I've heard this term a lot in F1. At some point during a race, something unexpected changes with the car that has the potential to impact on performance, or at worst, end a race. Many drivers seem to be able to get something of a handle on the situation to limit the potential impact, while a few individuals stand out from the rest, with no/very limited impact to their performance. They literally 'drive around the problem'. I'm thinking first career Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso from the recent generation. Some just stand out as better than others.
Amazing skills, but I've noticed that I've been doing something akin to 'driving around problems' when I'm getting to know a new car/circuit, and I've actually just discovered that driving around a problem can become something of a hinderance. There's a time and a place for it, and during the learning curve of track and car doesn't seem to be the time or place. That's the place of optimising. I've been wondering how many others do it.
Say you have a double apex corner. You're getting loose under deceleration through the first apex, perhaps the rear end is trying to overtake the front end, compromising your entry/speed/potential in-to and out-of the second apex. As the guides tell us to, we keep putting the laps down to get to know the circuit without making too many setup changes, and soon enough, you've driven around the problem you were having by anticipating the problem and adjusting accordingly. Your braking point and turn-in/driving line become engrained, you're driving around the problem, and your lap times are becoming consistent. And that's when I've noticed my progress in improving lap times begins to slow down. I haven't actually made setup changes to optimise my speed through the zone I was initially having problems in. I've changed my approach to just get through it unscathed, and I'm doing it with such consistency that it feels like I've optimised my lines, I'm on the edge. My technique is so engrained, I don't even see that section of the circuit as being an area I could optimise any further, with setup changes or otherwise.
Sure enough, it comes to race day in the RD Club events, and that very corner I'm now subconsciously 'driving around the problem' in is where the people with greater skills (both driving and setup) are going much faster. People who are new to the game (that's me) are told to just keep putting the laps in until we become consistent on the circuit, which is no doubts good advice. It's very good advice. But... Don't fall asleep. There has to be a balance.
I'm finding that I'm doing much better if while I'm early in the learning curve of car and circuit, I'm making setup changes for the areas I recognise that I'm starting to 'drive around problems' in. I'm doing both at the same time, which seems to be increasing my performance through those sections rather than decreasing/managing the damage through them. I'm becoming more competetive with drivers who several races ago were a long way up the road. Getting to know a new circuit and making the setup changes to optimise your performance at the same time is a very fine balance.
Worst case scenario is that you get hooked on a track that becomes your favourite, and you drive it so frequently that every braking point, turn-in, apex, becomes so engrained that you can no longer even see how others are able to get through there so much faster. Something akin to having habits you're not aware of. Adjusting your view of the circuit, and making setup changes to eek more potential becomes harder and harder. My example is Brands Hatch. I love the place. I've been driving it on the limit of my raggedy skills, but on race day, wow, I'm nowhere. It really doesn't matter where you finish in the RD club events, they're an absolute blast, but on our favourite circuits there admitedley can be something of a feeling of 'I'd like to do better here'.
Just an observation. A long winded one, and perhaps it's very obvious, or perhaps you've not seen it before. Perhaps nobody else suffers with the above. Maybe it's just me 'steady eddie', but I thought it interesting enough to write about. Of course, the flip side of the coin is that you can use an identical setup to someone else and still get whooped by 2 seconds per lap. Some drivers have got natural talent. They're still working hard, but they've got it. Others have to work harder for it, but the same performance isn't necessarily out of reach. Keep your options open. While you're driving around a problem with all your skills (which is a great skill in itself), managing an issue you don't even recognise you have anymore, someone else is hard on the throttle crushing that apex. That, ultimately, is what separates 1st place from 2nd from 3rd from 4th from.... A skillful balance between car control and setup changes to accomodate those techniques and ultimately lap times. Optmising. There is a time and place for driving around problems. Hope it gives some other enthusiasts who are new (or old) to the game something new to think about. It's all good fun.
Of course, now I've put my foot in it. I've probably jinxed myself and will crash out of every race between now and the end of time
Amazing skills, but I've noticed that I've been doing something akin to 'driving around problems' when I'm getting to know a new car/circuit, and I've actually just discovered that driving around a problem can become something of a hinderance. There's a time and a place for it, and during the learning curve of track and car doesn't seem to be the time or place. That's the place of optimising. I've been wondering how many others do it.
Say you have a double apex corner. You're getting loose under deceleration through the first apex, perhaps the rear end is trying to overtake the front end, compromising your entry/speed/potential in-to and out-of the second apex. As the guides tell us to, we keep putting the laps down to get to know the circuit without making too many setup changes, and soon enough, you've driven around the problem you were having by anticipating the problem and adjusting accordingly. Your braking point and turn-in/driving line become engrained, you're driving around the problem, and your lap times are becoming consistent. And that's when I've noticed my progress in improving lap times begins to slow down. I haven't actually made setup changes to optimise my speed through the zone I was initially having problems in. I've changed my approach to just get through it unscathed, and I'm doing it with such consistency that it feels like I've optimised my lines, I'm on the edge. My technique is so engrained, I don't even see that section of the circuit as being an area I could optimise any further, with setup changes or otherwise.
Sure enough, it comes to race day in the RD Club events, and that very corner I'm now subconsciously 'driving around the problem' in is where the people with greater skills (both driving and setup) are going much faster. People who are new to the game (that's me) are told to just keep putting the laps in until we become consistent on the circuit, which is no doubts good advice. It's very good advice. But... Don't fall asleep. There has to be a balance.
I'm finding that I'm doing much better if while I'm early in the learning curve of car and circuit, I'm making setup changes for the areas I recognise that I'm starting to 'drive around problems' in. I'm doing both at the same time, which seems to be increasing my performance through those sections rather than decreasing/managing the damage through them. I'm becoming more competetive with drivers who several races ago were a long way up the road. Getting to know a new circuit and making the setup changes to optimise your performance at the same time is a very fine balance.
Worst case scenario is that you get hooked on a track that becomes your favourite, and you drive it so frequently that every braking point, turn-in, apex, becomes so engrained that you can no longer even see how others are able to get through there so much faster. Something akin to having habits you're not aware of. Adjusting your view of the circuit, and making setup changes to eek more potential becomes harder and harder. My example is Brands Hatch. I love the place. I've been driving it on the limit of my raggedy skills, but on race day, wow, I'm nowhere. It really doesn't matter where you finish in the RD club events, they're an absolute blast, but on our favourite circuits there admitedley can be something of a feeling of 'I'd like to do better here'.
Just an observation. A long winded one, and perhaps it's very obvious, or perhaps you've not seen it before. Perhaps nobody else suffers with the above. Maybe it's just me 'steady eddie', but I thought it interesting enough to write about. Of course, the flip side of the coin is that you can use an identical setup to someone else and still get whooped by 2 seconds per lap. Some drivers have got natural talent. They're still working hard, but they've got it. Others have to work harder for it, but the same performance isn't necessarily out of reach. Keep your options open. While you're driving around a problem with all your skills (which is a great skill in itself), managing an issue you don't even recognise you have anymore, someone else is hard on the throttle crushing that apex. That, ultimately, is what separates 1st place from 2nd from 3rd from 4th from.... A skillful balance between car control and setup changes to accomodate those techniques and ultimately lap times. Optmising. There is a time and place for driving around problems. Hope it gives some other enthusiasts who are new (or old) to the game something new to think about. It's all good fun.
Of course, now I've put my foot in it. I've probably jinxed myself and will crash out of every race between now and the end of time
