F1 2018 Proper downshift technique?

[ryguy76]

Hi guys,

I’m getting used to manual gears and for the most part, it’s pretty intuitive for me but there are a few corners that catch me out here and there.

I was trying to find answers to my exact questions but couldn’t so am asking here.

I typically like to brake hard at 100% for a moment and then slowly release the pressure to avoid locking up. Now that I’ve switched to manual gears I sometimes struggle to find the balance of engine braking with downshifts vs normal braking.

On some corners I find myself downshifting possibly too early which results in high RPM’s and an increased chance of losing control.

Is the correct way to brake hard and bleed speed mostly with brakes and then begin downshifting the number of gears you need to drop as quickly as possible, or is it better to slowly downshift using the compression through each gear for additional braking along side the gradual release of the brake pedal?

 

[Sasha Jednak]

Hi, I am doing it like this: start braking and almost at the same moment downshifting gears. For example hairpin in China: I start braking and immediately downshift from 8th to 3rd, then as I start to turn in I downshift to 2nd.

 

[ryguy76]

Ya that sounds like what I try to do. I am getting better at the timing and I think my issues come with downshifts at the same time as I start braking based on late braking into big corners, or if I don’t apply brakes hard enough at first.

 

[Gonira]

I usually downshift as quick as possible, sometimes I delay the last downshifts for the spot where I need maximum car rotation. Seems to work fine in the game, but I believe this could cause issues in real life.

 

[Sasha Jednak]

I usually downshift as quick as possible, sometimes I delay the last downshifts for the spot where I need maximum car rotation. Seems to work fine in the game, but I believe this could cause issues in real life.

Yeah, I saw that on videos from Limitless, he always goes 1 gear lower for a moment at the apex in order to get around it faster. I tried it but felt un-natural and got make to my style.

 

[Gonira]

Yeah, I saw that on videos from Limitless, he always goes 1 gear lower for a moment at the apex in order to get around it faster. I tried it but felt un-natural and got make to my style.

I know what you're talking about. Not my style either. I was actually talking about, for example, a hairpin done on 1st gear, like the one in Hockenheim. I will brake hard and downshift fast to 4th or 3rd, then I'll ease off the brakes and delay the last shifts a bit so I'm only at 1st gear when I reach the apex. This helps with entry and mid-corner speed in my experience.

Or T1 at China, obviously.