I jumped into the last EU GT1 slot and decided to drive the Audi since i don't like using the meta most of the time, plus it's fun seeing how well you can do going off meta.
Qualifying went badly since i was almost a second slower than my free practice time, and i qualified P14 out of 15 cars.
The race started and i gained a position on the opening lap at T3 after a yellow Ferrari ran slightly wide, but then towards the end of lap 1 going into Juncao, the Ferrari in P15 went into the back of the yellow Ferrari in P14, which caused them to go into the back of me, which caused both of us to spin. The Ferrari that caused the crash quit the race.
So now we were miles away from the main pack of cars. Plus it took me longer to turn my car around, so i was also far behind the yellow Ferrari. So i spent the rest of the race driving around by myself. I did gain 2 positions tho, since the Spaniard in P8 fell down the order and was driving around slowly for some reason before they parked in the pits. Then a fellow UK driver stopped on the main straight at the end of lap 11.
Then i had a spin myself on the last lap after i took to much kerb at T11 just before Juncao. In the end it didn't matter since no one was near me and in the end i finished in P12.
I jumped into the last EU GT1 slot and decided to drive the Audi since i don't like using the meta most of the time, plus it's fun seeing how well you can do going off meta.
Qualifying went badly since i was almost a second slower than my free practice time, and i qualified P14 out of 15 cars.
The race started and i gained on the opening lap at T3 after a yellow Ferrari ran slightly wide, but then towards the end of lap 1 going into Juncao, the Ferrari in P15 went into the back of the yellow Ferrari in P14, which them to go into the back of me, which caused both of us to spin. The Ferrari that caused the crash quit the race.
So now we were miles away from the main pack of cars. Plus it took me longer to turn my car around, so i was also far behind the yellow Ferrari. So i spent the rest of the race driving around by myself. I did gain 2 positions tho, since the Spaniard in P8 fell down the order and was driving around slowly for some reason before they parked in the pits. Then a fellow UK driver stopped on the main straight at the end of lap 11.
Then i had a spin myself on the last lap after i took to much kerb at T11 just before Juncao. In the end it didn't matter since no one was near me and in the end i finished in P12.
The funny thing is that i was gonna use the Porsche, but then i tried the Audi and set faster lap times in free practice. When i done practice races, i think i was setting similar lap times in both cars.
Slot 2:
255 point lobby.
Door #1 Which was completely insane, considering the talent in this split. I suspected DR tanking!
Q: P1 1:32.282
Finsihed: P1!
Car: Ferrari 296 GT3
This race was so strange. The 10 minute quali ended up being a massive blessing, as I pulled out my fastest lap with seconds to go. I kept doing 2 laps, and then resetting back to the pits to start again. It meant I was able to maintain optimum tyres for my out lap.
I went from P4 to pole, with seconds to spare.
Driving for Renault all season in the Manu Cup didn't make me feel so guilty about using the meta Ferrari. I think I've earned the right.!?
To my surprise, I stuck it on pole in a very respectable A+ lobby.
It was a very straight forward strategy. Don't crash, stay out of conflicts and push hard from the start. By the end of lap 9, I came in to pit. I was clocking consistent low 33's for my race pace. Which was enough to keep me ahead of P2/3, who were hounding me for most of the race.
By lap 19, the fastest guy on the track pushed too hard and crashed in the hairpin section, which left me with 1 lap to go and a six second lead. I crossed the line in a race time of 31:40. My first ever GTWS win at Interlagos. 255 points and proof that when I'm in a level playing field with a competitive car, I can actually compete with some very good drivers.
Driving for Renailt builds character and it has made me a much better driver, because I can't just rely on a faster car for results. Today felt good to finish in P1!
On to Round 2 and it's Hypercars in dynamic weather. What could go wrong!?
As usual, my edited race replay is attached below. Good luck fellas!
Very much doing Rounds 2 and 3 (Gotta do some testing). Round 1 car selection is..confounding. I get three of the cars as The Audi R8 is still being used (Even if its mostly in Asia) and the Ferrari 296 GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R are pretty much no brainers being quite current. But for that same reason, why the Mclaren 650S GT3? This thing is not even remotely being used outside some classic GT3 car meeting. Why the Lamborghini Huracan GT3? Its not even the Evo II (The one with the Roof intake), its the original base model which also hasn't been used in a while. Sure you could argue "Well the 2019 Audi R8 GT3 Evo isn't being used either" True...but guess what? Through GT Auto, you can turn it into the car that IS still being used (As you can with the real thing, hence why its called an "Evo package") while that isn't even remotely an option for Huracan (Though lets be real: The Huracan Evo II isn't even based on the base road car, its based on the Road Going Super Trofeo model called "STO" so its not even the same thing anymore). Why are both the Merc and Lexus not even choices? Both are still competitive and still being used (Hell, both are in the WEC AND Super GT AND IMSA for crying out loud along the 296 and 911). And of course, we can't forget that both are still showing up at the Live Events. MAYBE you can make that case for the Huracan as it still shows up too (Somehow), but you can't even argue this for the 650S in Real life or the World Series.
Another one of those choices where the more I look, the more I ask:
This combo was run during the official season (at Nurburgring GP) and in previous exhibition (at Red Bull Ring). The only explanation I thought is that these are all European midship GT3 machines, but the Porsche is rear-engined.
I just ran a 27-lap test in Free Practice. Here's what I found
It looks like we are in for scripted weather. I exited and re-entered Free Practice several times and in every one the pattern on the weather radar and wind velocity was exactly the same.
The track starts out moderately wet, with the moisture gauge at around 50% and stays there for the first lap. Heavy rain hits on lap 2 and lasts until lap 7. The moisture gauge is pegged around the second tick mark the whole time, with occasional forays above into the blue stuff. After lap 7, the track slowly dries out. Some rain returns on lap 23 and 24, taking the moisture gauge slightly above the first tick mark.
