The genetic of a great race driver

[ramurel]

Hey guys !
Hope you won't laugh that hard at my topic, but there's something I have always thinking about and makes me more curious about it.
I consider myself an average driver, maybe a good driver , but I'm always amazed seeing in real race driving and also in GT Sport or other racing video games, some guys who did such great lap times that's just jaw-dropping. And I have a lot of dedication for GT Sport and other racing games, train myself a lot on track, but that "extra mile", that extra 5-10%, where did that come from?!?
Sometime you say to yourself "that's it!" ! But must be something more !
Congrats to all that have it !

https://jalopnik.com/5975486/what-makes-a-good-driver-great

 

[Alpha Cipher]

It's a great read, and I'd recommend it to some people, but...

I firmly believe that talent does not exist. Biological gifts exist, no question about that, but one of the charms of a video game like Gran Turismo Sport is that biological gifts aren't as big of a factor as it is in real life. Short statures, light weight, and a strong neck doesn't help you here, and while reaction times can help, you can compensate for this through a myriad of ways

Dedication, hard work, putting your efforts in the right place; I think those are the things that would help one improve to the best of their abilities. No one is instantly good behind the wheel (or a controller), everyone learns. It's how efficient you learn, how much effort you put into learning, and how much of a priority learning to be good behind the wheel that separates the good drivers from the great, in my opinion. When TRL_LIGHTNING posted a video about his hotlap at Suzuka in the Supra GTE, his line through the esses are a thing of beauty. Using the grass to rotate the car better into the first turn, for me it's just as Watson described it:

It was like the car was dancing
He was doing things that I hadn't even thought about, let alone put into practice.

But was he able to do it because he was simply talented? No. He was able to do it because he has experience, he is efficient at finding optimal lines, and most of all, because he is dedicated to Gran Turismo Sport

I'm getting to the extremities here, and I will probably make enemies with this statement, but whenever you call people "talented", it is an insult not only to them, but to yourself. By saying someone is "talented", you disregard all of their hard work and effort to get to the level that they can compete at. By saying that they are "talented", you have given up seeking for what makes these people so great. By chalking up their immense amount of skill and ability to such an indescribable word, it's almost invalidating. I'm sorry if this is very extreme, but it really is just saddening for me to see people throw the word talent and gifted everywhere

There's so much more I want to say holy cars but I'll leave it there

 

[Lost Sheltie]

One of the things that I found a bit mental is how far around the corner the good drivers look. Watch the video below (skip to 3:50 if you just want to see the eye tracking bit, but it is a good watch) if you want to see what I mean.

 

[ramurel]

Thanks for this and I agree with all you said, it's a lot of hard work in there, far from me to give it to the talent, that's why I said "that extra 5-10%", I am sure that 90-95 is from hard work in knowing the track' secrets and improving your skills.
Maybe "talent" ( word I didn't used in my post ) don't exist, as you said, so let's call it "cold blood", or "balls", if you like .
That example with using the grass for better turn negotiating is awesome, a detail I didn't saw, so a big thumb up for it.
There are guys constantly in those top 10 lap times and it can't be an "accident" ! So, my point is, must be something extra there, not only hard work, we're talking about 1 or 2 extra seconds.
I was already curious reading about the mental focus of these guys and in that article I put there , there are a few interesting thoughts.

 

[NJ72]

I disagree that talent doesn't exist. You can call it what you like, but some people have the correct instincts in certain situations - which is genetic, and is the biological equivalent of what people would define as a talent.

You say that some people have better reactions (just one example that you referenced) - this makes them more 'talented' at certain things than someone without. Just like some musicians can hear pitch perfectly - this doesn't mean that someone who cannot will never be a good musician, but it is what separates the goods from the greats.

Saying that it is not a talent, purely because it's biological, is like arguing that the colour blue isn't the colour blue because you call it 'blau'. It's still the same thing, you're just arguing semantics.

It's also not offensive to say someone has a talent for something. If someone can learn something to the same level in half the time, that's a talent. Their brain is wired that way. It doesn't detract from their abilities or their performance.

Dedication, hard work, putting your efforts in the right place; I think those are the things that would help one improve to the best of their abilities.

'To the best of their abilities' - that limit is in a different place for different people - that is talent

 

[Alpha Cipher]

I disagree that talent doesn't exist. You can call it what you like, but some people have the correct instincts in certain situations - which is genetic, and is the biological equivalent of what people would define as a talent.

