Slow zone

A slow zone is a localised neutralisation: one marked section of the circuit runs at 80 km/h while the rest of the lap stays at racing speed. Cars slow at the zone's boundary boards, cruise through, and resume racing at the exit.

The tool exists mainly for the Circuit de la Sarthe, where a single incident on a 13.6 km lap would otherwise neutralise the entire race. Slow zones let marshals work one corner while the field races everywhere else. Their strategic effect is subtler than an FCY but real: laps that include a slow zone are seconds slower, and the timing of when a zone starts relative to your track position is pure luck.