Let's talk about the red line, the perfect limit. This is a very simple concept just to help some students try to identify whether they're really on the limit or not at every part of the corner.

Understanding the Red Line Concept

Just imagine that as you turn into a corner you brake a little bit early, but as you turn into the corner you're a little bit too slow because you brake a little bit too hard or too early. As soon as you turn into the corner towards the apex, you realize that the car goes a little bit more than necessary, right? And now you're turning towards the inside and you have to unwind the steering and turn again. In that moment where you're unwinding to adjust your line, yes, at that moment that's the fastest thing you can do, that's the best thing you can do, but that's damage limitation because at that moment you're not creating forces optimally to the direction of the corner.

Anytime you're not creating forces optimally to the direction of the corner, you are not leaving a red line trace on the map. So imagine you're on a top down shot: you turn in a little bit too early and now you have to unwind. At that moment you're not printing the red line—that means at that moment you are not on the limit.

Levels of the Red Line

The Perfect Red Line: Neutral Steer

Now for me, this red line can have different levels. The perfect, perfect red line is neutral steer—is when you're turning in and the car is so loose that if you turn a little bit too much you get oversteer, right? So you have to constantly make a few corrections here and there with the steering and with the brakes to make sure that the car maintains that neutral steer. During that whole phase, the car is creating as much force as possible towards the corner. In that case, we are printing a nice red line.

Obviously, it's virtually impossible to be on that red line all the time, but the fastest driver will be the one that stays on it for the longest time possible.

Oversteer and Understeer

What about oversteer and understeer? Well, it's the same thing. If you're on the limit of only two tires, you are not printing a red line on the track. You are only using two and you could potentially use four—you could potentially get more grip, more forces. So you are not optimizing the grip of the car.

Even if it's for a fraction of a second, if you do a little correction but you overcorrect and you have to turn again, for that over correction moment you end up not printing a red line and losing pressure, hundreds, or maybe tenths of a second depending on your level.

The Perfect Corner

A perfect corner is one where you are printing the red line from initial braking, meaning full launch due to no braking, until you start turning in. And then you're neutral steering all the way to the apex, and when you get back on power the car is dancing a little bit and you're doing micro corrections all the way until the exit, where you do not use one inch more of the track because you are truly on the limit of an off track or of the wall or curb.

So the perfect corner is printing the red line from initial braking all the way until the exit.

Analyzing Your Driving

So when you're driving and watching your replays, ask yourself: am I printing a red line from initial braking all the way to late exit? What were the moments here that I had to correct because I turned a little bit too early, and in that correction I was not creating forces? Or even if I'm overdriving a little bit, am I at least, you know, printing a red line and missing the apex a little bit and being on the limit of the car? That's a good reflection to have by watching your replays and asking yourself what kind of driving style you have right now and what adjustments you have to make.

Practical Example: Driving the Car vs. Driving the Line

A few years ago I had a very specific driving style that was: I was driving the car a lot but not necessarily driving the line. So I was actually missing a lot of the apexes, but I was so much on the limit that I was still faster than most drivers. And a lot of people would just ask me, "Hey, how are you going so fast? Like you're missing all the apexes." And I'm like, "Oh, it's mostly because I'm missing the apex by this little bit, but I'm using the grip of the four tires and being on neutral steer and trail braking nicely and using all the traction I can use from initial braking on the way to the exit."

So I was using very well the entry, I was using very well the exit, and I was missing a little bit the apex. But at the same time, that gave me the opportunity to overdrive a little bit and get to the limit and then find that nice red line where I could really print being on the limit of the four tires from initial braking on the way to late exit.

Looking Ahead

In the next lesson we will talk about active versus passive driving, which is closely related to driving the line versus driving the car and closely related to the red line concept.