It’s all about using the entire width of the road and finding the ideal line.
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Cars travel at their fastest speeds when moving in a straight line, and Formula 1 is no different. F1 racers drive at over 215 mph on the straightest parts of the track. But when it comes to turning around tight corners, these kinds of speeds just aren’t possible. In order to avoid spinning out and crashing, racers have to slow down and use physics to strategically craft the most efficient turns while retaining the greatest amount of speed, ideally giving them a leg up against the competition.
The most efficient path through any corner (or set of corners) is generally referred to as the “ideal racing line.”
This line changes depending on the path of the track before and after the curve, but the goal is always to spend as little time in the turn as possible. That means using the entire width of the track to minimize the angle that the car will take around the turn, ultimately allowing drivers to carry the most speed through it.
Links:
driver61.com/uni/racing-line/
drivingfast.net/racing-line/
dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/hand...
onestopracing.com/how-do-f1-d...
Check out Brad’s YT channel: / bradphilpot
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A video explaining all the forces and fatigue the drivers are exposed to while racing would be nice. people tend to believe this is easy but these guys are some of the most resistant athletes out there.
This Vox guy just noticed that "F1 drivers are all over the road." I think this audience is quite a ways away from appreciating "all the forces."
@@TheyForcedMyHandLE Nice gatekeeping mate! Leave your ego out of it and let them enjoy F1
That guy here was surprised about a racing line. How do you think he can do a video like that? I'm not sure he can cloth himself.
David, it would be nice if you shut up also
Put any regular person in a shifter kart and they’d be completely exhausted after five laps. Ribs, arms and neck would be sore. F1 drivers are top tier for sure
F1 may be a rich man's sport, but driving those cars at those speeds is a near-superhuman feat and is truly commendable.
@Zaydan Naufal F1, there's only 20 spots
F1 for sure, not only because there are only 20 spots but because you have to be millionaire rich or sponsored by a millionaire to afford to race
@Zaydan Naufalagreed the ny taxi driver danny sullivan debut in 1983 f1 driver and indy 500
@Zaydan Naufal Stroll, Mazepin and Latifi are sons of billionaires. Norris and Zhou fathers have 500M+ net worth. That's 20% of drivers that raced in F1 since beggining of 2021. F1 is sport where someone with average pro golfer upbringing would be in poorer half of grid.
You either have to be a generational talent like Hamilton or Alonso or you have to have immense family financial backing like Stroll. A lot of the time it’s a combination. For the ones who are clearly at the top of the talent pool, once they make the jump from karts to cars, sponsors will naturally come on so at that point, money is not that big of an issue.
Tracks also have elevations and depth. That also has to be taken into account.
So true
And then there is wind, track temperature variation throughout a session or race, degrading tires and different tire compounds.
You also have to consider looking to your mirror just in case some verstappen-wannabe trying to divebomb you
That might change braking, but doesn't alter any lines.
They forgot about how thick our neck needs to be to take those lines corners fast.
4:44 what a nice driver, surely his race wouldn't be compromised with no fault of his own via bad strategy calls
basically ferrari's 2022 strategy in a nutshell...
MATTIA BINOTTO’S FERRARI MASTER🅱️LAN 2022. GRAZIE RAGAZZI 🇮🇹🤌
'As abuse is no longer allowed when we speak about F1, I'm forced to say Ferrari's strategists are brilliant.' ~ Jeremy Clarkson
It's all part of the Ferrari Master🅱️lan™
he won the race
We used to use F1 tracks as examples in my physics class so it’s cool to see it used it real life 😅
Always be seeing you on inside edition for some reason
Amazing! That sounds very cool!
let me into your physics class :’)
As a long time F1 fan, I seriously appreciate the fact that now more than ever, American news and fans are finally tuning in to watch and learn about the spectacle that is Formula 1.
Can't wait for the Americans to add a half-time show to their next GP!
lol
F1 died at the end of last season. I can't take it seriously any more and I'd been a fan since the mid-90s.
@@dan_ precious Hamilton fan
@@dan_ why u say that? the farce that was Abu Dhabi?
I’m surprised Goatifi’s phenomenal track record wasn’t mentioned.