My guess at this point is that the two main strategies are going to be one-stop IM-RS or W-RM. The second bout of rain is sketchy, but manageable on slicks, so the choice seems to be between staying out on worn IMs until RSs will last to the end of the race, or switching from Ws to RMs as soon as the track is dry enough to drive on slicks. I suppose a IM-RM strategy would be the safest choice, but is probably slower.
One thing to keep in mind is that in the race, there will be more cars on the track. It will dry faster than in Free Practice.
In my test, I started on IMs and pitted for RSs on lap 17. The track was dry enough to switch to slicks earlier than that, but I was more concerned with understanding the weather than optimizing my overall time.
This is what my lap times looked like. The first few laps include several excursions off the end of start/finish straight as I tried to figure out where to brake:
Lap
Porsche
1
1:43.770
2
1:43.912
3
1:51.102
4
1:49.015
5
1:51.544
6
1:50.335
7
1:50.040
8
1:47.526
9
1:45.044
10
1:43.989
11
1:41.057
12
1:39.685
13
1:37.795
14
1:36.123
15
1:36.422
16
1:36.420
17
1:47.755
18
1:38.646
19
1:30.156
20
1:29.810
21
1:30.162
22
1:29.411
23
1:36.664
24
1:42.491
25
1:35.899
26
1:30.595
27
1:30.079
There are a lot of things to test this round. Different cars. Different tire compounds. Different weather conditions. I'm not going to have time to test it all, so I'll have to prioritize. I don't have a plan yet. I suppose I'll figure something out, though.
I just ran a 27-lap test in Free Practice. Here's what I found
It looks like we are in for scripted weather. I exited and re-entered Free Practice several times and in every one the pattern on the weather radar and wind velocity was exactly the same.
The track starts out moderately wet, with the moisture gauge at around 50% and stays there for the first lap. Heavy rain hits on lap 2 and lasts until lap 7. The moisture gauge is pegged around the second tick mark the whole time, with occasional forays above into the blue stuff. After lap 7, the track slowly dries out. Some rain returns on lap 23 and 24, taking the moisture gauge slightly above the first tick mark.
My guess at this point is that the two main strategies are going to be one-stop IM-RS or W-RM. The second bout of rain is sketchy, but manageable on slicks, so the choice seems to be between staying out on worn IMs until RSs will last to the end of the race, or switching from Ws to RMs as soon as the track is dry enough to drive on slicks. I suppose a IM-RM strategy would be the safest choice, but is probably slower.
One thing to keep in mind is that in the race, there will be more cars on the track. It will dry faster than in Free Practice.
In my test, I started on IMs and pitted for RSs on lap 17. The track was dry enough to switch to slicks earlier than that, but I was more concerned with understanding the weather than optimizing my overall time.
This is what my lap times looked like. The first few laps include several excursions off the end of start/finish straight as I tried to figure out where to brake:
There are a lot of things to test this round. Different cars. Different tire compounds. Different weather conditions. I'm not going to have time to test it all, so I'll have to prioritize. I don't have a plan yet. I suppose I'll figure something out, though.
This makes sense regarding the tyre switch. IM's are usually the better tyre if the weather isn't a sustained downpour. I must be the only one who hasn't really driven the hypercars yet, as I went travelling with my family just after they were released in the summer. Luckily, I know Fuji pretty well, so at least I only have to learn one element. In some brief testing, all the cars feel similar in the rain on Full Wets but there is a slight handling advantage with the Porsche. Although as you say, it's too early to tell. Look forward to your findings.
Felt quite fast in the Ferrari and managed a 1.32.8 for Q1. First few laps of the race I was making little mistakes allowing P2 to get close but finally got my head straight and kept a comfortable 1-2s gap. Pitted on L10 for fresh tyres, P2 stayed out for another lap, when they left the pits they were 3s behind so don't think their plan worked. From there they started drifting back so I could comfortably put consistent laps in to come home 1st for 129 points.
Won't be able to make next round, which is a shame as looks very interesting with weather and strategy.
I have tried alla the cars for the next race… and whatever I take the first laps seems manageable but from lap 2 (when starts raining again) till lap 7-8 it is like “dancing on the ice”…
I have the feeling to be dramatically slow.
The leaderboard is showing timing some after more than 30 laps when the track is perfectly dry, so no idea about which are the performance in such poor track conditions.
Whatever car I choose I don’t find the feeling to properly brake and turn at T1.
Also the chicane is quite terrible, where I have no clue how to manage the trajectory and the acceleration.
Also the last curve could be interpreted in very different ways due to the rain and will create a mess with the follower thinking that you are living a free space to overtake… while it is not…
Even if I use TC at level 3 you feel the car reacting quite violently.
For sure I am not a good driver and in don’t have great experience with these cars that I have used rarely.
So at the moment my best time in dry conditions is with BMW with 1:30.5.
Under the rain I easily lap at 1:40 / 1:42.
I expect a dramatic race during the first 5-7 laps…
I have tried alla the cars for the next race… and whatever I take the first laps seems manageable but from lap 2 (when starts raining again) till lap 7-8 it is like “dancing on the ice”…
I have the feeling to be dramatically slow.
The leaderboard is showing timing some after more than 30 laps when the track is perfectly dry, so no idea about which are the performance in such poor track conditions.
Whatever car I choose I don’t find the feeling to properly brake and turn at T1.
Also the chicane is quite terrible, where I have no clue how to manage the trajectory and the acceleration.
Also the last curve could be interpreted in very different ways due to the rain and will create a mess with the follower thinking that you are living a free space to overtake… while it is not…
Even if I use TC at level 3 you feel the car reacting quite violently.
