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Undercut / Overcut

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Two ways to gain track position by timing a pit stop earlier or later than a rival.

An undercut pits earlier than the car ahead: fresh tyres give an immediate pace boost, so you bank lap time while the rival is still on worn rubber, then emerge ahead once they stop. An overcut is the opposite: staying out longer and betting that your older tyres in clean air beat a rival who pitted into traffic or whose new tyres take time to switch on.

Which one works depends on degradation, how much time the pit lane costs, and traffic. High-deg tracks favour the undercut; circuits where it's hard to follow can reward the overcut.

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Sector 4 is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Formula 1, FOM, the FIA, or any team. All driver and team names are used for editorial reference. Data sourced from publicly available timing.