71 WDCs🥶
King Goatifi 👑
The only one goatifi🐐
was looking for this..those consistentcy what make a great driver
Goatifi was so humble in Hungary he gave pole to Russell.
As F1 buff please keep making these, i love how F1 is getting all this new interest may be I will make a few videos myself.
Please do.
Go for it!
I will be looking forward to them.
@@MrGamelover23 How long have you liked F1 for?
@@nier9010 Thanks for the encouragement are you F1 buff yoursefl?
Faint pass attempts, early throttle application for an impending DRS run, switchbacks… tons of reasons you’d also want to purposefully pursue a mathematically non ideal path, too on top of all this correct info. Great to see this discussed!
Not to mention driving style and car setup. Danny Ric and Lando Exhibit A! When Video mate love your stuff.
Also the fact that it's better to compromise your turn in to get a better run out of the corner if you're going onto a long straight, example being Montreal's hairpin.
If only there was a KZheadr who had the knowledge to go more in depth. 👀
Bro where the heck are you??
👑 you dropped this king.
4:37 isn’t the best example of drivers choosing alternate lines. While side by side, these ideas are thrown out the window, as one driver looks to defend the racing line by fending the other away from it. There are better examples during qualifying, where individual drivers will enter a corner more aggressively than others, while others will focus more on the exit. Verstappen likes a front-heavy car for aggressive turn ins, while his team mate Perez prefers a smoother entry, smoother steering input for a cleaner exit. Great video none the less for beginners!
@cnmmd qiuoo Anyone reading your comment would think you know nothing about setting up a formula one car.. your response has nothing to do with drivers taking different racing lines due to their preference...
Watching the W11 Mercedes going at 300kmph around pouhon in spa was when i knew that f1 cars are truly something extraordinary. The sheer downforce on those cars are magnificent.
The W11 was built different. What an incredible machine
they could build these cars with even more downforce allowing even higher cornering speeds. but its too dangerous
The '22 Hungarian GP had several excellent camera shots of racing lines and drivers displaying amazing racecraft provided by the helicopter shots.
The switchbacks going into turn 1 were absolutely amazing
Can you link to a video?
theoritically it's all about taking the shallowest line, kissing the apex & maintaining max mininum cornering speed. but every corner is different & driver style matters massively, Alonso for example loves to turn in sharp & early.
exactly, i don’t follow racing one bit but that’s just seems intuitive… this video characterizing it a a compromise is kinda weird
He’s not in the 2006 renault anymore 😅
@@quinn.mcginley the compromise of the video is the difference between the fastest way around a specific corner vs the fastest way around the track. The compromise is not taking the fastest way around a corner, in order to achieve the fastest way around the track.
Also depending on where you want your speed to come from. Entry or Exit. Following, setting up a pass, or wrapping up a hot lap are a few examples where the racing line completely changes. Certain corners have 2 ideal lines, you might take 1 depending on what you type of racing you are doing. Hot lap vs tyre management. Man, racing is so cool, they could do 100 videos and still barely scratch the surface.
@@MrAminalCrackers Again idk what I'm talking about, but the compromise I was speaking to was around 1:40, where they seem to say that hugging the outside would be the best way save for the low margin for error. Whereas hugging the outside is just objectively worse in every way compared to the "cutting the corner" approach.
Everyone: "Formula1" / "F1" Vox: "F-1"
I’m grateful for the F1 content regardless, but yea ‘F-1’s a first.
VOX is like we use only the queen's English.
@@mattglad1428 the video is quite good actually :)
I'm lost where did they say it wrong?
@@shouldntyoubecooking They’ve changed it now. It was originally written as F-1 in the caption.
And the sheer amount of G-force they experience on those corners is massive and those drivers have my respect.
One thing that often gets overlooked when talking about the racing line is that, like Brad said, they don’t exist in a vacuum, and it’s not just other corners that effect the line, it’s the straights between them. The most important corner, on any given flying lap, is the last corner before the longest straight. You must maximize your exit speed on that corner, even if it means compromising a section of the track that precedes it, because every bit of speed you have coming into that straight away is going to be magnified by the end of it.