For sure I am not a good driver and in don’t have great experience with these cars that I have used rarely.
So at the moment my best time in dry conditions is with BMW with 1:30.5.
Under the rain I easily lap at 1:40 / 1:42.
I expect a dramatic race during the first 5-7 laps…
Judging by what I've seen so far in lobbies., those times you're setting aren't actually that bad.
This race is gonna be all about keeping the car on track. Very rarely am I the fastest driver in my races but I'm definitely one of the most consistent.
Consistency will get you good results, so just work on your muscle memory and race pace. I see alot of people just setting up dry run lobbies for 20 laps, which is slightly insane because this race is anything but that.
The biggest challenge with a wet race is handling the transition from wet to dry, and making the tight tyre choice at the right time. Work on that aspect and you'll be fine.
First time I decided to put some real effort into the nations/manufacturers cup, and improving my DR, since the early days of gt7. Hoping practice, practice, practice during this week and a top 5 will be up for grabs. Only a D/C rated driver. I welcome the lap time gauge from vtec driver. Imagine it's going to be a mess in the low ranked races. So avoid incidents while trying to maintain a consistent drive is my plan..
I think that these are the cars available.
It is quite weird that I am controlling more the two MR cars than the other 3 AWD under the rain...
Maybe I need to practice more.
I think that these are the cars available.
It is quite weird that I am controlling more the two MR cars than the other 3 AWD under the rain...
Maybe I need to practice more.
I spent some time yesterday testing the cars on the dry track with RS and RM to get a sense of how long RSs will last and at what point it is quicker to use RMs instead. It is hard to predict from Free Practice when the track will be dry enough to switch from treaded tires (IM/W) to slicks (RS/RM). The point of these tests is to have enough information to choose the right compound for latter part of the race.
On each of the compounds, I did a 13-lap stint in afternoon S01 weather with a 1x time multiplier (not knowing that the time multiplier is actually 3x in Free Practice). As usual, I did each test in a custom race against a single AI opponent.
Summary of RS tests:
Manufacturer
Model
Opt time
Best time
Avg time
Total time
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
1:30.381
1:30.711
1:31.481
19:49.249
Ferrari
499P '23
1:30.570
1:30.706
1:32.426
20:01.539
Peugeot
9X8 '25
1:30.708
1:30.890
1:32.459
20:01.972
Porsche
963 '24
1:30.215
1:30.473
1:32.335
20:00.355
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
1:30.147
1:30.671
1:32.149
19:57.940
Summary of RM tests:
Manufacturer
Model
Opt time
Best time
Avg time
Total time
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
1:30.629
1:30.772
1:31.229
19:45.974
Ferrari
499P '23
1:31.714
1:32.033
1:32.164
19:58.127
Peugeot
9X8 '25
1:31.632
1:31.846
1:32.189
19:58.461
Porsche
963 '24
1:31.234
1:31.522
1:31.627
19:51.146
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
1:31.154
1:31.248
1:31.632
19:51.219
Lap times
Lap
BMW RS
Ferrari RS
Peugeot RS
Porsche RS
Toyota RS
BMW RM
Ferrari RM
Peugeot RM
Porsche RM
Toyota RM
1
1:29.314
1:28.950
1:29.179
1:28.943
1:28.776
1:30.468
1:30.749
1:30.492
1:29.757
1:30.040
2
1:30.859
1:31.396
1:30.930
1:31.242
1:31.553
1:31.432
1:32.324
1:32.534
1:31.629
1:31.653
3
1:30.878
1:30.792
1:30.890
1:30.836
1:30.954
1:31.127
1:32.321
1:32.261
1:31.522
1:31.498
4
1:30.711
1:30.706
1:31.088
1:30.524
1:30.706
1:31.526
1:32.058
1:32.056
1:31.625
1:31.801
5
1:30.897
1:31.003
1:31.782
1:30.473
1:31.123
1:31.127
1:32.033
1:32.173
1:31.736
1:31.893
6
1:30.895
1:31.109
1:31.458
1:31.165
1:30.860
1:31.120
1:32.270
1:32.269
1:31.533
1:31.352
7
1:31.046
1:31.687
1:32.242
1:31.907
1:30.671
1:31.140
1:32.146
1:32.470
1:31.664
1:32.058
8
1:30.713
1:32.015
1:32.257
1:31.445
1:31.708
1:30.772
1:32.097
1:32.191
1:31.553
1:31.794
9
1:31.603
1:31.999
1:31.742
1:31.752
1:31.284
1:31.136
1:32.437
1:31.846
1:31.592
1:31.248
10
1:31.329
1:33.014
1:32.707
1:34.197
1:32.657
1:31.466
1:32.307
1:32.356
1:31.825
1:32.009
11
1:32.484
1:36.033
1:33.728
1:36.280
1:35.937
1:32.096
1:32.177
1:32.368
1:32.523
1:31.582
12
1:32.764
1:36.453
1:36.817
1:35.902
1:35.874
1:31.354
1:32.760
1:32.387
1:32.016
1:32.218
13
1:35.756
1:36.382
1:37.152
1:35.689
1:35.837
1:31.210
1:32.448
1:33.058
1:32.171
1:32.073
Tire tread levels at finish - RS tires:
Manufacturer
Model
Front left
Front right
Rear left
Rear right
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
0%
30%
30%
45%
Ferrari
499P '23
0%
20%
30%
50%
Peugeot
9X8 '25
0%
20%
35%
55%
Porsche
963 '24
0%
10%
30%
45%
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
0%
15%
25%
