Guide: Weather Station and Forecasts

Master the Weather

In motor racing, weather is often the great equalizer. A sudden downpour can turn a predictable race upside down, rewarding teams that make the right tire choice at the exact right moment.

The Weather Station is a key headquarters building designed to give you a competitive edge by predicting meteorological changes before they happen. Developing this facility allows you to forecast rain or sun, plan your pit-stops ahead, and adapt your tire strategy with surgical precision.

---

Upgrading the Weather Station

Unlike other headquarters buildings that can be upgraded up to Level 10, the Weather Station is a highly specialized facility with a maximum level of 5.

• Base Cost: $600,000
• Base Upgrade Time: 5 hours
• Team Level Constraint: You cannot upgrade the Weather Station to a level higher than your current Team Level.
• Technical Director Bonus: Hiring an experienced Technical Director reduces both the cost and build time of your Weather Station upgrades by up to 50% (based on their skill rating).
• Season Degradation: At the end of each season, the Weather Station level degrades by 1 due to wear and tear.

---

Forecast Upgrades by Level

Upgrading your Weather Station directly increases the distance you can see into the future and reduces the margin of error in your reports.

• Lvl 0 — Not Built: Weather forecast is disabled. No information about upcoming track conditions.
• Lvl 1 — Basic Radar: Look-ahead of 5 laps with a margin of error of ±2 laps. Weather type is hidden (displayed as ???). Just warns you of an incoming change.
• Lvl 2 — Basic Scanning: Look-ahead of 10 laps. Weather type is revealed (e.g., rain/sun), but the timing is highly inaccurate with a margin of error of ±5 laps.
• Lvl 3 — Balanced Forecast: Look-ahead of 15 laps with a margin of error of ±3 laps. Weather type is revealed.
• Lvl 4 — High Precision: Look-ahead of 20 laps with a margin of error of just ±1 lap. Allows you to time your pit stop window perfectly.
• Lvl 5 — Absolute Control (Max): Look-ahead of 30 laps with zero margin of error (0 laps). Displays the exact lap of transition and unlocks the next weather window for long-term strategic planning.

Note: The look-ahead distance is how far in advance (in laps) a transition must be before your team can detect it on the radar.

---

Weather Conditions and Track Temperature

Each weather condition has a direct effect on the track temperature, which in turn influences tire wear and grip levels.

• ☀️ Sunny: Track temperature ranges from 20°C to 34°C. Ideal for Slick tires (Soft, Medium, Hard).
• ☁️ Cloudy: Track temperature drops to 16°C to 26°C.
• 🌧️ Light Rain: Track temperature drops to 14°C to 22°C. The track is wet; Intermediate tires become the optimal choice.
• ⛈️ Heavy Rain: Track temperature drops to 10°C to 18°C. Standing water forms; Wet tires are required to maintain grip and prevent aquaplaning.

---

Regional Climate Factors

Different tracks have distinct geographic climates, which dictate how often weather changes and how likely you are to see rain:

1. Arid Regions (Bahrain, UAE, Azerbaijan): Rain is practically impossible. The weather is stable and hot.
2. Temperate Regions (UK, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, France): High probability of light rain and cloud cover transitions. Weather is highly dynamic.
3. Tropical Regions (Brazil, Mexico, etc.): Highly susceptible to sudden, heavy tropical downpours (Heavy Rain) and rapid transitions.

Use this knowledge, build your Weather Station, and dominate the track in any conditions!