Turn 1 at Baku is about the closest to that 90 degree turn you used as an example, not stowe
or most other corners in Baku... very surprised by the inaccuracy of the "closest real world example"
Wanted to write the same. Absolutely true
They just needed an excuse to introduce silverstone and not use multiple tracks that might confuse people
Was thinking the same thing I'm like Baku has 90s
Vox is pretty liberal left leaning. How to like a sport that courts nations that don't conform to the American standard for democracy and personal freedoms?
4:41 it is called "not leaving a space" in F1😂 and also all the drivers are following a different line because they are trying to overtake. If you watch a lap where no one is trying to overtake almost all drivers follow a similar line
Was just about to say lol
But I thought all the time you have to leave a space
They're not trying to overtake, they're looking for the fastest line through the corner as another car is compromising the racing line for them.
No, that's called oversteer. It was hardly intentional.
@@scarkillerful most definitely not oversteer. It’s clear as day that Max pushed Leclerc clean off the track. Also, just the fact that it’s Max doing this says it all lol, undoubtedly a push.
good on newbies for wanting to learn and love this breathtaking sport :)
Unfortunately newbies will never understand how phenomenal of a racer Nikita Mazepin once was
Yes
Mazepin was an amazing driver
@@shebsheb8850 mazepin one of the best ive seen
@@gizm0532 mazegoat?
Top tips: Make the track as wide as possible Slow in, fast out Don't talk over yourself doing it live 😅
*Foreshadowing intensifies*
cheers Matt I shall try these tips💪
Always love to see big channels bringing new people into the sport
F1 is actually one of the hardest sports to master . Big respect to all the drivers
It's not Google what's the hardest sport to master f1 doesn't come up
@@ariamahmed3434 So you depend on Google to tell you everything?
@@xxDxxism it's a credible source so yeah everyone depends on Google for something you're acting like you've never used it you must be a kid thinking they're smart when in reality they said the dumbest thing
@@ariamahmed3434 yes it’s a credible source but it is important to form your own opinions in life. You’re acting like a kid who blindly trusts everything without a second thought.
@@ariamahmed3434 it genuinely is 9ne of the hardest sports in the world
As a race driver this is one of the best and well explained videos on racing lines I’ve ever seen. All scenarios are explained and it leaves nothing out. I love it
Been watching F1 for over a decade, so really happy to see this video. More F1 and motorsport coverage please Vox!
Wow, 1 decade.
I’ve been watching for about the same too👍
@@ashtondmorgan, so you've never seen Michael race?
@@DaveMcIroy maybe they saw him race in his mercedes’ comebacl
Love this video! I remember learning to do this in Real Racing 3 lol. I'd always use the apex line then and going over those red & white striped things was really satisfying!
Lol talking about turning really fast while the thumbnail shows one of the slowest corners in the calendar.
the slowest
1:09 weird way to say that NASCAR is the exception, though. All other motorsports have "all" corners because that's what a...normal circuit looks like
NASCAR is honestly a bit of a garbage series. Do people really enjoy seeing cars going round in ovals that much? Indycar has fortunately shifted to better circuits for the most part but NASCAR is honestly the most boring racing series imaginable
@@Ricky911_ Judgemental much. Any non holier than thou motorsport fan would recognize that each series has its pros and cons and its own specialities. Theres something interesting watching pack racing and being able to have multiple non ideal racing lines with the PJ1
Not to mention that NASCAR does go to circuits including 3 current or former F1 tracks
@@Ricky911_ have you watched a NASCAR race?
@@MM126.90 yes. I tried getting into the sport once and I never understood what was so great tbh. I've asked many people and they all seemed to say the strategies, the overtakes and the crashes but idk, it's never really been my thing. Circuits need to have all sorts of turns for them to be enjoyable for me
I basically knew all this and really just wanted to check out the video and it was really well done and entertaining! I'm so glad you guys were able to use actual F1 footage for examples. +1 for using Silverstone.
Amazing animation/graphics. Vox does it again! 👍🏼
I love how the 3d model car disappears for exactly one frame at 0:37
💀
it not dissapear, it becomes smaller and faces back
0:36 for me
The car turned to the opposite direction and became a lot smaller but the wheels remain
Great video! I’m loving all the new F1 content across explainer channels. Also anyone can use this steering information for themselves (on a smaller scale) at a Go-Kart track (K1 Speed is fun and accessible in most places). K1 is where my dad taught me all about “taking the fastest line possible by using the Apexes”.