You say that some people have better reactions (just one example that you referenced) - this makes them more 'talented' at certain things than someone without. Just like some musicians can hear pitch perfectly - this doesn't mean that someone who cannot will never be a good musician, but it is what separates the goods from the greats.

Saying that it is not a talent, purely because it's biological, is like arguing that the colour blue isn't the colour blue because you call it 'blau'. It's still the same thing, you're just arguing semantics.

Great points. I stand corrected; biological gifts are talents

However, having no talent does not mean it will be what separates the good from the great. Let's take the reaction example and put it into the context of GTS:

You mainly use your reactions for 3 things: attacking and defending for position, following a car closely, and for standing starts with false start checks.

Having good reactions will indeed make you more efficient at these types of situations, but reactions aren't the only solution to this. You can instead rely on anticipation and prediction to be able to get the same results as someone who relies on their good reactions. Does the talented person still have an advantage after this? I'd say barely, mostly because of the standing starts. Is it what makes the talented driver great compared to the one with no talent? No, since there's many more ways to compensate for it

It's also not offensive to say someone has a talent for something. If someone can learn something to the same level in half the time, that's a talent. Their brain is wired that way. It doesn't detract from their abilities or their performance.

It could fall on how efficient they learn instead. We all have different methods of learning; a very generalized and blanket categorization of these would be visual, auditory, and action. Indeed, our brains are wired differently from each other, that's what makes me myself and you yourself. But it is how you utilise these wirings to the fullest extent, to the most efficient you can, that makes the difference between someone who can learn a skill in 10 hours, compared to someone who can learn a skill in 10 days. Each and every one of us is different, and so we all have to find the best way to utilise these differences

'To the best of their abilities' - that limit is in a different place for different people - that is talent

Push those limits!
It is within the nature of humanity to never stop learning. Yes, there is indeed a limit to our abilities within all of us. And indeed, that limit does lie differently for different people. But so long as you learn, so long as you can see where and why someone else is better, you can push yourself further and further. The more you learn, the more you experience, and the more you absorb, the more flaws within yourself that you can find. Yes, indeed it will come to a point that these flaws are miniscule and marginal, and yet to polish these flaws are harder than everything you've experienced before. That, that is the final 5-10% that everyone so dearly chases. It is these tiny near-invisible imperfections that separate the good, from the great.

Will it ever come to a point that you may not see your own flaws anymore? Maybe. But if you cannot see them, more likely than not someone else will tell them for you. Don't be afraid to ask people what you're doing wrong, it is one way to improve as well. Not everyone has all the time in the world to dedicate to GTS and gain enough experience to see these flaws, nor has everyone found the best way to learn efficiently knowing their differences

 

[senzr]

Personally, I think that in-born talent is definitely a huge factor. But perhaps the biggest factor of all is "grit". The ability to keep pushing in the face of failure and setbacks. I'm at the age where I can complain about how "millennials" want everything handed to them on a silver platter, and how kids nowadays give up too easily. There's some truth to that, but I think what people really mean when they complain about millennials is the seeming lack of resolve in the face of adversity.

Grit is the only thing that separates the good from great, and the truly exceptional from the merely great. In superstar athletes, grit is mostly a mental attitude that enables them to look past a mistake, and approach the next point/play with no less optimism than the previous point, even though they may have made a terrible mistake. That's one reason I was a terrible tennis player in my youth. I could take the lead, but if I lost a couple of points consecutively, it was all racket smashing and went downhill from there. I simply didn't have the mental discipline to move on from the previous mistake. Same with racing. I can be a tough 2nd or 3rd place guy to shake off, but as soon as I take the lead, I buckle under the pressure of holding the lead, and I usually never hang on to it for very long.

The other thing I think is a huge factor is relentless practice. Doing the same thing over and over and over again to achieve mastery. Malcom Gladwell came up with the "10,000 hour rule", which says that's the minimum amount of practice and repetition required to master anything. Now, that rule has been up for debate recently. But I don't think anyone can do anything well without intense dedication to practice. Cristiano Ronaldo is another super athlete who was intensely dedicated to exhausting everything to pursue mastery. Aside from his taste for hookers, he was known for doing things to improve that other players simply wouldn't even consider back in the day. When I was playing in a band that gigged regularly, my bandmates hated me for insisting that we played the same song 3-4 or even 5 times in a row in rehearsals, just to get the muscle memory down.