40%
Tire tread levels at finish - RM tires:
Manufacturer
Model
Front left
Front right
Rear left
Rear right
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
40%
70%
70%
75%
Ferrari
499P '23
50%
70%
70%
75%
Peugeot
9X8 '25
40%
70%
75%
80%
Porsche
963 '24
45%
70%
75%
80%
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
45%
70%
70%
75%
Using those lap times, I can calculate the crossover points -- the number of laps where using RS is faster than RMs:
Manufacturer
Model
Crossover
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
12
Ferrari
499P '23
12
Peugeot
9X8 '25
12
Porsche
963 '24
10
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
11
Cumulative lap times:
Lap
BMW RS
Ferrari RS
Peugeot RS
Porsche RS
Toyota RS
BMW RM
Ferrari RM
Peugeot RM
Porsche RM
Toyota RM
1
1:29.314
1:28.950
1:29.179
1:28.943
1:28.776
1:30.468
1:30.749
1:30.492
1:29.757
1:30.040
2
3:00.173
3:00.346
3:00.109
3:00.185
3:00.329
3:01.900
3:03.073
3:03.026
3:01.386
3:01.693
3
4:31.051
4:31.138
4:30.999
4:31.021
4:31.283
4:33.027
4:35.394
4:35.287
4:32.908
4:33.191
4
6:01.762
6:01.844
6:02.087
6:01.545
6:01.989
6:04.553
6:07.452
6:07.343
6:04.533
6:04.992
5
7:32.659
7:32.847
7:33.869
7:32.018
7:33.112
7:35.680
7:39.485
7:39.516
7:36.269
7:36.885
6
9:03.554
9:03.956
9:05.327
9:03.183
9:03.972
9:06.800
9:11.755
9:11.785
9:07.802
9:08.237
7
10:34.600
10:35.643
10:37.569
10:35.090
10:34.643
10:37.940
10:43.901
10:44.255
10:39.466
10:40.295
8
12:05.313
12:07.658
12:09.826
12:06.535
12:06.351
12:08.712
12:15.998
12:16.446
12:11.019
12:12.089
9
13:36.916
13:39.657
13:41.568
13:38.287
13:37.635
13:39.848
13:48.435
13:48.292
13:42.611
13:43.337
10
15:08.245
15:12.671
15:14.275
15:12.484
15:10.292
15:11.314
15:20.742
15:20.648
15:14.436
15:15.346
11
16:40.729
16:48.704
16:48.003
16:48.764
16:46.229
16:43.410
16:52.919
16:53.016
16:46.959
16:46.928
12
18:13.493
18:25.157
18:24.820
18:24.666
18:22.103
18:14.764
18:25.679
18:25.403
18:18.975
18:19.146
13
19:49.249
20:01.539
20:01.972
20:00.355
19:57.940
19:45.974
19:58.127
19:58.461
19:51.146
19:51.219
Deltas of cumulative lap times:
Lap
BMW Delta
Ferrari Delta
Peugeot Delta
Porsche Delta
Toyota Delta
1
-0:01.154
-0:01.799
-0:01.313
-0:00.814
-0:01.264
2
-0:01.727
-0:02.727
-0:02.917
-0:01.201
-0:01.364
3
-0:01.976
-0:04.256
-0:04.288
-0:01.887
-0:01.908
4
-0:02.791
-0:05.608
-0:05.256
-0:02.988
-0:03.003
5
-0:03.021
-0:06.638
-0:05.647
-0:04.251
-0:03.773
6
-0:03.246
-0:07.799
-0:06.458
-0:04.619
-0:04.265
7
-0:03.340
-0:08.258
-0:06.686
-0:04.376
-0:05.652
8
-0:03.399
-0:08.340
-0:06.620
-0:04.484
-0:05.738
9
-0:02.932
-0:08.778
-0:06.724
-0:04.324
-0:05.702
10
-0:03.069
-0:08.071
-0:06.373
-0:01.952
-0:05.054
11
-0:02.681
-0:04.215
-0:05.013
0:01.805
-0:00.699
12
-0:01.271
-0:00.522
-0:00.583
0:05.691
0:02.957
13
0:03.275
0:03.412
0:03.511
0:09.209
0:06.721
Some comments and observations:
None of the cars could make it the full 13 laps on RS tires. For all of them, I had to run at least the entire final lap with a completely worn front left tire. Despite having no tread on the one tire, the cars were all still quite driveable. As you'd expect, there was a lot of understeer. That made the car much slower, but I never felt in danger of the car spinning out.
The RS tires lasted longest on the BMW and shortest on the Porsche.
There was a lot of variation between the cars in the RM tests. The BMW was easily the fastest. I struggled with the Peugeot and Ferrari.
The BMW looks like a strong choice on the dry track, but I did notice that at the end of its test that the hybrid system was half-way depleted, so I have concerns about it lasting a full race. All the other cars were able to keep their batteries fully charged to the end. As @Fezzik pointed out, the BMW might also suffer on the wet track due to it being the only MR car of the bunch an MR car. We'll see.
I'm planning to do some wet weather tests next, driving the cars for the first 13 laps in Free Practice to see which is faster. Sadly, this won't take into account tire wear, but I don't know of a way to consistently model the weather in the custom race, so it will have to do. I'll post the results of those tests when I have them.
I spent some time yesterday testing the cars on the dry track with RS and RM to get a sense of how long RSs will last and at what point it is quicker to use RMs instead. It is hard to predict from Free Practice when the track will be dry enough to switch from treaded tires (IM/W) to slicks (RS/RM). The point of these tests is to have enough information to choose the right compound for latter part of the race.
On each of the compounds, I did a 13-lap stint in afternoon S01 weather with a 1x time multiplier (not knowing that the time multiplier is actually 3x in Free Practice). As usual, I did each test in a custom race against a single AI opponent.
