F1 2011 What does "PACE" mean?

[Tom]

I'm seeing my lap times compared to some sort of "PACE" in the upper right corner after pit stops, well mostly after pit stops. It say "-0.349 PACE" but the lap is somehow 1 second slower than my fastest lap. Does this mean I was 0.349 seconds faster than the person behind me? I've always been in P1 when I saw this. How is he "PACE" time measured?

 

[Eric Parker]

Its how fast you go around the track. The "pace" of the race is set by the leader. So the person behind, or infront, is however many seconds above or below you in relative terms.

 

[Jezza819]

I'm glad someone asked this question because I was wondering what it meant also. I'm also wondering about the color codes. I figure purple means you're faster than the overall leader, green means you're quicker than the car in front of you, red means you're slower than the car behind you and they are closing in. But I don't know what it means when the time appears in black. Or I might be totally wrong about all the colors.

 

[Nikola Andric]

Purple: Fastest sector time of all.
Green: Personal best.
Red: Well, not personal best. Slower.

That's at least how real F1 work and that's probably how it works in this game.

 

[NoobBlaster]

I think the pace display is bugged?

I get purple pace times every lap yet all AI cars are pulling away from me?

PC version, Williams, Career mode, Legend settings.

 

[John Robertson]

black times, or clear times as i've seen them, seem to mean not sector or personal best but still gaining on the car infront.

the PACE seems a little arbitrary at the moment, I know it's gotta be based off of something. but if I'm running 10 car lengths behind the leader and not gaining then I imagine my pace should be somewhere like - or + <1 second but it can appear to be -8 or -9 seconds.

I know this can't mean I'm 8 or 9 seconds a lap faster than the leader, especially if the gap is remaining constant.

 

[koeloe]

I asked it on another forum and they said it is your time related to your own last lap. I find it kinda useless and would prefer sector times relating to my own fastest lap

 

[Igor Tomičić]

I also believe it's related to your previous lap, you can check in the 1st full lap after your pit-stop, times will be 15-20 seconds faster then "Pace".

 

[David Parsons]

The idea is that it is based off your last lap. So you know that your own pace is consistent, or changing etc.

It's really for you to track things in your own race and about your own car. Things like...
-your tyres are wearing out and loosing grip
-if you want a consistent stint you can see just how consistent you are
-if you are pushing hard what effect it is having
-fuel weight dropping off
-when you switch fuel mixes
-using KERS in different sections of the track
-used DRS to overtake
.....bascially so you can see your own pace and how much, or if, it is changing lap by lap.

The point is to help you manage your own pace. This is more useful in longer races than short ones. But you will find it useful if you want to maintain a position or a lead, or if you want to squeaze a few extra laps out of those worn tyres and wondering just how far you can push them and what the drop off is.