At this stage in my life, I only have limited time for gaming, so I mostly play competitive games which require lots of practice and repetition. That's why I love endless hot-lapping GT Sport and hitting the training room in Street Fighter V. I find a certain calm and rhythm to constant repetition. Even though I'm currently low DR B driver at best, I do feel the slight improvements the more I practice, and that's enough progress for me.

Talent and genetics can give you a great head start. But only mental grit and relentless practice can make you a superstar.

 

[vvise]

Since this video i've been training to look further forward. It takes a lot of practice and it's easy to forget and fall back into old habits of looking for braking markers. Same thing as when you first drive manual, or move to left foot braking. But let me tell you that it works, it shaved a few tenths off my times (and im at the point where it's really hard to find time). Much better exits and less oversteer moments.

Going from around top 2% to almost top 1% laps times for the "daily" race qualifying times. You can be sure that all the aliens already do this.

 

[ramurel]

Yeah, that "mental grit" it's something !
I can give you an example on myself about it. If I'm in a FIA race ( by that I mean something that I consider to be an important online competition , or an important challenge ) , let's say a 10 lap race, or better let's give you an exact example, this last FIA race at Dragon trail garden ll, a race that I won, so when I was in the first position in the final part of the race, I had such a huge level of stress in those final miles, you have no idea!... I was thinking about a lot of stupid mistakes I could make, it came into my mind even stuffs like last lap of Mika Hakkinen in that Italian grand Prix and that mean maybe I don't function properly under such stress level or something. You know the feeling, the one when you're afraid to blew it when everything looks good?
I know and I understand and I read about it, there are guys who perform best when they're under some level of stress and I guess I'm not one of them. When I make a 3 minute boiled eggs, I use to turn my phone off, I send my wife out of the kitchen, I turn off the TV , so on and so forth ( I exaggerate a little here, but it's close to truth ).
PS: I'm almost the kind of guy who turn off the radio in my car, when making a parallel parking.

 

[senzr]

...so when I was in the first position in the final part of the race, I had such a huge level of stress in those final miles, you have no idea!... I was thinking about a lot of stupid mistakes I could make, it came into my mind even stuffs like last lap of Mika Hakkinen in that Italian grand Prix and that mean maybe I don't function properly under such stress level or something.

I totally understand where you're coming from. But I can parallel park with the music blasting lol

Anyhow, grit and concentration are different things. Concentration is focus, but I think grit is concentration PLUS the ability to stay cool even when $hit gets really tough. It's like how Hamilton can get punted off from pole in the first lap to last place, and still somehow finish 3rd or 4th in the end. I think that's way tougher than starting on pole and winning the race. (My best is starting 5th or 6th, getting punted off in T1, then fighting my way back to 8th or 9th from last place. That's the best I can do )

 

[sundaydriving]

Natural talent exists, its a fact that people have genetic predispositions to certain things, but there are also many documented cases where people persist, overcome and acquire their talent the hard way.

Edited because I can't read.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

When integrated with machines genetic "talents" are practically minimized out of the equation. In the same way that the handgun made physical strength and fight proficiency irrelevant so to does a motor vehicle eliminate the similar need for talents. Fast twitch muscles became the new brawn as pulling a gun faster meant that you lived. Meanwhile driving became about refined motor skills and mental focus.

If there is any genetic talent in play with drivers it's probably the borderline autism like level of focus needed to repeatedly practice, over and over. Some people can handle that level of extreme repetition without any effort, for most people it becomes a chore and a job to continually push themselves into repetition, practice, and refinement.

Every person I know, that people have described as a "prodigy" or a "talented person", worked their asses off often sacrificing social time and relationships with friends, girlfriends, and family in order to put in more time than their competitor and to become #1.

 

[mthomas_95]

Reaction time/playing time/developing autism had absolutely nothing to do with the jump I made from relative pleb status to being stuck at the annoying DR cap in about 3 months . Racing lines and braking points? Most B/S drivers get in the right ballpark after just 5-10 minutes practice. Relentlessly driving around all day? Least effective practice technique possible, much more likely to burn yourself out doing that. Some would be amazed how little miles relatively speaking the top-top guys do.

Mental attitude and approach is basically everything. That involves self-critique though which a lot of people struggle with (I remember that poll over 80% claimed they were rarely/if ever to blame in accidents)

 

[sturk0167]

You don't have to train a greyhound how to outrun a bulldog.

