Replays - 5 min read
How to Use Session Replays
Follow a completed practice, qualifying, sprint or race session with timing, gaps and track-map context.
What session replays are for
A session replay turns timing data into a timeline. Instead of only seeing the final result, you can step through the session and watch gaps, positions and lap progress change over time. This is useful for understanding how a race developed or how qualifying evolved run by run.
The replay is not meant to replace video. It is a data view that helps explain the rhythm of the session: who was gaining, who was delayed, and when the important changes happened.
Practice and qualifying
In practice, replay data helps show run plans. Some drivers focus on race pace, some on qualifying simulations, and some spend long periods in the garage. A slow practice position does not always mean poor performance.
In qualifying, the timeline helps separate early banker laps from final push laps. You can see when drivers improved, who was at risk, and how the order changed as the track evolved.
Race sessions
In races, replays are most useful around pit stops, safety cars and battles. A driver may appear to lose time suddenly, but the timeline can show whether it came from traffic, a pit stop, tyre warm-up or a strategic offset.
Gap movement is often more useful than position alone. If a driver is stuck behind another car but matching the leader pace, the result table may hide a stronger performance than the final position suggests.
Best workflow
Start from the session result, then open the replay to find the moment the result began to form. Use the play controls to move through the timeline, slow down near pit windows or final qualifying runs, then switch to telemetry when you want corner-by-corner detail.
The replay tells you when something happened. Telemetry helps explain why it happened.