F1 Race Strategy: Competitor Analysis and Development of a New KClip and Lift-Off Analysis

The objective of this thesis is to develop a new KClip and Lift-Off analysis for the 2025 season, with a focus on the upcoming 2026 regulations where KClip and Lift-Off will be a key factor in race strategy. The 2026 Power Unit regulations will introduce a fundamental shift in Formula 1 powertrain architecture, with the removal of the MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit - Heat) from ERS (Energy Recovery System), teams will rely exclusively on the MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit - Kinetic) for energy management throughout a lap. In this context, the analysis of Lift-Off and KClip behavior becomes essential for benchmarking the team's energy management strategy against that of its competitors. To achieve this a specilized tool will be developed in Matlab to compute Lift-Off and KClip time. The tool must: Evaluate average and cumulative Lift-Off and KClip times for all teams, Compare the collected data with VCARB's performance metrics, Utilize GPS data or FIA-supplied data from F1.com and Ensure efficiency and seamless integration with Strategy Analyzer (which is the main Matlab platform to access data and launch analysis function for strategy and competitor analysis topics) and External Calculator for Competitor Analysis (which is an external calculator used to generate some useful metrics and channels on competitor data).