|> I just raced a 50% length race at Hungary, and not knowing what to do
|> for pitting, I went on the "no stop" method. In retrospect, it seems
|> to have been a bad move- as my fuel went down, my tires also faded, so
|> I never clocked any times under 1:24, about 4 seconds faster than I
|> can do in a perfect race lap.
|>
|> Was it my imagination, or do the tires actually degrade over time in
|> the Sim? I'm not sure if they're just "good" then "bad" or if they
|> really ***out over time, but they certainly seemed to degrade.
|> Either that, or *I* degrade! Hard to tell, believe me.
|>
|> Is there a conservative, par pitting strategy in a race this length?
|> Any explanations of F1 pitting strategy appreciated.
Oh! This is what I love about this game. I recently did my very first
long distance race (70%) at Monza, and qualified on 5th. Since I am not
at the front row of the grid, so I chose a 1 stop strategy. I don't know
how many stops others would make, so it is a gamble.
After the lights turned green, I didn't make a good start and a lot of
tire smoke came from the rear wheels. I slipped to 6th. After the first
corner mayhem I got by a McLaren who ran a little wide, (I was in the #2
Williams) so I was back at 5th. Then the race order stabilized with Hill,
Schmacher, Alesi and Berger ahead of me, and I was closely followed by
Olivier Panis. Apparently I was holding Panis up, as his car was all over
my mirrors. I thought it couldn't be true that he could drive faster than
me, since he qualified way back in 4th or 5th row. Maybe he got a really
good start and was on a lighter fuel load.
On lap 12, Panis was in the pits! He suddenly disappeared in my mirrors
and he was on a 2 stop strategy! That explained why he could go faster.
Berger was also in the pits, so I moved up into 4th place. A couple of
others were also for 2 stops, but I forgot who they were.
On lap 18, Hill made his stop, Alesi made his stop. I was now in 2nd with
Schmacher ahead of me. On lap 19 I was called in and made my stop. When I
exited the pit lane I was back on 5th place. Panis was about 7 to 8 seconds
back, so I thought the 1 stop strategy had paid off!
On lap 24, Berger made his second stop. I moved up into 4th, and had no
more stops to make. Meanwhile, Schumacher had a tangle with Mark Blundell
and damaged his front wing, so he was back to the pits and I moved up into
3rd.
Then all the positions stabilized and with Hill winning the race, Alesi
2nd and me coming home 3rd. Hill took fastest lap with me closely followed.
I picked up the pace late in the race and was catching Alesi and pulling
away from Berger. Had the race been longer I could have caught up with
Alesi.
Boy! That was a fantastic race and I am glad that pit strategies actually
works! My guess is, to determine the best pit strategy, one has to take into
account the following:
1) race distance
2) pit lane speed limit
3) tire endurance
4) fuel load
5) grid position
Generally speaking, the less stops you make, the less time you will waste
in the pits. When you pit, you have to take into account the time it takes
to slow down and speed up, and crawl through the pit lane with speed limits.
Then, you have to experiment with the effects of driving the car with worn
tires and a heavy fuel load. From my experience, 5 to 7 extre laps of fuel
didn't make any significant difference. Tires usually wear out at max ~25
laps. You should choose your pit stops in such a way that you don't start
off with a heavier fuel load than you wanted, and don't end up with a set
of badly worn tire before you make your next stop.
Divide up the race distance and the number of stops you plan to make and
get the number of laps you will need to run in between stops.
Grid position is the final determining factor to how many pit stops will
give you the best results. If you are on the front row or even pole
position, opt for more stops. This way you are guaranteed that you always
have fresh tires and a light fuel load. If you are in the lead, you have
a clear track in front of you to open up a big gap to make up for the extra
time for extra pit stops. If you are in middle pack, opt for less stops so
you will have the chance to pass someone ahead of you while he pits. Also,
less stops gets you the chance to hold up someone behind you who has more
stops to make, thus diminishing his advantages. If you are on pole, chose
to make more stops, but didn't make a good start, then your chances are
basically spoiled! Ask Damon "I won't win if I don't lead in the first
corner" Hill.
--
My $0.02 (MSRP, plus shipping and handling, and applicable taxes. O.A.C.,
license, registration, PDI, freight, and insurance extra. Price subject
to change without notice. Cash discounted, credit cards please add 3%)
