Q: “I have a question around the definition of a ‘perfect lap’ and how it may vary by racing discipline. Coming from a sim racing background, at the highest levels perfection equates to being millimeter perfect, given unlimited practice time and typically predictable track conditions. When I watch high-level GT racing, from MX-5 Cup up through IMSA, and in my own driving, I feel like I can largely assess perfection via video only: was the car at the limit from entry to apex to exit with each of those points being within inches of track limits, typically with throttle not applied until around the apex (but as aggressively as possible at that point)? I see similar things in high-downforce prototypes, e.g. GTP, and even in INDYCAR to an extent.

“I watched Lando Norris’s onboard pole lap from this year’s Spanish GP, which he called ‘perfect,’ and honestly was a little underwhelmed. I know you’ve covered in the past that in some high downforce series, it’s better to optimize for minimum speed then to try to hit a tight apex, but even with that I couldn’t easily identify what made the lap ‘perfect.’ Might this be a trait of modern F1 cars, where the increase in downforce as speed increases means you can pick a line through the low-to-mid-speed corners, and as long as you’re at the limit all the way around, regardless of placement, you’ve achieved perfection? I’d be interested in your thoughts here. Obviously, I’m also not taking into account car setup in any of this — just whether or not the car was placed perfectly, and exactly at the limit, through every corner.”

A: Great question! First, I don’t think there is ever “perfection.” But I get what you’re asking about, and what Lando referred to. As you point out, on a sim the conditions are mostly consistent, whereas it’s never that on a real track. When you watch a lap like Lando’s, what we don’t know is where the track had the most grip. He might have been on the “perfect” line because that is where it had the most grip (it’s not obvious when watching on TV — and not always the ideal geometric line).

So, one way of defining perfect is driving the car at its limit, and adapting to where the track provides a higher limit. Of course, in some races, perfect would also include saving fuel better than everyone else, saving the tires, being better in traffic, etc. That’s a difference between an all-out sprint race, and longer races.

Sim tracks have fairly consistent grip levels, no matter where you drive on it. Sure, when they laser scan the tracks, they will try to match the grip changes, but it’s based on the day and time that they scanned it. As you know, how much and where the grip is on a track can change dramatically from morning to afternoon as the temperature changes. So, could it be that Lando was driving the “perfect” line because that is where the most grip was?

Again, having the car on what is the supposed “ideal line” that is defined by geometry may not be the “perfect” line. The “perfect” line is the one that results in the least amount of time taken to go from the start line to the finish line, and that is sometimes difficult to see from the in-car video.

Finally, I’ve written and talked a lot about driving a car below the limit, on what seems to be the ideal line; you will likely be slower than if you drive the car at its limit and a ways off of the ideal line. In other words, being at the limit is more important than being on the perfect line. While Lando was trying to drive the best line possible, his main focus was on keeping his car on the limit.

Hmmm… “perfect” is a moving target!