I've been searching for the perfect video that explains the core fundamentals of motorsports to introduce my friends into sim racing, and you have provided it. Thank you.
Thank you VOX for making this. I'm 1 week old newbie in the world of F1, what a great timing this video was for me
A lifetime of excitement and disappointment awaits you if you continue watching the races
1:43 nascar drivers can stay all the way on the inside of the track at daytona and talladega because the nature of the size and banking allows them to run full throttle so the shortest way around can be faster. This manifests the most when watching qualifying as they are out there alone whereas in the race, they use the draft to gain speed to attempt to pass and the physical lap distance isnt vital
more F1 content please! this was a wonderful video
I would have loved to listen to this more in detail. Thank you for the beautiful visuals!
2:41 "the closest real world example is stowe" Have you not seen Baku?
Sainz finally has screen time!
Because he’s a Smooth Operator
Gerat video! Please make more F1 videos. As a new fan there're so many things to figure out in this sport lol
Really great video, even as a long time F1 fan its great to see videos like this.
My favorite sport in the world. ❤ I see now lots of them making videos about this great sport.
The concert of “the line” is found from skiing, to walking through NYC. It is the straightest line through a set of obstacles.
100 percent wrong on that one chief
Very much enjoyed the purpose-built 3d modeling and rendering of these courses, a really nice visualization of what sorts of lines these drivers are taking!
As a long time F1 fan... Well done! What a great video!
VOX should do a video on WEC or endurance racing in general. Especially the 24 hour races of le Mans or Nurburgring
0:45 Shows 3 one-off circuits, 1 canceled one, layouts that are just wrong, and Yas Marina twice :'D
nice to see vox covering f1. looking for more videos in the future!
I learned how to drive playing Gran Turismo 1 & 2. Those tutorials are so informative.
"The closest we can get to our theoretical 90° corner is Stowe" Sochi: Am I a joke to you?
Could be a while before that track hosts another F1 race.
It should also be taken into account that the driving style and handling of the car matter a lot when it comes to taking the best line. For example, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel are known for taking a V line at certain corners. They share 11 world championships in case anyone's wondering (7 and 4)
when high quality channels go to the topic of F1 that greats the best videos for me as an F1 fan!!
Vox: How F1 Racers Turn Really Fast Thumbnail: Shows the Fairmont Hairpin, literally the slowest corner in F1, that could probably be taken faster in a go kart.
5:08 it would have been nice to show Max Verstappen's overtake on Nico Rosberg from Brazil 2016 here. What happened is there was a Safety Car and it was raining. After the restart, Nico took the normal racing line while Max overtook him on the outside because it was drier over there. Turns out Max had been testing the surfaces under the Safety Car and found more grip on the outside. Still one of the best overtakes I have ever seen in my life
As an f1 fan I find this genuinely fun to watch
I followed F1 for 20 years and F1 it's thee best world, welcome to the F1 family mate🏁🏎️
The visuals are always great on Vox videos, but really loving the 3D look!
All right Vox... well done. Great subject!
It would have been nice to get a bit more in depth about trail braking that happens in racing. For 50% you turn the car still the steering wheel and for 50% with the brake. I think Brad could give a very nice explanation of this in a follow up video :)
50% is too much, in trailbraking you only use anywhere from 5-25% brakes, depending on how deep and long you go into the corner.
@@waty0usay1 i didn't mean that you have 50% input. What I meant is that to make a car turn, 50% of what makes that happen is the steering input and 50% of what makes it happen is the braking.
@@danielwillems3795 well no, steering is more like 80% of what makes the car turn, if you let go of the steering wheel and you hit the brakes, the car will still go straight, unless there are large bumps in the road which make the weight of the car shift around or the road is cambered and gravity pulls the car down the angle or the brakes aren't working evenly which start pulling the car to the left or the right and you also have the gas pedal, which helps rotate the car with oversteer.
you mean brad stroll former enggineer😅
❤️ Glad to be able to help!
Good job on the video! I've heard in the comments this question : how much is drifting important in F1?
@@Game_Hero You’re trying to avoid any sliding (drifting being oversteer / sliding from the rear) at all costs. Going sideways = not going forwards as fast. So even a small drift is a major error and will cause a big loss of time.
