Open a telemetry file with one question in mind. If you want to know why the car feels slow out of a hairpin, two comparable laps and three traces can be enough. Start with vehicle speed, brake, and throttle if your sim and logging tools record those channels.
Save a comparison layout
Use the same car, setup, and track layout. Pick two clean laps with similar fuel, tires, and conditions where you can. Place speed above brake and throttle so that you can read them at the same point on the track. Set the horizontal axis to distance if your viewer supports it. This makes it easier to compare the same part of a corner when the laps take different amounts of time. MoTeC covers lap overlays in its i2 documentation.
Turn a trace into a test
Zoom in from the approach to a point well beyond the apex. If the faster lap shows earlier throttle and more speed down the following straight, check the replay to see how you got there. Did you release the brake earlier, use a different line, or get the wheel straighter before adding throttle? Pick one cue for the next run and compare several attempts. Our brake-release exercise is one way to isolate a change on entry.
Save the graph layout and note the car, track, conditions, and cue alongside the logs. Next time you revisit that corner, you’ll know which laps make a fair comparison and what you intended to change.