Race Pace - 7 min read
How to Read Race Strategy and Tyres
A guide to stint pace, tyre degradation, undercuts, overcuts and why lap-time charts change through a race.
What a stint tells you
A stint is a run on one set of tyres between pit stops. Race strategy is built from stints: how long each tyre lasts, how quickly it starts, how much it degrades and where the driver returns after stopping. On a lap-time chart, a stint often starts fast, then gradually slows as tyres wear or temperatures move away from the ideal window.
Not every slow lap means tyre degradation. Traffic, safety cars, lift-and-coast, defending and team instructions can all change lap time. The useful pattern is the trend across several laps, not one outlier.
Undercut and overcut
An undercut happens when a driver pits earlier, uses fresh tyres to set fast laps, and gains track position when the rival pits later. It works best when new tyres are much faster and the pit exit is clear. On a chart, the undercut appears as a sudden pace gain immediately after the stop.
An overcut happens when staying out longer is faster overall. It can work if the old tyres are still strong, the rival exits into traffic or the later-stopping driver benefits from a clear track and fresher tyres at the end.
Tyre compounds and pace shape
Soft tyres usually give the best immediate grip but may fade sooner. Hard tyres often start slower but can offer stable pace across a longer run. Medium tyres sit between the two and are often the strategic middle ground.
The pace shape matters. A driver who is slightly slower at the start of a stint may still be stronger if their lap times stay stable while others fade.
How Formula Visuals helps
Session replays and telemetry views let you compare lap times, stint windows and driver gaps across the race. Use the chart to find the strategy event, then check the surrounding laps. If a pit stop changes the race, the evidence should appear in lap time, track position and gap movement together.
This is especially useful when the finishing order does not tell the whole story. A driver may finish behind but show stronger pace once traffic, tyres and pit timing are separated.