Diff column in laptime table

[Mitja Bonca]

I would like to know what calculates the diff (difference I suppose) column does, calculates? I has no logical meaning to me (yet).
I would say it calculates wrong. I assume it take as a base 1st lap. And this time is than for a reference for all the next laps. If better laps are in minus, if worse in plus.
At least this is how is does in my example for 1st lap only. For all the rest I don`t know where is gets the Diff time. So strange, there is no logic. Does anyone knows more about it?
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And personally in the 3rd row (purple one) I would put theoretical best lap, else its pointless (if more drives, best sector times of all).

 

[Brun]

It's showing the difference from the previous lap. For example lap 5 was 0.024 seconds slower than lap 4.

 

[Deleted member 387850]

And personally in the 3rd row (purple one) I would put theoretical best lap, else its pointless (if more drives, best sector times of all).

That timing table has caused me to scratch my head on more than a few occasions and I totally agree about the purple row. It seems to show the best sectors (purple sectors) out of all drivers in the session but yet the "Best Lap" total beside it is not the sum of all those sectors, it's just the fastest single lap in the session. The same goes for the row above it which seems to show your personal fastest sectors, but then the total beside it is not the sum of those sectors. Your theoretical best lap would be much more useful here in my opinion, but I doubt we're ever going to see it changed at this stage

 

[Mitja Bonca]

It's showing the difference from the previous lap. For example lap 5 was 0.024 seconds slower than lap 4.

Whats the point?? It should show from the best lap. Strange ones again.

 

[Tberg]

Well, the logic on the diff is not hard to figure out, but yeah, someone screwed up the formulas on the spreadsheet, I think they wanted the theoretical best lap in purple but failed

 

[Mitja Bonca]

Well, the logic on the diff is not hard to figure out, but yeah, someone screwed up the formulas on the spreadsheet, I think they wanted the theoretical best lap in purple but failed

I think they did not. We talked about it some time ago, and this is exactly what they were planning. But its pointless. Only a theoretical best (mine and overall) would have some meaning.

 

[Tberg]

I think they did not. We talked about it some time ago, and this is exactly what they were planning. But its pointless. Only a theoretical best (mine and overall) would have some meaning.

Yes, having 3 purple sector times in the same row, indicating the optimal sectors, then show the best lap in purple too in the same row, makes no sense. Period. Whatever they planned
The logic behind the difference in laptimes between each last lap is something else, and can be perfectly logical depending on how you want you data presented and work with it.
If you race 50 laps, but did your fastest lap on lap 13, it's not informative for you that you're "off" your fastest potential lap for the rest of the race. But, if you want to do the math with red numbers for the rest of the race and can manage to remember differences shown only in red numbers between each lap, you can perfectly do that, it's preference. Though, you'd want to know your pace from lap to lap, monitoring tyre, fuel, car and track conditions affecting each lap and pinpoint exactly when and why something changes. Having the difference from last lap is just a different refence that resets every lap, and this way you instantly get how much an incident or condition costed or gained you in pure time, red or green numbers, positive or negative. Otherwise your refence will always be the fastest lap, which really only is relevant when trying to set just that; a fast lap or beat your best time. You don't want to be thinking if it was lap 23, 26, 29, 30 or 32 that things started to degrade, in racing you want to know it exactly when. You want to know "something happened THIS lap, costed that much compared to the last lap, and if it doesn't improve with the same time lost on this lap = do something, or loose more time". If you just keep going, trying to reach back to the potential fastest lap, it's harder to pinpoint what happened and when things started to degrade. You'd just go "Damnit, +0.2sec off my best, go faster!". Next lap: "Damnit, +0.3sec off, what the hell?". Next lap: "Yeah, only +0.1 slower, things are improving (or are they?)". Next lap: "Wtf, +0.3sec off again?? Alright concentrate, go faster!". Etc.
It becomes a race in the race, to reach, stay close to or improve your optimal lap, which is not relevant during a race, as conditions change pr.lap.

 

[Mitja Bonca]

So there should be 2 rows wirh Diff best and Diff previous (this one we already have).

 

[tlsmikey]

Does anyone know if there's a way to get it to update more frequently? There are 3rd party apps, but it would be nice to get that thing to update more frequently.