Using those lap times, I can calculate the crossover points -- the number of laps where using RS is faster than RMs:
Manufacturer
Model
Crossover
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
12
Ferrari
499P '23
12
Peugeot
9X8 '25
12
Porsche
963 '24
10
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
11
Cumulative lap times:
Lap
BMW RS
Ferrari RS
Peugeot RS
Porsche RS
Toyota RS
BMW RM
Ferrari RM
Peugeot RM
Porsche RM
Toyota RM
1
1:29.314
1:28.950
1:29.179
1:28.943
1:28.776
1:30.468
1:30.749
1:30.492
1:29.757
1:30.040
2
3:00.173
3:00.346
3:00.109
3:00.185
3:00.329
3:01.900
3:03.073
3:03.026
3:01.386
3:01.693
3
4:31.051
4:31.138
4:30.999
4:31.021
4:31.283
4:33.027
4:35.394
4:35.287
4:32.908
4:33.191
4
6:01.762
6:01.844
6:02.087
6:01.545
6:01.989
6:04.553
6:07.452
6:07.343
6:04.533
6:04.992
5
7:32.659
7:32.847
7:33.869
7:32.018
7:33.112
7:35.680
7:39.485
7:39.516
7:36.269
7:36.885
6
9:03.554
9:03.956
9:05.327
9:03.183
9:03.972
9:06.800
9:11.755
9:11.785
9:07.802
9:08.237
7
10:34.600
10:35.643
10:37.569
10:35.090
10:34.643
10:37.940
10:43.901
10:44.255
10:39.466
10:40.295
8
12:05.313
12:07.658
12:09.826
12:06.535
12:06.351
12:08.712
12:15.998
12:16.446
12:11.019
12:12.089
9
13:36.916
13:39.657
13:41.568
13:38.287
13:37.635
13:39.848
13:48.435
13:48.292
13:42.611
13:43.337
10
15:08.245
15:12.671
15:14.275
15:12.484
15:10.292
15:11.314
15:20.742
15:20.648
15:14.436
15:15.346
11
16:40.729
16:48.704
16:48.003
16:48.764
16:46.229
16:43.410
16:52.919
16:53.016
16:46.959
16:46.928
12
18:13.493
18:25.157
18:24.820
18:24.666
18:22.103
18:14.764
18:25.679
18:25.403
18:18.975
18:19.146
13
19:49.249
20:01.539
20:01.972
20:00.355
19:57.940
19:45.974
19:58.127
19:58.461
19:51.146
19:51.219
Deltas of cumulative lap times:
Lap
BMW Delta
Ferrari Delta
Peugeot Delta
Porsche Delta
Toyota Delta
1
-0:01.154
-0:01.799
-0:01.313
-0:00.814
-0:01.264
2
-0:01.727
-0:02.727
-0:02.917
-0:01.201
-0:01.364
3
-0:01.976
-0:04.256
-0:04.288
-0:01.887
-0:01.908
4
-0:02.791
-0:05.608
-0:05.256
-0:02.988
-0:03.003
5
-0:03.021
-0:06.638
-0:05.647
-0:04.251
-0:03.773
6
-0:03.246
-0:07.799
-0:06.458
-0:04.619
-0:04.265
7
-0:03.340
-0:08.258
-0:06.686
-0:04.376
-0:05.652
8
-0:03.399
-0:08.340
-0:06.620
-0:04.484
-0:05.738
9
-0:02.932
-0:08.778
-0:06.724
-0:04.324
-0:05.702
10
-0:03.069
-0:08.071
-0:06.373
-0:01.952
-0:05.054
11
-0:02.681
-0:04.215
-0:05.013
0:01.805
-0:00.699
12
-0:01.271
-0:00.522
-0:00.583
0:05.691
0:02.957
13
0:03.275
0:03.412
0:03.511
0:09.209
0:06.721
Some comments and observations:
None of the cars could make it the full 13 laps on RS tires. For all of them, I had to run at least the entire final lap with a completely worn front left tire. Despite having no tread on the one tire, the cars were all still quite driveable. As you'd expect, there was a lot of understeer. That made the car much slower, but I never felt in danger of the car spinning out.
The RS tires lasted longest on the BMW and shortest on the Porsche.
There was a lot of variation between the cars in the RM tests. The BMW was easily the fastest. I struggled with the Peugeot and Ferrari.
The BMW looks like a strong choice on the dry track, but I did notice that at the end of its test that the hybrid system was half-way depleted, so I have concerns about it lasting a full race. All the other cars were able to keep their batteries fully charged to the end. As @Fezzik pointed out, the BMW might also suffer on the wet track due to it being the only MR car of the bunch an MR car. We'll see.
I'm planning to do some wet weather tests next, driving the cars for the first 13 laps in Free Practice to see which is faster. Sadly, this won't take into account tire wear, but I don't know of a way to consistently model the weather in the custom race, so it will have to do. I'll post the results of those tests when I have them.
I have done some basic tests on different cars alternating IM vs W for the first 5 laps... and honestly I am not getting a significant difference.
I am curious to read from you if instead there is a real difference in terms of performance (timing) or if the real difference is when the rain start stopping, the track become slightly drier and then which tire will destroy faster.
I expect that W should suffer sooner then IM, so the choice will be done if the performance under the rain will be significant.
Around lap 18/19 ( i don't remeber) there is some more rain coming.
With Medium tires I didn't had big troubles, we need to be more careful on braking at T1, but overall seems manageble.
I spent some time yesterday testing the cars on the dry track with RS and RM to get a sense of how long RSs will last and at what point it is quicker to use RMs instead. It is hard to predict from Free Practice when the track will be dry enough to switch from treaded tires (IM/W) to slicks (RS/RM). The point of these tests is to have enough information to choose the right compound for latter part of the race.
On each of the compounds, I did a 13-lap stint in afternoon S01 weather with a 1x time multiplier (not knowing that the time multiplier is actually 3x in Free Practice). As usual, I did each test in a custom race against a single AI opponent.
