Sim Racing Telemetry Analysis and Race Strategy: Tyres, Energy and Data
Sim racing telemetry analysis turns a feeling (“I’m slow in Turn 4”) into a measurable cause. This guide covers the telemetry data analysis workflow race engineers use, then applies it to tyre degradation, graining, hybrid energy deployment and Balance of Performance strategy.
01Why telemetry beats the stopwatch
Good sim racing telemetry analysis answers one question: where, exactly, is time being lost, and why? A lap time is a single number. Telemetry is the full record of how that number was built: speed, pedal inputs, steering angle, gear and the running time gap to a reference lap, sampled many times per second.
Every major simulator exports this data, either natively or through third-party loggers. The tools differ; the method does not. The same telemetry data analysis workflow used in GT3 or prototype engineering rooms applies directly to a home rig:
- Collect clean data. Several consistent laps on the same fuel load and tyre state.
- Pick a reference. Your own best lap, or a faster driver’s lap in the same car and setup.
- Find the biggest loss first. Usually one or two corners hold most of the gap.
- Diagnose with inputs. Brake, throttle and steering traces explain the speed difference.
- Change one thing, then re-test. Driving technique or setup, never both at once.
Telemetry is only as useful as the inputs behind it. If your brake application varies from lap to lap, the data shows noise rather than a pattern. That is why consistent hardware and repeatable muscle memory are a precondition for meaningful analysis.
02The telemetry channels that matter
Most telemetry tools offer dozens of channels. Five or six do most of the work. Overlay them against lap distance (not time), so the same point on track lines up across laps.
| Channel | What it tells you | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | The result of everything else | Minimum corner speed, exit speed, top speed at the end of straights |
| Brake pressure | Braking point, peak pressure, release shape | A sharp initial peak, then a smooth, progressive release into the apex |
| Throttle | Commitment on exit and mid-corner balance | Hesitation, partial lifts, time spent coasting between brake and throttle |
| Steering angle | Car balance and line | Extra lock (understeer), corrections or reversals (oversteer) |
| Gear / RPM | Downshift timing and gear choice | Over-revving, wrong gear at the apex, short-shifting on exit |
| Delta | Running time gain or loss against the reference | Where the slope of the delta line changes |
Reading the delta trace
The delta time channel is the map to the rest of the data. A rising delta means you are losing time at that point; a falling delta means you are gaining. Do not look at the absolute value: look at the slope. A steep rise over 50 metres around a corner entry points to a braking or entry-speed issue. A gentle, steady rise down the following straight usually traces back to a slower corner exit.
03Comparing laps: braking points and minimum speed
With two laps overlaid, work through each corner in the same order: braking point, peak brake pressure, release, minimum speed, throttle pick-up.
Braking-point analysis
Compare where the brake trace starts. Braking 10 metres later is only worth something if the car still reaches the apex at the right speed. Often the faster lap brakes at a similar point but reaches peak pressure sooner and holds it, using the tyre’s grip while the aero load and weight transfer are highest.
- Slow rise to peak: wasted deceleration in the first metres. Hit peak pressure more decisively.
- Pressure too high, then sudden drop: a lock-up or ABS intervention followed by a correction. Revisit peak pressure and brake bias.
- Release that falls straight to zero: the front loses load abruptly and the car pushes wide. A tapered release is the essence of trail braking.
Minimum-speed analysis
Minimum speed is the single most informative number per corner. If your minimum speed is lower but your exit is equal, you overslowed the entry. If minimum speed is higher but the exit is worse, you carried too much speed, missed the apex and had to wait to apply throttle. The best compromise depends on the corner: in a slow corner leading onto a long straight, exit speed matters more than minimum speed.
Throttle and steering
Look at the gap between brake release and throttle application. Coasting there costs time unless it is deliberate (managing balance or saving fuel). Then check steering: if the faster lap uses less steering lock at the same speed, the car is better balanced on that line, or the driver is using rotation from the brake release more effectively.
04Tyre degradation and blistering
Over a stint, lap times drift upwards even with perfect driving. Fuel burn makes the car lighter and faster; tyre degradation pulls in the opposite direction. Strategy is about predicting which effect wins, and when.
What causes degradation
- Thermal degradation: the compound runs above its working window, the rubber softens and grip falls. It often recovers partially if the tyre cools.
- Mechanical wear: tread is physically removed. This is permanent and accumulates fastest under sliding, wheelspin and lock-ups.
- Pressure drift: hot pressures rise during a stint, reducing the contact patch and changing balance.
Blistering
Blistering happens when the inside of the tread overheats. Gas pockets form under the surface, and chunks of rubber eventually break away, leaving a scarred, uneven tyre. It is typically caused by running too hot for too long: excessive camber concentrating load on one shoulder, pressures set too high, or persistent sliding. See graining and blistering for a short definition of both.
Reading wear in telemetry
Plot lap time against lap number for a full stint. A flat line after the opening laps means the tyre is in its window. A steadily rising line shows linear degradation you can plan around. A sudden step (the “cliff”) shows the tyre has left its usable life. Compare tyre surface temperatures across inner, middle and outer zones where the sim provides them:
- Inner much hotter than outer: typically too much negative camber.
- Middle hotter than both edges: pressure too high.
- Edges hotter than middle: pressure too low.
05Graining and flat spots: what sims model
Modern simulators model tyres as thermal and mechanical systems, but the depth varies by title and by car. Check the sim’s documentation before assuming a phenomenon is simulated in full.
Graining
Graining occurs when the tyre slides across the surface while the rubber is too cold to bond with it. Small rolls of rubber tear off and stick to the tread, sitting between tyre and asphalt like marbles. Grip falls, usually at the front in understeer-prone cars, and returns once the grained layer wears away. It is most common on a green track, in cool conditions, on a fresh soft compound, or when a driver overworks the fronts on cold tyres.
