Why F1 Drivers IGNORE the Perfect Racing Line

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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[xtrathiccboi]

Good to know for when I’m pushing my shopping trolley round asda

[Patoken]

Brb gonna go test this on public roads

[rosstully]

2 items: First, this line is optimal in high power cars that can accelerate powerfully and quickly enough that they can more than recover any lost carried speed. Second, this line is in some ways a result of the high power in that getting all that power to the ground so fast will push/snap the car around.

If you have a moderately powerful car you will likely find that the extra 1 sec of acceleration will not be enough to recover the 10km corner speed that you lost.

The fastest line will change for different cars and set-ups

[brd]

those moms in cosco didn't stand a chance. Thanks for the tip.

[grabbinggears]

I try to do this in Gran Turismo but rammers think it’s an open door.

[vasgr]

That's what sim racing aliens use as well and they gain time on straights

[jkhsdjkhfjkhh]

I just realized this is exactly what I did in go karts when I started beating every amateur at our local track

[needsmoreboosters]

Finding the optimal geometry and timing for each corner with a particular car's handling is essentially the entire challenge of auto racing. It's never quite the same from session to session or even lap to lap, and the smallest changes can have a big impact. You can almost always find another tenth, but it's also easy to lose a massive chunk of time with the slightest mistake.

[olekan]

I’d love to see a professional driver do a test, a few laps with the “theoretical line” and a few with the “ideal line” to see how big of a difference it makes.

[alanhat]

This is mostly true when you've got a ridiculous amount of barely-controllable power, if you've got something more mundane the "ideal" line is indeed often ideal. Perhaps surprisingly, if you've got less power or less grip than your competitors the early apex or double-apex line shown also works.

[kl]

I was faster in my standard MX5 on a track day than a Porsche, GTR, and many other powerful cars, just because I took one lesson from an instructor on racing lines.

[WestbrickFansGotNoBrains]

Basically use this move when you know after the turn is a long straight. Set yourself up to accelerate better and get to top speed faster.

Avoid this line if theres another corner coming up

[amnesite]

Braking immediately before cornering sharply also shifts more weight to the tires doing the turning, allowing for a quicker corner (and allowing you to accelerate a bit sooner). -But, break too soon and you'll have to speed back up before cornering, breakimg too late or too much can have you leaving the track, spin out, or losing speed (and time) on the back side.

[uncleweirdbeard]

I learned this thanks to MX Unleashed. There is a technique called squaring the turn. You come in fas toward the middle of the outside of a hairpin turn and hit the breaks to slide, then pop the clutch and rocket out of the turn. It was super effective if there was a rhythm section after the turn. I started playing with the idea of using the technique in other racing games. It was easy to use in rally and drift, but sliding in other types of races proved... ineffective. I then started trying it with minimum to no sliding and eventually found that lines like the 1 shown in the video were really effective, especially when long, fast sections followed the turn. It was most effective for hard turns as well as some long, banking turns. I eventually found that in banked turns, I could use the slope of the bank to get a bit of extra speed and set up to pass in or at the end of the straights. It was extremely effective if you had a shake and bake buddy so you didn't have to struggle to get a slip stream from cars ahead

[coreygolpheneee]

Its also a good way to protect the racing line if your in the lead, if someones behind you, that line shuts the door on the inside.

[S_raB]

There's an old saying in racing, "Slow in, fast out." You can block the entry and/or passing lane being slow into an apex, which then ensures a great exit which limits the following driver from making a move into the next corner. So it's not just speed, it's also great defense and race craft.

[AllAhabNoMoby]

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.

[maartendehoog]

The more power and less downforce you have to more you take that deeper point of turning in.
Running a lower performance engine, like a stock ‘60s mini, you want to maintain as much speed, carry as much speed through the corner as possible, use less steering angle and use that ideal line to keep momentum cause you won’t have enough power to compensate the speed lost.
Depending on downforce, ability to maintain speed through a corner and the power to accelerate engineers will calculate for every corner the line to take to spend the least amount of time in that corner without losing straightline performance, some combinationations of corners like the first section of suzuka after that long constantly squeezing first corner all the way up to that long lefthand sweeping dunlop corner, straightline speed isn’t your aim, keeping the momentum up not losing average speed is a compromise for every corner between these techniques.

A fast laptime is all about the average speed around the circuit, sometimes you sacrifice a little of that average to compensate on that following straight.

I dare to say it isn’t as black and white as you now state it.

It is all science based, how to achieve the highest average speed over a lap.
In F1 the main focus is spend less time in a slow corner and use that 1000 bhp to accelerate as soon as possible and gain average speed most of the time, but not everywhere.
Pouhon, Spa in underrated, in touringcars that is bigballs corner, don’t loose speed on entry, carry as much speed as possible and exit with highest speed possible

[klausM]

This line also has benefits in everyday driving when not on the limit. By entering a corner slower and later you have a higher safety margin in case something goes wrong mid-corner (slippery piece of tarmac or an obstacle further in the corner). If the conditions stay fine throughout the corner you can reduce steering lock early and accelerate without relying on a small safety margin at the exit.

[keirfarnum]

That’s similar to ski racing except that in skiing one HAS to turn above the gate instead of apexing it, otherwise one would never make the next gate. When Phil and Steve Mahre started car racing, they were naturals because they had so much experience with line choice.