When you see a GT3 car heading out on track during a test or practice session, it can be tempting to look at the timing screen and assume the fastest car is the one to beat, but that's not necessarily what teams are trying to accomplish.
Practice sessions are about learning and gathering information. It is an opportunity to gain further understanding of the car and prepare for qualifying the race ahead.
Therefore, a team's primary objective during practice isn't always to top the timing sheets. Engineers are collecting data on things such as tire performance, fuel consumption, car balance
brake performance, tire degradation, aerodynamic behavior, and taking all of those things into account along with driver feedback. A car running a slightly slower lap might actually be completing a more valuable test for the team than a car setting the fastest time of the session.
Practice is also where teams begin adapting their cars to the circuit. Engineers can make changes to the car's setup and then send the driver back onto the track to see how those adjustments affect performance. They may experiment with suspension settings, aerodynamic levels, ride height, tire pressures, brake balance, anti-roll bars. The goal is to gradually understand what the car needs to perform at its best over a full race distance.
Tire management is particularly important in sportscar racing, and teams want to understand how their tires behave in a variety of different situations. Comparing how a car performs when equipped with brand new versus used tires, or ones that are beginning to wear, or fully up to temperature can all influence performance and race strategy later in the weekend. A team might deliberately complete a longer run during practice to understand tire degradation rather than chase a single quick lap.
Teams also use practice to simulate different race scenarios. A car may head out with a heavier fuel load to understand how it behaves early in a stint. Later, the team may run with less fuel to see what the car is capable of over a qualifying lap. Comparing those runs helps engineers understand how the car changes as fuel burns off and the car gets lighter.
However, practice isn't just an engineering exercise. Drivers also use the sessions to learn the track and build confidence in themselves and the car. Even experienced professionals benefit from time on track because conditions can change from one event to another. Track temperatures, grip levels, weather, and tire characteristics can all affect how a car feels. For newer drivers, practice is an especially important opportunity to become comfortable with the layout before the competitive sessions begin.
Teams may also conduct dedicated test days away from a race weekend. Without the pressure of qualifying or an upcoming race session, these tests can allow teams to work through larger setup changes and gather extensive data. A test day might focus on a specific objective, such as understanding a new component or package upgrade, evaluating different setup approaches, or preparing for a new or particularly demanding track.
By the time a team reaches qualifying and the race, they should have a much clearer understanding of the car. By then, they have run through the various scenarios and answered the burning questions. From there, the answers help engineers, drivers, and strategists build their plan for the rest of the weekend.
That's perhaps the biggest thing to remember when watching practice. The timing screen only tells you how fast a car went, but it doesn't necessarily tell you what the team was trying to learn.
Have a question about testing, setup, engineering, or how teams prepare for a race weekend? Submit it through the Chat GT3 Typeform, and we may answer it in a future edition of Chat GT3.