Stint

Every race in Formula 1 is really a series of stints joined by pit stops. Understanding stint length and what each team chose to do with those laps is the key to reading race strategy. A one-stop race might have a long first stint on mediums followed by a shorter sprint on hards; a two-stop race might alternate softs and mediums.

Stint length is dictated by tyre life, track position considerations, and what the rival teams are doing. A team with the undercut opportunity will deliberately shorten their stint to pit before a rival and come out on faster tyres. A team defending track position might extend their stint to stay out ahead, hoping their tyre advantage doesn't erode fast enough for the car behind to catch them before their own stop.

The optimal stint length is a function of how the tyre is performing relative to the alternative. If a soft tyre is still performing well on lap 22 and a medium is expected to be strong for 30+ laps, extending the soft might give away the strategic advantage of a medium-hard two-stop. Race engineers are constantly updating their models as real lap times arrive from the track.

On the RacePace Strategy view, each stint appears as a colour-coded bar in the timeline — the compound colour, the length in laps, and the pit stop events between stints. Comparing two drivers' stint bars side by side reveals exactly who blinked first in the pit-stop game.

The Strategy tab shows each driver's stint breakdown with compound colours and lap counts — the pit-stop game at a glance.