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Race Winning Moves

The Undercut vs
The Overcut

How do you overtake a car that is just as fast as you? You don't do it on the track. You do it in the pits.

The Undercut (Pitting Early)

This is the most common strategic weapon in modern F1.

Scenario: You are stuck behind a rival. You are faster, but you can't get past because of "Dirty Air".

How it works

  1. 1
    Dive into the pits: You pit before your rival.
  2. 2
    Hammer Time: You come out on fresh, sticky tyres. You drive a "Qualifying Lap" (maximum speed).
  3. 3
    The Trap: Your rival is still on track on old, slow tyres. They are losing time to you every second.
  4. 4
    The Pass: When your rival finally pits a lap later, they come out behind you. You have overtaken them without ever passing them on track.

Why the Undercut Doesn't Always Work

While powerful, the undercut is not a guaranteed pass. It carries significant risks that can ruin a race strategy.

  • Traffic: If you pit and emerge behind a slower car, you lose the time advantage immediately.
  • Slow Pit Stop: A 3.5-second stop instead of a 2.2-second stop will wipe out your undercut margin.
  • Tyre Warm-up: If the fresh tyres are too cold, you might slide around on your out-lap.

Real-World Example: At the 2021 French GP, Max Verstappen successfully used a powerful undercut to jump Lewis Hamilton. However, at tracks like Monaco, traffic often makes the undercut impossible because you cannot pass the slower cars you emerge behind.

The Overcut (Pitting Late)

The opposite strategy. It is rarer, but deadly effective on certain tracks (like Monaco).

Scenario: Your rival pits early. You stay out.

When to use it

  • 🐢
    Slow Warm-up: If the fresh tyres take 2-3 laps to get up to temperature (common on hard tyres), the driver who pitted early will be slow. You can use your old (but warm) tyres to drive faster than them and build a gap.
  • 🚦
    Traffic: If your rival pits and comes out behind a slow car (traffic), they are stuck. You stay out in "Clean Air" and push hard.

Which one is better?

It depends entirely on Tyre Degradation.

  • High Deg (e.g., Bahrain): The Undercut is king. Fresh tyres are instantly 2-3 seconds faster.
  • Low Deg (e.g., Monaco): The Overcut is powerful. Old tyres are still decent, and track position is everything.