Using those lap times, I can calculate the crossover points -- the number of laps where using RS is faster than RMs:
Manufacturer
Model
Crossover
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
12
Ferrari
499P '23
12
Peugeot
9X8 '25
12
Porsche
963 '24
10
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
11
Cumulative lap times:
Lap
BMW RS
Ferrari RS
Peugeot RS
Porsche RS
Toyota RS
BMW RM
Ferrari RM
Peugeot RM
Porsche RM
Toyota RM
1
1:29.314
1:28.950
1:29.179
1:28.943
1:28.776
1:30.468
1:30.749
1:30.492
1:29.757
1:30.040
2
3:00.173
3:00.346
3:00.109
3:00.185
3:00.329
3:01.900
3:03.073
3:03.026
3:01.386
3:01.693
3
4:31.051
4:31.138
4:30.999
4:31.021
4:31.283
4:33.027
4:35.394
4:35.287
4:32.908
4:33.191
4
6:01.762
6:01.844
6:02.087
6:01.545
6:01.989
6:04.553
6:07.452
6:07.343
6:04.533
6:04.992
5
7:32.659
7:32.847
7:33.869
7:32.018
7:33.112
7:35.680
7:39.485
7:39.516
7:36.269
7:36.885
6
9:03.554
9:03.956
9:05.327
9:03.183
9:03.972
9:06.800
9:11.755
9:11.785
9:07.802
9:08.237
7
10:34.600
10:35.643
10:37.569
10:35.090
10:34.643
10:37.940
10:43.901
10:44.255
10:39.466
10:40.295
8
12:05.313
12:07.658
12:09.826
12:06.535
12:06.351
12:08.712
12:15.998
12:16.446
12:11.019
12:12.089
9
13:36.916
13:39.657
13:41.568
13:38.287
13:37.635
13:39.848
13:48.435
13:48.292
13:42.611
13:43.337
10
15:08.245
15:12.671
15:14.275
15:12.484
15:10.292
15:11.314
15:20.742
15:20.648
15:14.436
15:15.346
11
16:40.729
16:48.704
16:48.003
16:48.764
16:46.229
16:43.410
16:52.919
16:53.016
16:46.959
16:46.928
12
18:13.493
18:25.157
18:24.820
18:24.666
18:22.103
18:14.764
18:25.679
18:25.403
18:18.975
18:19.146
13
19:49.249
20:01.539
20:01.972
20:00.355
19:57.940
19:45.974
19:58.127
19:58.461
19:51.146
19:51.219
Deltas of cumulative lap times:
Lap
BMW Delta
Ferrari Delta
Peugeot Delta
Porsche Delta
Toyota Delta
1
-0:01.154
-0:01.799
-0:01.313
-0:00.814
-0:01.264
2
-0:01.727
-0:02.727
-0:02.917
-0:01.201
-0:01.364
3
-0:01.976
-0:04.256
-0:04.288
-0:01.887
-0:01.908
4
-0:02.791
-0:05.608
-0:05.256
-0:02.988
-0:03.003
5
-0:03.021
-0:06.638
-0:05.647
-0:04.251
-0:03.773
6
-0:03.246
-0:07.799
-0:06.458
-0:04.619
-0:04.265
7
-0:03.340
-0:08.258
-0:06.686
-0:04.376
-0:05.652
8
-0:03.399
-0:08.340
-0:06.620
-0:04.484
-0:05.738
9
-0:02.932
-0:08.778
-0:06.724
-0:04.324
-0:05.702
10
-0:03.069
-0:08.071
-0:06.373
-0:01.952
-0:05.054
11
-0:02.681
-0:04.215
-0:05.013
0:01.805
-0:00.699
12
-0:01.271
-0:00.522
-0:00.583
0:05.691
0:02.957
13
0:03.275
0:03.412
0:03.511
0:09.209
0:06.721
Some comments and observations:
None of the cars could make it the full 13 laps on RS tires. For all of them, I had to run at least the entire final lap with a completely worn front left tire. Despite having no tread on the one tire, the cars were all still quite driveable. As you'd expect, there was a lot of understeer. That made the car much slower, but I never felt in danger of the car spinning out.
The RS tires lasted longest on the BMW and shortest on the Porsche.
There was a lot of variation between the cars in the RM tests. The BMW was easily the fastest. I struggled with the Peugeot and Ferrari.
The BMW looks like a strong choice on the dry track, but I did notice that at the end of its test that the hybrid system was half-way depleted, so I have concerns about it lasting a full race. All the other cars were able to keep their batteries fully charged to the end. As @Fezzik pointed out, the BMW might also suffer on the wet track due to it being the only MR car of the bunch an MR car. We'll see.
I'm planning to do some wet weather tests next, driving the cars for the first 13 laps in Free Practice to see which is faster. Sadly, this won't take into account tire wear, but I don't know of a way to consistently model the weather in the custom race, so it will have to do. I'll post the results of those tests when I have them.
I am curious to read from you if instead there is a real difference in terms of performance (timing) or if the real difference is when the rain start stopping, the track become slightly drier and then which tire will destroy faster.
That's interesting. The only wet weather driving I've done since the physics update was the initial trial run I did in Free Practice yesterday. Before the physics update, you could usually expect the W tires to be faster when the moisture gauge was at or above the second tick mark and the IMs would be faster below. The Ws would wear out faster than IMs as the track dried, too. I have no idea how much if any of it still holds true.
It also used to be important to avoid driving on the usual racing line in wet weather because it becomes slippery. I don't really know if that's still an issue, either. I assumed it was for my initial run through, but maybe it wasn't necessary.
Has anybody here done enough wet weather racing with the new physics to say what has changed?
