, Cole, Hoegh, Andrew
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
Sujets:
Accès en ligne:https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00640
Tags: Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
_version_ 1866915645219667968
author Cappello, Cole
Hoegh, Andrew
author_facet Cappello, Cole
Hoegh, Andrew
contents Tire degradation plays a critical role in Formula 1 race strategy, influencing both lap times and optimal pit-stop decisions. This paper introduces a Bayesian state-space modeling framework for estimating the latent degradation dynamics of Formula 1 tires using publicly available timing data from the FastF1 Python API. Lap times are modeled as a function of fuel mass and latent tire pace, with pit stops represented as state resets. Several model extensions are explored, including compound-specific degradation rates, time-varying degradation dynamics, and a skewed t observation model to account for asymmetric driver errors. Using Lewis Hamilton's performance in the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix as a case study, the proposed framework demonstrates superior predictive performance over an ARIMA(2,1,2) baseline, particularly under the skewed t specification. Although compound-specific degradation differences were not statistically distinct, the results show that the state-space approach provides interpretable, probabilistic, and computationally efficient estimates of tire degradation. This framework can be generalized to multi-race or multi-driver analyses, offering a foundation for real-time strategy modeling and performance prediction in Formula 1 racing.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_00640
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A State-Space Approach to Modeling Tire Degradation in Formula 1 Racing
Cappello, Cole
Hoegh, Andrew
Applications
Tire degradation plays a critical role in Formula 1 race strategy, influencing both lap times and optimal pit-stop decisions. This paper introduces a Bayesian state-space modeling framework for estimating the latent degradation dynamics of Formula 1 tires using publicly available timing data from the FastF1 Python API. Lap times are modeled as a function of fuel mass and latent tire pace, with pit stops represented as state resets. Several model extensions are explored, including compound-specific degradation rates, time-varying degradation dynamics, and a skewed t observation model to account for asymmetric driver errors. Using Lewis Hamilton's performance in the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix as a case study, the proposed framework demonstrates superior predictive performance over an ARIMA(2,1,2) baseline, particularly under the skewed t specification. Although compound-specific degradation differences were not statistically distinct, the results show that the state-space approach provides interpretable, probabilistic, and computationally efficient estimates of tire degradation. This framework can be generalized to multi-race or multi-driver analyses, offering a foundation for real-time strategy modeling and performance prediction in Formula 1 racing.
title A State-Space Approach to Modeling Tire Degradation in Formula 1 Racing
topic Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00640