Undercut (motorsport)
Undercut (from English "undercut") describes in motorsport , exclusively in circuit races, a strategy to get past an opponent by an early pit stop without having to overtake him on the track. The opposite variant with a delayed stop is called an overcut . The chances of success are u. a. dependent on tire behavior.
The "normal" variant with an early stop works within a time window if the opponent is unable to advance with the tires falling off. The earlier stopping player initially falls behind due to the time lost during the pit stop, but can then achieve faster times with fresh tires than the opponent who is still on old tires, who thus falls behind the first stop with his own pit stop and is thus indirectly overtaken by him . The defense against it consists in changing at the latest one round after the attacker.
When changing from soft to hard tires, on the other hand, it may be better to change later, provided the soft tire has not deteriorated too much, since the opponent cannot drive as fast with the hard tires as the driver who remains outside for a longer period of time. Since the use of two tire types out of three is prescribed in Formula 1 , this can also occur. In the DTM , a pit stop in a "window" determined by the number of laps is mandatory. Here an undercut strategy is only possible according to the degradation behavior of the standard tires.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annika Kläsener: Formula 1: Comeback for the silver coach? - Monaco GP: Strategy Preview. In: motorsport-magazin.com. May 20, 2014, accessed March 25, 2018 .
- ↑ Frederik Hackbarth: Formula 1: Rosberg angry with Hamilton - "slower" Hamilton influences tactics. In: AutoBild.de . April 12, 2015, accessed March 25, 2018 .