That's interesting. The only wet weather driving I've done since the physics update was the initial trial run I did in Free Practice yesterday. Before the physics update, you could usually expect the W tires to be faster when the moisture gauge was at or above the second tick mark and the IMs would be faster below. The Ws would wear out faster than IMs as the track dried, too. I have no idea how much if any of it still holds true.
It also used to be important to avoid driving on the usual racing line in wet weather because it becomes slippery. I don't really know if that's still an issue, either. I assumed it was for my initial run through, but maybe it wasn't necessary.
Has anybody here done enough wet weather racing with the new physics to say what has changed?
What I have noticed is the behavior when exiting at T1.
Once you have done the curve slowly enough to close the trajectory to be more internal then you can cross "the yellow dot line" (the suggested trajectory valid on dry track) and moving to outside to stay on wet area.
While you are crossing this yellow line I have perceived a slightly spin from the rear tires (BMW) so I thought that this was the "slippery effect".
On the other hand, along the "long curve" in the middle of the lap you should stay more on the left side comparing to the "perfect line", but I have the impression to be losing a lot of time.
But honestly I should have tried one lap following the yellow line and another one far from that one to check the different performance.
However I am not so skilled to do comparable laps to measure the differences, many other factors could impact my performance.
That's interesting. The only wet weather driving I've done since the physics update was the initial trial run I did in Free Practice yesterday. Before the physics update, you could usually expect the W tires to be faster when the moisture gauge was at or above the second tick mark and the IMs would be faster below. The Ws would wear out faster than IMs as the track dried, too. I have no idea how much if any of it still holds true.
It also used to be important to avoid driving on the usual racing line in wet weather because it becomes slippery. I don't really know if that's still an issue, either. I assumed it was for my initial run through, but maybe it wasn't necessary.
Has anybody here done enough wet weather racing with the new physics to say what has changed?
I have been doing wet/dry custom races at fuji past two days, the wet part of the track definitely more grippy when you have inters or wets on, first time I have took these races seriously and usually avoid wet racing like the plague, I will be ready come Saturday
I've finished a round of IM tire testing yesterday (W tests still in progress), with some surprising results. Since the weather is scripted and exactly the same every run, I did a 13-lap test in Free Practice with each of the cars. This is how they compared.
Manufacturer
Model
Opt time
Best time
Avg time
Total time
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
1:37.085
1:37.085
1:44.099
22:33.291
Ferrari
499P '23
1:37.469
1:37.469
1:44.601
22:39.816
Peugeot
9X8 '25
1:38.468
1:38.757
1:44.606
22:39.877
Porsche
963 '24
1:37.120
1:37.120
1:44.366
22:36.759
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
1:38.774
1:38.774
1:44.813
22:42.569
Lap times
Lap
BMW IM
Ferrari IM
Peugeot IM
Porsche IM
Toyota IM
1
1:40.110
1:40.139
1:40.908
1:41.095
1:39.823
2
1:42.444
1:42.879
1:42.345
1:42.360
1:42.821
3
1:46.751
1:47.325
1:47.027
1:46.273
1:47.422
4
1:47.570
1:47.829
1:48.109
1:48.171
1:47.755
5
1:47.247
1:48.631
1:48.115
1:47.911
1:48.846
6
1:48.181
1:48.731
1:48.398
1:48.953
1:49.364
7
1:48.303
1:50.223
1:48.902
1:49.083
1:50.074
8
1:47.228
1:47.068
1:47.829
1:47.850
1:48.345
9
1:44.664
1:44.932
1:45.441
1:44.730
1:44.760
10
1:43.698
1:43.294
1:43.280
1:43.428
1:42.804
11
1:40.582
1:41.108
1:41.280
1:40.744
1:41.553
12
1:39.428
1:40.188
1:39.486
1:39.041
1:40.228
13
1:37.085
1:37.469
1:38.757
1:37.120
1:38.774
What really surprised me is that the MR cars are faster than the 4WD ones. I fully expected the 4WD cars to dominate on the wet track, but they didn't. The BMW and Porsche were significantly better.
The final sector was treacherous in all the cars, especially during the heavy rain. The drive to the front tires in the 4WD cars didn't seem to help at all.
So far, the BMW is looking like the car to beat. It was fast on the dry track. Its tires lasted longer. It was fastest in the rain. I'm a bit surprised that there are so few in the top 100 of the leader board. All the aliens seem to prefer the Porsche. The only remaining concern I have about it is the hybrid system lasting to the end of the race. I'll have to try a full-length trial in Free Practice at some point to check.
I'm part-way through my W tire tests and so far things are looking very similar to the IM ones. As expected, the W tires are significantly faster during the heavy rain, but can't keep up with the IMs when the track dries out. The final sector is slightly less awful on the W tires. The MR cars are faster than the 4WD ones. Detail to come, though.
I've finished a round of IM tire testing yesterday (W tests still in progress), with some surprising results. Since the weather is scripted and exactly the same every run, I did a 13-lap test in Free Practice with each of the cars. This is how they compared.
What really surprised me is that the MR cars are faster than the 4WD ones. I fully expected the 4WD cars to dominate on the wet track, but they didn't. The BMW and Porsche were significantly better.
The final sector was treacherous in all the cars, especially during the heavy rain. The drive to the front tires in the 4WD cars didn't seem to help at all.
So far, the BMW is looking like the car to beat. It was fast on the dry track. Its tires lasted longer. It was fastest in the rain. I'm a bit surprised that there are so few in the top 100 of the leader board. All the aliens seem to prefer the Porsche. The only remaining concern I have about it is the hybrid system lasting to the end of the race. I'll have to try a full-length trial in Free Practice at some point to check.
I'm part-way through my W tire tests and so far things are looking very similar to the IM ones. As expected, the W tires are significantly faster during the heavy rain, but can't keep up with the IMs when the track dries out. The final sector is slightly less awful on the W tires. The MR cars are faster than the 4WD ones. Detail to come, though.
