You often hear about ‘Lift-and-coast’ in series like F1 at the moment. With F1 and LMP1 restricted on fuel usage the drivers are employing this technique to save fuel. The principle is you use alot of fuel with your foot buried in the firewall but you don’t gain an awful lot of speed at the end of the straight as you car is reaching its v-max. As such a lift and coast towards the end of the straight doesn’t loose alot of time but it does make significant fuel economy savings.
However, it does loose some time. Drivers won’t employ this method in qualifying as it will loose precious tenths and as such you should make sure you are not inadvertently doing it as well. I see alot of drivers who reach the end of the straight and start to think about braking and unconsciously blend out of the throttle as they prepare themselves to go for the brake pedal at the optimum time. Make sure you keep your foot planted on the gas until the last possible moment so you don’t give up easy time on the straights.
