Best pit strategy for GP2?

On Aug 09, 1996 07:00:05 in article <Best pit strategy for GP2?>,

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>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.

I think it might be the tires, unless you begin to fall asleep at the wheel ;) I always like the 2 stop strategy. But then again every race is different. it also depends on your setup, I just like 2 stops, always keeps me on decently fresh tires. -- ~RGordon~

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.

Quoted text (13 lines)

|> 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%)

[snip] : 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. I am not sure that there is a gradual degradation. It appears that Goodyear has provided us with good tires. But once they reach the treshhold of excessive wear, they go and they go fast. The only tip I have is to run a planned "run" during a "free" practice, come into the pits and check the tire wear. This will give you an idea on how long your tires will hold up during a race. Also, you may need to alter your driving style. Try to be smooth and don't abuse your tires with a heavy fuel load. Save your real aggressive driving for when the car lightens up. : Is there a conservative, par pitting strategy in a race this length? : Any explanations of F1 pitting strategy appreciated. I would say that on fast circuits with long straights and few corners a 1 stop strategy is the best. You can lose too much time slowing down for entrance and exit on pit stops. All the while, those with fewer pitstop strategies are gaining ground on you. If it is a slower circuit and one with lots of demanding corners, it's safer and wiser to do multiple pit stops. -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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>[snip] >: 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. >I am not sure that there is a gradual degradation. It appears that >Goodyear has provided us with good tires. But once they reach the >treshhold of excessive wear, they go and they go fast. The only tip I >have is to run a planned "run" during a "free" practice, come into the >pits and check the tire wear. This will give you an idea on how long >your tires will hold up during a race. Also, you may need to alter your >driving style. Try to be smooth and don't abuse your tires with a heavy >fuel load. Save your real aggressive driving for when the car lightens >up.

Thanks. I only just figured out about the plank and tire wear menu... man, GP2 is like a mystery hunt sometimes! Tonight I ran a 2-stop race at Hungary- full race length, only at Semi-pro, but that is majore improvement for me. HAd a fantastic time- I even won somehow (what ever did happen to Schumacher? Don't know why he fell back to third- fine with me!) Headphones make it very engaging. The pits are great- I need to figure out exactly what is going on tho- in ICR2, I just sit and wait. But in GP2, messages come up on my dash, I'm afraid I wasted a few seconds trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. The manual really doesn't help me much; I gaze at it, but hardly know what I'm looking at. Cryptic. But hey, GP2 is like a dream come true for a sim lover like me. Excellent advice, thanks.