As I posted earlier, I have tried all the cars for some laps under the rain alternating W and IM non noticing relevant difference.
At the end I did the full 27 lap test with BMW because I was feeling the car was better than the others (but no idea why).
What I noticed is that the battery indicator lost just a small piece and it was almost completely green for all the test, but I have the idea that during the free practice we have fuel tank empty and battery always full charged.
When I did the test at Interlagos the car was faster than during the race, so to really understand the behavior of the car it is need to create a custom race following the race requirements.
Also it will be relevant to check how faster the Wet tires will destroy when start drying even if we can save them passing close to the walls on the main straight.
The problem is that we cannot reproduce the same weather conditions in custom races in terms of rain quantity and frequency...
As I posted earlier, I have tried all the cars for some laps under the rain alternating W and IM non noticing relevant difference.
At the end I did the full 27 lap test with BMW because I was feeling the car was better than the others (but no idea why).
What I noticed is that the battery indicator lost just a small piece and it was almost completely green for all the test, but I have the idea that during the free practice we have fuel tank empty and battery always full charged.
When I did the test at Interlagos the car was faster than during the race, so to really understand the behavior of the car it is need to create a custom race following the race requirements.
Also it will be relevant to check how faster the Wet tires will destroy when start drying even if we can save them passing close to the walls on the main straight.
The problem is that we cannot reproduce the same weather conditions in custom races in terms of rain quantity and frequency...
I finished up my W tire tests so now I can do some basic comparison between the IM and W tires on a wet track.
All the tests were done by driving the first 13 laps in Free Practice -- all the available cars on the IM and W tires.
IM tires (same as yesterday's post):
Manufacturer
Model
Opt time
Best time
Avg time
Total time
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
1:37.085
1:37.085
1:44.099
22:33.291
Ferrari
499P '23
1:37.469
1:37.469
1:44.601
22:39.816
Peugeot
9X8 '25
1:38.468
1:38.757
1:44.606
22:39.877
Porsche
963 '24
1:37.120
1:37.120
1:44.366
22:36.759
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
1:38.774
1:38.774
1:44.813
22:42.569
W tires:
Manufacturer
Model
Opt time
Best time
Avg time
Total time
BMW
M Hybrid V8 '25
1:37.085
1:37.672
1:42.938
22:18.196
Ferrari
499P '23
1:38.298
1:38.298
1:43.517
22:25.715
Peugeot
9X8 '25
1:39.041
1:39.041
1:43.893
22:30.612
Porsche
963 '24
1:38.329
1:38.346
1:43.312
22:23.056
Toyota
GR010 HYBRID '21
1:38.515
1:39.737
1:44.059
22:32.766
Lap times:
Lap
BMW IM
Ferrari IM
Peugeot IM
Porsche IM
Toyota IM
BMW W
Ferrari W
Peugeot W
Porsche W
Toyota W
1
1:40.110
1:40.139
1:40.908
1:41.095
1:39.823
1:39.745
1:39.932
1:40.981
1:39.492
1:39.823
2
1:42.444
1:42.879
1:42.345
1:42.360
1:42.821
1:41.297
1:41.871
1:42.741
1:41.791
1:40.576
3
1:46.751
1:47.325
1:47.027
1:46.273
1:47.422
1:44.690
1:45.954
1:45.481
1:45.326
1:42.170
4
1:47.570
1:47.829
1:48.109
1:48.171
1:47.755
1:45.002
1:46.858
1:46.842
1:45.813
1:46.265
5
1:47.247
1:48.631
1:48.115
1:47.911
1:48.846
1:45.328
1:46.092
1:46.088
1:45.147
1:45.989
6
1:48.181
1:48.731
1:48.398
1:48.953
1:49.364
1:45.487
1:47.136
1:47.476
1:47.885
1:47.134
7
1:48.303
1:50.223
1:48.902
1:49.083
1:50.074
1:46.441
1:46.886
1:47.904
1:46.775
1:48.044
8
1:47.228
1:47.068
1:47.829
1:47.850
1:48.345
1:46.292
1:45.592
1:45.995
1:46.456
1:47.815
9
1:44.664
1:44.932
1:45.441
1:44.730
1:44.760
1:44.149
1:44.150
1:44.314
1:43.665
1:47.000
10
1:43.698
1:43.294
1:43.280
1:43.428
1:42.804
1:41.879
1:42.588
1:42.821
1:42.583
1:44.774
11
1:40.582
1:41.108
1:41.280
1:40.744
1:41.553
1:40.918
1:40.229
1:41.555
1:40.267
1:42.379
12
1:39.428
1:40.188
1:39.486
1:39.041
1:40.228
1:39.296
1:40.129
1:39.373
1:39.510
1:41.060
13
1:37.085
1:37.469
1:38.757
1:37.120
1:38.774
1:37.672
1:38.298
1:39.041
1:38.346
1:39.737
Since these tests were all done in Free Practice, they don't take into account tire wear at all. I have no idea how performance will be affected by the tire wear in the race. Under the new physics, it seems that the slick tires continue performing well until the tread level hit some threshold where they flip to being awful. Maybe it will be the same with the IM and W tires. Where in the race the cars will hit that threshold is anyone's guess.
I still don't have a clear idea of strategy. I expect it will be IM-to-RM, IM-to-RS, or W-to-RM. I'll be watching streamers from earlier regions and reading the reports here to find out what works best.
As far as cars go, the BMW is looking like the car for me. Wet or dry, it has consistently been one of the best performers across the board. And it seem to the best of the bunch on tires, which opens up more possibilities for strategy.
I'm not really planning on doing any more testing for this round. Just practice from here. Best of luck to everybody racing!
