Glance at speedometers to enter corners at the right speed?

[g-force_addict]

Do F1 drivers take a glance at their speedos to make sure they enter corners at proper speed?
Or Do they just assume braking at the exact point will bring the exact cornering speed?

[olefud]

Do F1 drivers take a glance at their speedos to make sure they enter corners at proper speed?
Or Do they just assume braking at the exact point will bring the exact cornering speed?

Even if they could afford the weight of a speedometer –which they can’t-, they couldn’t take the time to refocus their eyes or take their focus off the corner. So they use an even more finely calibrated instrument, their butt.

[Belatti]

F1 cars and F1 computer games are very different things...

[Jersey Tom]

Do F1 drivers take a glance at their speedos to make sure they enter corners at proper speed?

Short answer: no. No need.

[mzivtins]

Absolutely not, i don't think anyone even does this on the road? do they?

I do know that some motorbike racers have been know to 'nod' their head to count the gears they are going through. It catches me out sometimes, i think im in 5th but im actually in 6th... always going for that false 7th gear, but if i count my hits, im always spot on... but thats all anyone cares about, feel and the correct gear for corner entry, but even then, most of the time you know when you're in the correct gear just because it sounds a feels right

[Nando]

Do F1 drivers take a glance at their speedos to make sure they enter corners at proper speed?
Or Do they just assume braking at the exact point will bring the exact cornering speed?

Nope, you will feel that.

If it´s stable on entry, push a little next time by. If you go off, tone it down next time by. If it feels like you barely survived through that corner, that´s probably the limit, try and repeat that next time by.

Braking points change all the time depending on many many factors. Really the only thing that stays constant is what gear you should be in. Unless it´s pissing down with rain.

[mnmracer]

F1 cars and F1 computer games are very different things...

If one needs the speedometer in a F1 computer game, they're probably not very fast.

[Harvey]

If they're not needed, then why do all drivers seemingly have car speed in KMH as one of the displayed parameters on their dash...?

Surely some actually useful info could go there, seeing as how limited the dash displays are now?

[beelsebob]

If they're not needed, then why do all drivers seemingly have car speed in KMH as one of the displayed parameters on their dash...?

Surely some actually useful info could go there, seeing as how limited the dash displays are now?

Most drivers have lap time deltas and gear selection displayed.

[mzivtins]

It could be regulation Harvey? maybe it dictates what should be visible?

If not, i do know it comes in use with pit speed limits?

It is hard to find a use for it, but any car without a speedo would just seem very strange :S

The display also changes to show other things, like KERS when it is being used, the lap time split in quali etc.

I wish we could find the answer, i might tweet Jensen Button and hope he responds and tells us if he ever looks at the speedo during the race.

[Harvey]

If they're not needed, then why do all drivers seemingly have car speed in KMH as one of the displayed parameters on their dash...?

Surely some actually useful info could go there, seeing as how limited the dash displays are now?

Most drivers have lap time deltas and gear selection displayed.

Lap delta on the right panel.
Gear selection in the middle panel.
Speed in the left panel, changing to KERS% when discharging.

This seems to be what all the onboards this year show.

[Harvey]

It could be regulation Harvey? maybe it dictates what should be visible?

If not, i do know it comes in use with pit speed limits?

It is hard to find a use for it, but any car without a speedo would just seem very strange :S

The display also changes to show other things, like KERS when it is being used, the lap time split in quali etc.

I wish we could find the answer, i might tweet Jensen Button and hope he responds and tells us if he ever looks at the speedo during the race.

Hadn't thought about regulations dictating it. If that is the case, it seems a bit retarded mandating unnecessary info.

I await Jens' answer

[JimClarkFan]

Huh? No way, you have to let your body do the thinking for you, and you teach it with practice.

[Dragonfly]

Hundreds of hours with a computer game still can't substitute half an hour in a humble but real go kart.

[beelsebob]

Hundreds of hours with a computer game still can't substitute half an hour in a humble but real go kart.

Yep, they're entirely different things... I can't for the life of me reliably lap in computer games, but I'm pretty damn quick in a go-kart.