Pit stops & strategies

Hi all,

I have a few questions about pit stops and strategy in GP4.

Am I right in thinking that any soft or hard compounds contained in a mod are purely graphical?
For example the 2009 mod has some teams running stripped options and some teams unmarked hards, but of course both the soft and harder compounds are available (in the pit stop menu) to all and changing your selection doesn't change the 'graphical look' only grip & wear levels.

I can't find anywhere what the actual tyre regs were for the year the game was released. My guess is the regs for that year will remain in all races (no matter the mod your using)? I'm trying to understand how strategy and tyre selection works in the races, where to select strategy etc and when my tyre choice has to be made. This will then help me understand what is just for 'look' and what is going to effect the physics and therefore strategy.

The best example is 2014, I can set the graphical look to have a mixture of soft and hards, but what is the 'real' strategy for the original game and how does it effect the player and ai?

Also, if a race sees the weather change, I have found the pit stop command button, but how do you tell the crew which wet/dry tyre you want?

Well in terms of looks yes the tyres are purely graphical, but there is a difference between the soft and hard tyre in the game. The rules in 2001 said that you could use either compound during the weekend but whatever compound you used in qualifying was the one you had to use for the race as well. Therefore if you choose a soft tyre for qualifying then you'll have to use it in the race. Obviously the hard tyre lasts a bit longer in the race than the softer tyre and also the softer tyre can give you a bit more oversteer when fresh, I tend to find I get a better balance on the harder tyre.

Your pitstop strategy is adjusted in the first setup page in the garage, or under "last minute changes" just before the race. This will set you fuel load for the first stint and automatically put in the right amount at each pitstop unless you override it during the pitstop itself. Yes, regardless of what mod you will have fuel pitstops.

Personally I find a 2-stopper on hard tyres is the best way to go at about every race, but I think it's different for everyone.

In terms of weather change, the pit crew will generally call you in on their own if they feel you would be quicker on another tyre to what you have on at the time, but they will fit what is best for the conditions at that moment, so if you think they're wrong you'll have to override the instruction. Also once you are in the pitstop, you need to be in the cockpit view (not TV cockpit view) a menu will appear on the steering wheel display while your pitcrew start work. On this menu you can override the amount of fuel going in and what tyres are being put on the car.

Bruce that sounds like fun
I need to start getting into full races as I ever only do quick races since
returning to this sim.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2014 02:32PM by flying.

Sometimes they can be fun and other times a drag. Races where the weather changes can be quite fun, but at the same time chasing some one and trying to get past them is also fun too. I remember a race in Canada with a 93 mod where I spent about 20 laps in the Ligier trying to get past Alesi's Ferrari, I was getting too much loss of downforce behind him to get close enough and he had just enough power to make sure I couldn't just power past on the straights and of course as this is the best AI in simulations anywhere, he would defend just well enough when I did actually get close. Eventually he got wrong footed by a backmarker and I banzai'd a move on him and pulled away.

Although not GP4, I remember a race in Argentina in GP3 where the weather changed so much I must have pitted 7 times, it was insane and when it was wet I pulled away but when it was dry I lost time.