User blog comment:Sirebel/Why learn to drive .../@comment-27667286-20160715111844/@comment-28753807-20160804164906

Only rarely have I found that releasing the gas alone is a good cornering technique. Of course, there are many variables, the turn, the car, your position in the race and if you are trying to not win by a big lead.

Generally, though, keeping gas on as late as possbile and back on as early as possible with braking to the perfect speed for the apex of the turn, is the aim. I will stop and say that this sounds simple, but it actually takes time to perfect, for each individual turn and each individual car. So, it makes for a lot of practice time, in game. Then, it takes some time to keep the skill honed, once you get close to the goal.

There are a couple of theories on what makes a faster lap on a course. One is gentle, smooth lines with deceleration and acceleration nearly matching, if going into a symmetric turn. Another is to slow before the apex and move the acceleration point back from the apex. I tend to try to perform the latter, when going into a long straight, because the exit speed from the turn determines the top speed on the long straight.

Now the exception for the gas-brake-gas motif came with the Lotus Type 125, and I hear it applies to the F1 cars too. Since downforce allows these cars to track at high speeds, there is a band of speed that is very slippery. I found it in MPH in the Type 125 to be between 85 and 100 MPH. So, gas off and brake off was a good technique, in some turns. Side note: for me, in some turns, it also meant that I would turn earlier than I would in other cars, straighen through the apex, while the speed was in that slippery band, then accelerate once the turn started to straighten, and make the 125 turn sharper later than the apex, as the downforce brought the grip back in.

The other time that I will coast with both gas and brake off is when I'm trying to keep an appropriate gap between me and second place, while I try to not win by too much. I find if I keep cars between 40 and 140 yards behind me, they don't PIT me, and on the other end, if I get too far ahead, when I try to slow to narrow the lead gap, I run the risk of not timing things well, and losing first place before the start/finish line!

So, the answer to your question is varied, because of all the variables. That is what makes this game engrossing. Discovering the possibilities of all the different ways to get through a turn and maximize the speed.