hi, what does that decimal number represent in the top left hand corner of my screen when I'm in a race ? If I am not mistaken it usually moves between 16 and 25.9 or so. Can you please come up with a plausible explanation what it refers to?
(sorry about the title but I don't have a clue what it should have been : P

It's Frame rate display - FPS. It shows how many frames is shown per one second.

I see. well it has definitely nothing to do with improvement suggestion but thank you anyway

If you want to you can turn it off. Go to Options -> Display. Change the top option "Frame rate display (fps)" to "off".

Totally off topic (well maybe not totally) but 16 - 26 is a bit low for fps. Maybe you should try reducing some settings to try and get the fps a bit higher. It could very well improve your experience and enjoyment in online races with larger grids, not to mention make you faster. <Darth Vader voice> Do not underestimate the power of the... fps </Darth Vader voice>.