Incredible video, great work!
I love your style, bro, you really knows what are you doing...
Would have loved the continued geometric explanation: the "radius" of your curve matters and finding the 'apex' gives you effectively the largest radius and therefore the flatest line. Why? It's easier to balance a beachball on your finger than a baseball.
At some point you switch from U shaped lines through corners to V shaped lines, because tyres wear and heat up and eventually start sliding around because they can't cope with constant cornering speeds, has nothing to do with your beachball and baseball analogy.
There is more than just only geometry involved with cornering in racing. There is also physics: power, weight, grip, downforce.
I added the analogy to help the non-math savy understand what difference the size of the radius makes (I teach 6th grade math). An oversimplification for sure and your response is in fact more complete.
Can you please explain it more I still don't get how the radius of the curve can be larger by finding the apex?
@@ariamahmed3434 What I meant by "finding the apex" was the driving process of going wide, getting closest to the apex of the corner, and exiting wide. This creates a flatter arc (bigger radius) than both the inside curve and the outside curve.
Ah yes, Stowe, the best example of a 90° corner in f1. Have they heard of Baku? Or did they want a track example explicitly?
Yeah I found that odd as everything else was fairly accurate so why they threw that line in was weird edit - nvm i watched the rest of the video, they clearly have only watched one race or something
The animations are pretty sick man!
You can tell a lot of work went into the graphics of this video! Would love to see a spinoff channel which goes into more depth on the "making of" Vox videos (the research, graphics, what gets cut out, etc.).
Shout out to the guy that made the animations tho 🔥
The DTS effect is huge, even mainstream media like vox is covering F1 now
That's exactly what i thinked when this material showed up on Vox channel.
"covering f1 now", they're not covering F1, all they did was talk about why you don't drive on only one side of the road on a racetrack and they used F1 as an example.
As a long time Motorsports fan (and someone who spends hours in sims) I expected this video to get things wrong but it was genuinely well made.
This is the type of analysis I’ve been looking for. Need more of it lol
If you have a 90 degree corner leading onto a long strait it’s sometime better to take a late apex to straighten up the car for a better acceleration onto the strait. This is just one of the things you missed in this VERY simplified video truth is it’s a lot more complex that this video makes it out to be.
There's also the distinction about early and late apex based on the length of straight after the corner, i.e. if a long straight is after the corner you want to take a late apex - kiss the inside late, so you can get on the throttle earlier and go faster quicker for longer. Also double apex, or V-ing the corner on long corners where you go outside inside outside inside. A lot more could be covered.
0:45 gotta love how in this segment, yas marina is shown twice
I believe this is Vox's second F1 video after Monaco's, as an fan Just keep it going 👏
Today F1 cars generate so much downforce and g-force when turning, the driver's neck have to be able to constantly taking so many forces during the race that there are exercises done to strenghten their neck muscle.
Brad is so good at explaining this stuff! I love his channel too
Good video. As someone who has done a bit of legal organized competitive driving with the SCCA in the past I got more out of this than I expected. Specifically the entry line to Luffield at Silverstone. I only driven Silverstone in video games, but on Brooklands I always attempt to take a late apex on what is already a decreasing radius corner in order to setup the entry to Luffield. Now I know I don't need to be that commited to that line.
Seems like you're not a very good driver then.
Helpful information. Thank you !
This is basically part of "Racing 101", and if you play racing games (especially with simulation type of handling) you should already know why. Playing many racing games over the years resulting with my instinct just know when and how to make a turn efficiently. It's not a turning calculation or any kind of trick, it's because it just feels right.