In the data, graining shows as rising steering angle for the same corner speed, early-stint understeer and lap times that recover after several laps. The cure is patience: smoother steering inputs, less sliding and allowing the surface to clean up.
Flat spots
A lock-up drags one patch of the tyre across the asphalt, wearing it flat. Several current sims simulate the result as vibration through force feedback and a loss of performance, and some carry the damage for the rest of the stint. In telemetry, a lock-up shows as a wheel-speed trace dropping sharply below the others under braking.
06ERS and energy deployment strategy
Hybrid prototypes (GTP/LMDh and LMH) and F1-style cars in simulators add another resource to manage: electrical energy. An energy recovery system (ERS) harvests kinetic energy under braking through a motor-generator unit, stores it in a battery or capacitor, and deploys it as additional drive.
How the regulations shape deployment
- F1-style cars (2014–2025 rules): the MGU-K was limited to 120 kW, with up to 4 MJ deployable per lap. How and where that energy is used is a strategic choice.
- LMH: hybrid deployment on the front axle is permitted only above a regulated speed threshold, so it mainly affects corner exits from medium- and high-speed corners and straight-line acceleration.
- LMDh / GTP: a common spec rear-axle hybrid system with combined power limits, where total output is capped by Balance of Performance.
Simulators usually expose this through deployment maps and harvest modes, adjustable from the wheel.
Deployment principles
- Deploy where the time gain is largest. Exits onto long straights benefit most, because the speed advantage is carried the full length of the straight.
- Harvest where it costs least. Heavy braking zones recover most energy. Lift and coast before braking zones also saves fuel and energy, at a small time cost.
- Plan for attack and defence. Keep a reserve to defend at the end of a straight or to complete an overtake after a slipstream run.
Reading energy in telemetry
Add state of charge and deployment power to your overlay. A battery that hits full charge before the end of a braking zone is wasting harvest potential; one that empties halfway down a straight is deploying too early. Matching both to the track layout is often worth more than a setup change.
07Balance of Performance (BoP) in GT racing
GT3 and GTE grids mix front-engined, mid-engined and rear-engined cars with very different concepts. Balance of Performance (BoP) adjusts each car so they are competitive with one another. Most simulators that run GT championships apply a BoP table, updated periodically.
What BoP changes
- Weight: ballast affects braking distances, tyre load and degradation.
- Power: restrictors or boost limits change top speed and acceleration.
- Aerodynamics and ride height: in some series, these shift the balance between high-speed and low-speed performance.
- Fuel capacity, refuelling time or stint energy: these change stint length and pit stop duration, and therefore strategy.
How BoP affects strategy
Two cars can have identical lap times but very different strengths. A car with heavy ballast may be quick over one lap but harder on its tyres over a stint. A car with a small fuel tank may need an extra stop or must save fuel. Before a long race, use telemetry from practice stints to estimate:
- Fuel use per lap at race pace, and at a fuel-saving pace.
- Degradation per lap, and where the tyre cliff appears.
- Your car’s strong and weak sectors relative to the cars around you.
This tells you where to attack, where to defend, and whether you can make a stint longer than the cars around you.
08Turning data into race strategy
Strategy combines everything above: tyre life, fuel, energy and the field around you. The core decisions are when to pit and what to do on the in-lap and out-lap.
Undercut and overcut
The undercut works when fresh tyres are significantly faster than worn ones: pitting a lap earlier than your rival, you gain time on your out-lap while they lose time on worn tyres. The overcut works when new tyres need time to warm up, or when staying out in clean air is faster than rejoining in traffic. Your stint data tells you which applies: compare the lap-time gap between fresh and worn tyres against the time lost on a cold-tyre out-lap.
A pre-race checklist
- Run at least one practice stint at race fuel load and record every lap.
- Calculate fuel per lap and add a margin for formation lap, safety car and traffic.
- Plot lap time against lap number to find degradation rate and tyre cliff.
- Measure pit-lane time loss: entry to exit compared to a lap on track.
- Set an energy-deployment plan for hybrid cars: harvest zones, deploy zones and reserve.
- Decide in advance the undercut window and the conditions that would change the plan.
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is sim racing telemetry analysis?
It is the process of recording data such as speed, brake pressure, throttle, steering, gear and delta time during a lap, then comparing laps to find where time is lost and why. It replaces guesswork with measurable causes.
Which telemetry channels should a beginner start with?
Start with speed, brake pressure, throttle and delta time, plotted against lap distance. Add steering angle and gear once you can read those four. Most time is found in braking points, minimum corner speed and throttle application.
How do I know if my tyres are graining or overheating?
Graining usually appears early in a stint on cold or fresh tyres, with rising steering angle and understeer that improves after a few laps. Overheating builds over the stint, with tyre temperatures above the working window and lap times rising steadily or dropping off sharply.
When should I deploy ERS energy in a hybrid car?
Typically on exits onto long straights, where extra acceleration is carried the full length of the straight. Harvest under heavy braking and keep a reserve to attack or defend. Follow the deployment rules of the car class the sim models.
How does Balance of Performance affect race strategy?
BoP adjusts weight, power, aero and sometimes fuel capacity or refuelling time. These change braking, tyre wear, stint length and pit stop duration, so two cars with equal lap times can need different strategies.
Clean data starts at the pedal
Telemetry can only show a pattern if your inputs are repeatable. The SRP® GT-R uses a pneumatic R-Piston V5 brake with a 16-bit ceramic pressure sensor and no elastomers to wear, so the brake trace you analyse today matches the one you produce next month.