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[YDD] How your driving style affects car setup

Published almost 2 years ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader,

Podcast episode 39 - Richard Frith part 2...

What is the ideal car setup? What about the best way to tackle a certain type of corner entry? How do you know if you are using all the potential your car has to offer?

Ask these questions in the paddock and you will get a whole range of - often well meaning - answers. What you may think you want, and what you often here people say in reply, are answers in the absolute i.e. "You definitely want to do x for all corners like that."

Sometimes this advice works out really well. Other times it leaves you with more questions than you started with.

First Discover What's Holding You Back

In my experience, your setup and your driving is a series of compromises.

Should you take more or less kerb on turn 3? Is it better to stay out wide or pinch the entry line for T6? Will you be faster with more braking stability or more low speed agility on turn-in for T12?

The aim is not answers in the absolute but a clear vision of what is really holding you back. Understand what is influencing that - car, driver, track characteristics etc - and, only then, start to work out your next steps.

Podcast Episode 39 !

In part 2 of my podcast with F1 suspension engineer Richard Frith, we dig into this topic.

We look at

  • The influence of driving style by discussing some of the unique characteristics of Alonso - including approaches you can adopt at all levels of driving beginner to pro.
  • The role of driver feedback and what they were doing at McLaren F1 on this - including ways to simplify this feedback that you can do too.
  • Where you should then focus your car setup - given the above.
  • How to get the most out of sim work - for driver and engineer.

When you here pros like Richard talk about the same challenges you might face, they seem to make the complex seem so simple!

It is a short show (only 20mins) but well worth you taking a listen if you get the chance. This one is packed with gems - I've listened to it 3 times already... and I recorded the thing! Plus, you don't need to have listened to part 1, but you're welcome too if you like.

Some "hot potato" topics in this one, so as ever, let me know what you think! 😉

Good luck and keep staying ahead of the curve!

Samir

p.s. If you are liking the podcast, please can I ask a small favour? Would you mind leaving the podcast a review?

http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1502007242

I hit a mini-milestone with the podcast this week (25,000 downloads woohoo!) ... yet only 5 reviews seems a bit of a poor effort on my part, if I'm honest. Appreciate you are busy but could you take a couple of minutes to share your thoughts? (Guests too! 😊) Thank you in advance.

p.p.s. For anyone in the market for an old Ferrari F1 car, or maybe a '91 Williams with the "red 5" number on it, then you are in luck!! It looks like Nigel Mansell is auctioning off some of his prize cars, including a Lotus 7 style road car (I prefer mine!) and a very strange 3 wheeler.

If you're curious, here's the link. Auction is tomorrow. No, sadly, I'm not on commission for promoting this (!) but thought you'd curious to see how it goes...

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