Pit Strategy Plans | The Undercut Wiki

Before each race the game generates three strategies for each car — A (aggressive), B (balanced), C (conservative). You pick one in the Race Run Plan screen; the AI then executes pit stops automatically at the planned laps (with ±2 lap flexibility for traffic and dirty conditions).

This page covers how the strategies are generated, when each one wins, and how the AI deviates from the plan in real conditions.

The three strategies

Plan	Stops	Compound sequence	Style
A	2	Soft → Hard → Soft	Aggressive — gambles pace + pit-loss for fresh-tire pace stints
B	1	Soft → Hard	Balanced — the default pick for most weekends
C	1	Hard → Soft	Conservative — protects an early grid position by extending stint 1

Each plan also bakes a fuel target for each stop: enough to reach the next stop (or the flag) with a small safety margin (~8%).

How they’re picked at race start

The Run Plan screen lets you pick A / B / C per driver, independently. Pick distribution at career-start auto-pick:

60% B — the “no surprises” choice
35% C — when you want to defend track position
5% A — when you want to gamble for podium from a midfield slot

The 5% A weight is intentional. 2-stops cost ~25 seconds of pit-time vs the 1-stop’s ~12, and on most calendars the wear penalty doesn’t make up the difference. A is for specific scenarios.

When A (2-stop Soft–Hard–Soft) wins

Short pit lane (Short Pit Lane track trait, when traits land) — pit loss < 18s
Tire-shredder calendar — Soft cliff hits hard; can’t reach the flag on a single Soft stint
You’re chasing from midfield — pace gain on fresh tires lets you cut through traffic
Soft compound is way faster than Hard — high-grip soft, low-grip hard
Safety Car gambits — a well-timed SC during a 2-stop covers one of the pit losses

A with a poorly-rated tire supplier is suicide — Soft cliff arrives early and you stop again to swap to Hard, losing more time than B would have.

When B (1-stop Soft–Hard) wins

The default for most weekends. Optimal when:

Pit loss is normal (12–18s)
Tire wear is moderate
You’re starting around your race-pace position (no aggressive recovery needed)
The field around you is on similar plans → strategy variance doesn’t help

This is the “no thinking required” plan. Pick B unless you have a specific reason to pick A or C.

When C (1-stop Hard–Soft) wins

You’re starting up the grid (P3+ in a midfield car) — extending stint 1 protects the position
Hot conditions — Soft would overheat in stint 1; Hard handles it
You’re protecting a points finish late in the season — risk-averse run-in
Low-CON driver — Hard’s wider window covers driver inconsistency in stint 1
Long opening stint is favoured by track layout (many corners → Hard manages wear)

C is a defensive plan. It rarely wins races but reliably finishes them.

Generating the plans

The strategy generator computes:

Total race laps based on circuit length × race_distance_factor
Optimal stop laps for each plan — A’s two stops are at total_laps / 3 and 2 × total_laps / 3; B’s stop at total_laps / 2; C’s stop slightly later (lap = total_laps / 2 + 2).
Estimated lap time per phase using a tire-wear curve and fuel weight model — feeds into the EV evaluator
Fuel target at each stop = actual_fuel_per_lap × stint_laps_to_next_stop × 1.08 (8% safety margin)

Each plan is scored by estimated total race time; the UI sorts the 3 plans by predicted finish time before showing them to you.

What happens during the race

The AI executes the plan but is allowed to deviate in three cases:

Undercut window

If a rival pits early, the AI can pit you 1–2 laps later than planned to undercut on fresh tires.

Overcut window

If your tires are still in window and the rival ahead pits, the AI can extend your stint to hold position via track gap.

Emergency

Three triggers:

Fuel emergency — only fires if fuel_kg < laps_remaining × fpl × 1.05 (you genuinely can’t reach the flag). No more “buffer pit” with one lap to go.
Tire emergency — wear > 85% AND laps remaining > 3
Crash damage — limp-to-pit terminates the strategy; race is over for that driver

Safety Car window

If an SC deploys in your pit window, the AI can pit “free” (other cars are at SC pace, your pit-loss is much lower). But the AI now refuses an SC pit if you’re in points, tires can finish, and a rival is within 18s behind — you’d lose position for nothing. Back-of-grid cars still take the free SC pit.

Manual override

You can override the AI by clicking the Pit button in the race UI. It commits the car to pit at the next opportunity. Your own button beats the AI’s plan; the AI won’t undo a manual pit request.

Use the manual override for:

Reacting to a tire delamination warning
Forcing an undercut the AI didn’t see
Bringing the car in early on safety-car deployment
Pitting a damaged car you want to retire on your terms

Don’t use it to second-guess the AI on routine pit windows — the EV evaluator is quite good at spotting the right lap.

Reading the strategy in race UI

The pit strategy panel shows:

Active plan — A / B / C label
Next planned stop — lap number
Pit window — coloured band on the lap counter (target ± 2)
Stops remaining
Compound queued for the next stop
Fuel target for the next stop

When you cross into the pit window, the panel turns yellow. After the pit, it updates with the next stop (or “Final stint” if it was the last).

Strategy + driver match

Driver profile	Best strategy
High CON, smart pace management (INT 15+)	B or A — they handle stint transitions cleanly
Low CON, error-prone	C — Hard first reduces stint-1 mistake risk
Aggressive (AGG 18+)	A — they’ll gain on the chase laps after each stop
Conservative (AGG 5–8)	B — won’t capitalise on A’s recovery laps

Quick reference

Scenario	Pick
First career, mid-grid start	B
Top-3 grid, defend the position	C
P10+ grid, podium ambition	A
Hot calendar, normal driver	B or C
Cold calendar	B (Soft warms in stint 1)
Tire shredder calendar	A or C (avoid B’s long Hard stint)
Wet race (if weather lands)	C — extra stops add risk
Sprint race (short total)	A if pit lane short, else B