This explanation is so needlessly convoluted, beginning from the most fundamental concepts, so it can only become messier afterwards. For starters, what is described erroneously as the "ideal racing line" in the 90-degree corner example is what racing people actually refer to as the geometric racing line. This is the line that forms the shallowest turning radious throughout the corner and enables maximum speed at the apex, thus representing the fastest way to go through that particular section, in isolation of many other factors. It rarely is the exact line that brings the fastest lap time though, primarily because by turning in later than the geometric ideal and/or delaying the point where you reach the apex, you can have a shallower exit radious. That is what racers actually call the "ideal racing line" and it is considered as such because a straighter exit allows the driver to be earlier on the throttle, which will bring a speed advantage that will be carried on through the ensuing straight and until the next corner - rather than for the few meters separating the turn-in point from the apex. In short, it is the "slower in, faster out" concept. That is the primary reason why drivers pick their lines by looking at a sequense of corners rather than one in isolation. Even a simple 90-degree corner can warrant a pretty different approach depending on whether it is followed by a large straight, or there's another slow corner immediately after it. In the latter case, maybe the geometric line would also be the ideal one. Also, these principles are pretty universal and not specific to F1. Anyone watching the video title would think you were going to explain downforce.
So far (scrolling down) this is the comment I resonate with the most. The way they call them F1 tracks and put them in contrast with ovals is such a US-centric perspective. All this applies to circuit racing in general, which is a thing in your country too, BTW. Even in NASCAR!
@@argh1989 Thanks. These principles are so universal that you'd have to expect every professional racer to describe them in roughly the same way, from Nascar to F1 indeed. Different driving styles in the spirit of "whatever works for you" do exist - to the point that some drivers like to hit the apex even earlier than the geometric ideal and then have the front end of the car slide towards the middle of the corner - but still, it would be strange if these concepts were alien or mixed up to a racing driver. I would assume that the sim racer they interviewed for this video either has some natural skill and is not necessarily too conscious or methodical on what he's doing, or even if he's winning races somewhere, there's still a lot of room for improvement.
Very good article. I enjoyed it. I was born in Mexixo, so I have been an F1 fan all my life. Once I saw Ayrton Senna drive once, I was hooked. The cars are beautiful. The spectacle with all the turns and the sound of the engines, is hypnotic. I'm gald to see a rebirth of the sport in the US. I have been able to attend several IndyCar races over the years. I hope to one day in the near future, be able to finally attend a F1 race. Maybe at the Circuit of the Amercas.
Really nice video, thanks Vox!
Downforce goes brrrrr
man watching that w11 go through corners like pouhon at spa at 300kmph is when you realize that f1 cars are truly a different breed
Having played F1 games, driving a regular car round Silverstone ends with me offtrack.
Finally guys, American find out how CORNER IS!!!!!!
Amazing F1 content keep it up
Great video! can you show how that kind of animations are made, thats an amazing work.
Vox dropping a video like no one has heard of a racing line before
I didn't. Not everyone is knowledgeable in car racing terms like you.
Baku in Azerbaijan has 90 degree corners at turns 1, 2 and 3.
There could not be a better time to get into this sport The technical stuff makes it so interesting. The Chain Bear KZhead channel is excellent at explaining that kind of thing in very ready to understand terms
Missed Apex Podcast and Vox Media fan here, delighted to see Brad Philpot on here! Cheers sir
F1 racers? LOL come on. Almost no one calls them that. They're drivers or pilots.
"strategy" Ferrari: Let's put hard compound tyres after struggling to properly fire up new mediums on a cold track.
😔
yay another F1 topics since Monaco, thank you Vox!
As a recent fan of F1, I'm a huge fan of this sort of content 😁
Latifi is the best in the sport btw, for the ones that dont watch
GOATIFI 🐐
F-1, really 🤦♂️
Very good explanation i love it 💜🤘
I just realised I've been doing this in racing games for years... I only had the actual 'racing line' setting on for a few weeks and then I found racing lines on new maps pretty instinctively! That's actually pretty cool.
1:04 lol wut? NASCAR is the outlier, not the norm, most motorsport consists of tracks that aren't banked ovals. This is a good explanation of racing lines, but what makes F1 cars fast through corners is more about the aero and ground effects.
True, the aero F1 cars have keeps them planted at high speeds, try do that with a regular car....
Calling Nascar a big motorsport is pretty funny. It's basically only practiced in the US.
Vox's audience is very American though. Maybe it's a way of connecting to their audience; like "Hey guys, you know Nascar right? Yeah, so F1 is really cool and has loads of corners, dope eh?"
@@rbnlenin yeah. its all abt marketing
This was fun to watch. :)
On god more analysis type of channels getting into F1 is the best thing to come out of things like DTS and the new focus on media engagement