Why F1 Drivers Use WEIRD Racing Lines

This is the mathematically PERFECT racing line - the precise arc through a corner that allows racing drivers to carry the MOST sped through the bend. The widest arc, allowing for the MOST SPEED.

So, why do racing drivers IGNORE this?

If they are at the TOP of their game - why do they not drive on this geometrically perfect line? Well, let's dive into every type of racing line - to explain.

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[Scoots]

My favorite part of track driving is that as you learn about one corner it inherently changes following corners. If you nail 1 turn perfectly for the first time you are going to get to the next corner faster so now your braking point changes at least. You spend a lot of time trying to construct all those points when learning a track, and hopefully you manage to be close to your ideal more often than not. Then there are the aliens that get 90% of a track "right" the first time and it's very quickly about tenths and hundredths of seconds of gain.

[joaofcascao]

The rally racing line is also often different. Since most corners in a rally stage are blind, it’s preferred to hit the apex later to improve visibility around the corner. Specially in events with no recce, like baja and raid

[PicnicAtTheTesco]

Slow corners are where newbies lose the most time, because they're usually followed by straights and also the car spends a higher % of the lap time during the slow corner as a result of the slower speed.

[ktwei]

My guess is also F1 cars have so much power, that time on wide open throttle is more important than mid corner speeds.

[thedj]

I would love to see Scott demonstrate ideal, geometric and karting lines in a car for a video, like driving a whole lap using each line style and comparing their times

[Dragon-Zero]

I've been doing this in racing games forever, my driving style has evolved to this. I set up for the final corner, might be a touch slower the start, but I make up for it on exit and straight away speed. Granted every track is different and requires it's own technique.

[Kalimerakis]

When riding my dual-sport on gravel hairpins I noticed that I get quicker the more I "V" the corner.
To an extend where I almost come to a complete stop at the apex, turn the bike and throttle out again.
You can see pro riders do the same if there is no berm.
It is the grip/power ratio at the extreme. My bike has close to 50hp, but I have grip for maybe 20 of those.
Taking the geometric line it feels like ages you spend in the corner waiting for the bike to straighten up so you can open the throttle again.

[ChrisMisMYhandle]

Its interesting watching a GT car and a formula car through a sequence of bends.

Whereas a GT car with moderate downforce may have to really open up the entrance to the second corner, sometimes a formula car can just ride around the inside kerb of the second corner flat because the higher speed allows it to carry way more downforce.

[volleyballurrrr]

Love this. Very succinct for the amount of ground it covers. The last bit about corner complexes and sacrificing one corner to set up the next is so often overlooked in videos like these. Years ago I watched a recording of racing school video in which the instructor said “the most important corner on any given track is the last one before the longest straight” and it changed the way I looked at racing lines forever.

[flashgordon]

I come from a short track speed skating background, granted its oval track racing. The tactics often cross lines from auto racing and short track speed skating.
There are many different lines in an oval, depending on drafting off the skater ahead of you and how you can set up the pass.

[nxtrx.]

Really well explained! Definitely one of the more important concepts in racing.
Just one small thing. It seems like you swapped the two clips where you explained the line through the Villeneuve chicane at 9:26 and 9:34.

[FormulaDopemine]

I’m reminded of T3 at Zanvoort and T1 at Qatar. The first race back at Zandvoort drivers started out on the “racing line” but explored the track by expanding the corner into the banking which ended up being faster. Qatar was a bit different but at T1 we saw a lot more overtaking once drivers figured out how much grip they had using the wider line. Exciting stuff to watch unfold.

[onetripwonders]

Seriously your videos are gold. I’ve been wondering about this and guessed that the sims have geometric racing lines as ideal, and not dependent on the car which would seem incredibly complicated. Thanks!

[gtracer]

I Learned to Drive back in high schook. We didn't have driver education in school to cloud our minds with useless information. I studied (and my school grades reflected it) the textbook "The Technique Motor Racing" by Grand Prix driver Piero Taruffi. This is very complex book it was every bit as inclusive is any other school subject. It not only went into the correct driving lines, to things like coefficient efficient of friction between a car's tires and the road on a road surface. I learned a lot and it helped me later on. I won my first Race 3 hours after I got my driver's license. And I won a championship my first season, while racing a Stingray. Which is definitely not a beginner's car.

[y_fam_goeglyd]

You just took me back a _very_ long time! Very interesting to see the comparisons between the types of racing. I did think that it would be much more fun in Abu Dhabi if they gave the drivers go karts instead of F1 cars 😂

As my rally driver dad taught me, "fast in, slow out; slow in, fast out." Whichever was most suitable for any given corner was the one to choose. Though he did spend about half of my learning taking me on rally "tracks" (mostly mountain and forestry given where we lived. He'd actually been one of the designers for our section of the Round Britain Rally back in the early 60s). This was in a 2lt Datsun Laurel, weighing over 1.5 tonnes with no power steering. I was 17, quite strong for a girl but I'm not particularly tall, so I had to rely on him (at 6ft) to be my co-driver and tell me when to turn on some sections because I couldn't see over the steering wheel 🤣 Not much fun on a single track mountain pass with 90° turns!

(I had proper "pass my test" lessons; Dad did the "how to drive when you're up to your eyes in it" lessons. Over 41 years - if you include the learning, 41 next January otherwise - I have used Dad's teaching more often than I would want! Still got a clean licence, though 😉. Fortunately, I have used Mr Picton's far more!)

[marble]

You guys really need to install content manager, shaders patch and SOL for your Assetto Corsa

[khasmir]

I actually learned something new here: the newbie line 😊
Very informative, this actually all sounds very logical but that's because it's very well explained 👍

[luzr]

The way corners are knitted together is fundamental too - identifying where a theoretically suboptimal line through a corner maximises the potential for a subsequent corner or combination that is more important for constructing the fastest possible lap-time. We called them 'sacrifice corners' - there weren't a lot of them around, but those that exist are often key to unlocking a track's fast times.

[ksnax]

Downforce and lift make this even more fun to figure out as the handling dynamics can change significantly with speed.

[tommis]

That was a good breakdown actually! The different levels and stages of racing line remind me of the progress made over the years with my own driving when it comes to skill, grip and performance! I've definitely hung out in all of the "camps" that you outlined haha