Strategy tool

Undercut calculator

The pit wall's favorite weapon, interactive. Set the gap, the fresh-tire advantage, and how quickly the rival responds; see whether the undercut gets you out ahead, and whether a pit stop is "free" against the car behind.

The undercut: can you jump the car ahead?

You pit first; the rival stays out on worn tires. You gain your fresh-tire advantage every lap until they respond.

Gap to the car ahead: 2s

Fresh-tire advantage: 1.2s/lap

Laps before the rival responds: 1

Your stop slower by: 0s

Falls short by ~0.8s. They keep track position.

1.2 s/lap × 1 lap = 1.2s gained vs 2s gap. You would need 2 laps of clear-air advantage, or 2 s/lap of pace.

The free stop: can you pit without losing the place behind?

A pit stop costs roughly the pit-lane time loss. If your lead over the car behind is bigger, the stop is "free".

Your lead over the car behind: 21s

Pit-lane time loss: 22s

Not free: you rejoin ~1s behind and must re-pass.

21s lead vs ~22s pit loss.

Simplified model: assumes clear air (no traffic on the out-lap), steady tire advantage, and no safety car. Real pit walls run this math with live degradation curves; the structure is the same. Read the theory: what is the undercut? and how pit windows work.

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