Rotax Grand Finals 2026 · Portimão · Sector report

Where the time goes #827

The lap is split into three timed parts (sectors). This is how Claudio compares with Martim Gomes, the strongest all-round driver, in the dry (a typical lap) and in the wet (best vs best, session 5).

Dry
−0.03sSector 1: Claudio is quicker
+0.09sSector 2: small loss
+0.19sSector 3: biggest dry loss
Wet
+0.10sSector 1: close
+0.83sSector 2: big loss
+0.80sSector 3: big loss

The dry scorecard

Each box is the gap to the fastest time anyone in the class set in that sector. Best is a driver's single best. Typical is what they do on a normal lap. Greener is better.

Practice sessions 1, 2 and 4 combined. "Typical" is the middle value of all clean laps (slow laps, out-laps and laps with incidents removed).

Session by session

Each driver's best time in each sector, per session. Claudio has got faster in Sector 2 every session, and is now close to the front there.

Sector 1

His strong part.

Sector 2

Improving every session.

Sector 3

Fast best, but see below.

In the wet (session 5)

Rain, and a red flag after 3 laps, so this is a small sample. Each bar is a driver's best time in that sector, as a gap to the fastest of these drivers. Claudio is 2nd of this group in Sector 1, but 6th in Sector 2 and 7th in Sector 3. Ivanov and Gomes are the benchmarks.

Sector 1

Still one of his best.

Sector 2

0.8s off Gomes.

Sector 3

0.8s off, near the back of this group.

Kir Ivanov (#832) is added here because he was fastest in the wet. In the dry he is midfield.

Lap by lap

Pick a session and a sector to see every clean lap. Lower is faster. Gaps in a line are slow laps that were left out. Session 5 is the wet one.

How steady is each driver? (dry)

Each bar runs from a driver's best time to their typical time. A short bar means they repeat their best. In Sector 3, Claudio's bar is one of the longest. Gomes and Ramirez are much tighter.

Sector 1

Sector 2

Sector 3

What it means

Four things to take into qualifying.

Sector 1: keep doing itHe's as fast as anyone here, best and typical. No change needed.
Sector 2: almost thereBetter every session (24.59, then 24.45, then 24.41). About 0.1s more to match Gomes and Guimaraes on a normal lap.
Sector 3: the priorityHis best is as good as anyone's, but a normal lap is 0.2s slower than Gomes or Ramirez. Repeating his best line here is worth the most time.
Wet: Sectors 2 and 3Sector 1 holds up in the rain. Sectors 2 and 3 cost about 1.6s together against Gomes. If rain is forecast, that's the place to work on first.