Building the physics core

Started an F1 lap time simulator in C++with no prior CMake experience, so the first few hours were mainly setup issues.

Once the build worked, I got into the calculations part: drag force, top speed via iterative approximation and a cornering-grip model from centripetal force. Then added tire degradation with compound-specific wear curves and a “cliff” effect, Medium tires lose ~0.012 grip/lap until lap 25, then fall off a cliff at ~0.06/lap.

Put it all together so far into a full race simulator comparing pit strategies. My one-stop vs two-stop comparison came out within 1 second of each other over a 30-lap race.