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The GPL Pit Stop System; the Parallel
If you think of your Team as a Formula 1 car then the GPL uses penalty points to mimic its time losses during a race. These are split into three parts; first the tangible loss making a pit stop, second the less tangible loss caused by its tyre wear and thirdly the loss caused by its fuel load.
Firstly, let's discount the third of these three. With the ban on race refuelling this year, every car will start the race on more-or-less the same fuel load, around 240 litres. Therefore as it's a universal constant, we'll ignore it here.
Instead, lets look first at the pit stop, splitting it into two time elements. First there is the "in pit lane" time that is roughly equal for every car, given they must all observe the same strict speed limit while in the pit lane. The second element is the time the car spends stationary in its pit box. In theory with no race refuelling and only tyres to change the total time from entering to exiting the pit lane should be the same for every car. Consequently, a pit stop can be regarded as a nominally constant time. This is simulated at your GPL Pit Stop with a fixed Basic Penalty.
Back on the track, a Formula 1 car's speed is ultimately determined - like that of any other car - by the four bits of rubber at the corners. Bridgestone manufacture four different dry weather compounds for a Formula 1 season. At each race - using simulations based on previous data including things like track surface and temperature - they elect one compound as the Prime, i.e. the one they consider the best compromise between speed and wear. In addition, they also supply the teams with a softer compound from the quartet as the Option tyre. At some circuits this is the next softest compound, at others it's the next but one. For simplicity and because we all understand what it means, I haven't used the Prime and Option monikers anywhere, instead calling them just the Harder and Softer tyres.
Given that the Harder tyre is the 'ideal' tyre for the race, what use is the Softer compound? Well, the most obvious use is in the final stages of qualifying when its higher wear rate isn't detrimental. However, it's other purpose is to comply with the FIA Sporting Regulations that state both compounds elected by Bridgestone must be used by each competitor during a race. And occasionally, track conditions do mean the Softer tyre become the 'ideal' compounds to race on. The differing grip and wear rates of these two tyre compounds is simulated in the GPL by the Round-by-Round Penalty.
The final part of the parallel is the so called Track Payback. In previous seasons, a pattern emerged as to when the teams would use the different tyre compounds. Generally, the teams would use the Harder tyre at the start of the race, and the Softer tyre at the end. This was prompted by the kinkily named 'rubbering-in' of the track during the race. At the start of the race, the track is usually 'green', that is freshly swept and open textured asphalt. As twenty Formula 1 cars on their rapidly wearing tyres circulate perhaps sixty times, a thin layer of rubber is laid down on the racing line, the 'rubbering-in' of the circuit (if you imagine pushing a lump of Blu-Tack onto tarmac then imagine pushing the same lump onto a tray of Blu-Tack, you'll get the idea; these tyres really are that sticky). The chemical composition of the Softer tyres mean they benefit more than the Harder tyres from this patina, while conversely they are more readily damaged by a 'green' track. And with the ban on race refuelling and all cars starting with 240 litres on board, the Harder tyre becomes an even shorter odds favourite to start a race.