 

[ramurel]

You don't have to train a greyhound how to outrun a bulldog.

Excellent point !

 

[fastone371]

Natural talent exists, its a fact that people have genetic predispositions to certain things, but there are also many documented cases where people persist, overcome and acquire their talent the hard way.

Edited because I can't read.

There can be no doubt natural talent exits, its just not talent for sim racing, real racing, tennis, football, etc. The talent everyone speaks of is mainly superb hand/eye co-ordination along with other physical traits that may help in the field you excel in. Maybe in 500,000 years or so if sim racing lasts that long people will be born with natural talent for sim racing. I believe that all "natural talent" was acquired thru evolution, that takes a very long time to happen. Its the reason people see more shades of green than any other color and responsible for things like fight or flight responses.

 

[ARTAsean]

There can be no doubt natural talent exits, its just not talent for sim racing, real racing, tennis, football, etc. The talent everyone speaks of is mainly superb hand/eye co-ordination along with other physical traits that may help in the field you excel in. Maybe in 500,000 years or so if sim racing lasts that long people will be born with natural talent for sim racing. I believe that all "natural talent" was acquired thru evolution, that takes a very long time to happen. Its the reason people see more shades of green than any other color and responsible for things like fight or flight responses.

I agree. Look at Michael Phelps. Dude looks like he has Marfan Syndrome. No doubt he was an Olympic level swimmer due to his freakish body type. But, he was also an Olympic level swimmer because he was training for it literally his whole life.

Same with race car drivers. Being the best in the world at something requires nature AND nurture.

(Also, a boat load of money. Rising through the ranks in Kart racing the way Lewis Hamilton did is a 6-figure proposition)

 

[ramurel]

The talent everyone speaks of is mainly superb hand/eye co-ordination along with other physical traits that may help in the field you excel in. Maybe in 500,000 years or so if sim racing lasts that long people will be born with natural talent for sim racing. I believe that all "natural talent" was acquired thru evolution, that takes a very long time to happen. .

It's exactly what I was thinking about yesterday! I saw an interesting documentary on a science channel about the new generation, the evolution of the human race, the DNA of the young generation and their evolution and my first thought went to these lap times in GT Sport and other videogames and the new generation of gamers and human beings in general. What is a struggle for me ( a 52 years old PlayStation gamer ) it may be quite a flick of the finger ( Thanos style )for the new generation of gamers.
Still enjoy it and God bless them, let them lead the way!

 

[DodgySyrup]

What's that old saying about 90% perspiration etc...?

The top tier, elite, best of the best, have that tiny edge, dealing in blink of an eye type stuff, that means they can find that extra tenth here, a tenth there, and do so consistently.

A bravery, borne out of self belief, can carry those fractions of a tenth here and there, around each corner, again and again.

Managing tyres, knowing when to push, to read the circuit like a blind person reads braille, with the tyres like your fingertips and the tarmac the bumps and dots on a page; learning every subtle rise and fall, rough patch, slippy kerb, camber change, abrasive texture.

All this, and a hundred of factors outside the car, (training, mental focus, will to win, media obligations, articulate feedback to team) and a hundred others inside the car, (the benefits of that training, concentration, race craft, knowing when to attack and when to bide your time, dealing with pressure) start to reveal the scope of responsibilities that a driver has.

And most of it is hard work, persistence, determination, and concentration...the greats then have that special edge that I mentioned, which cannot be quantified in a pure sense.

It's possible that some inherent, genetic factor is at play...but is that responsible for driving them towards motorsport as a youngster or was it revealed once the passion for racing came about naturally?

If it genetic, how many greats are never going to see a race track because they are poor and live a life that makes it impossible to indulge a love of motorsport?

Boxing, football, rugby, u.s versions of those sports, can all be played at early ages because all you need is ball...and sometimes they'll use a tin can or sock.

That opens the door to unlimited potential and the genuine class has a chance to shine, hence kids who grew up in some Africa nation in abject squalor can end up playing football in Europe earning a fortune.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

I believe talent exist, but it's not some magical god given thing. Some people just have the aptitude in certain situations to learn and apply things quickly. Just like with any other activity in life. Even if you put them in a new game/car/track combo, they can get the "feel" quickly and be on pace in just a few corners.

However, talent is meaningless without dedication and practice. Some kid from Africa might be theoretically the most talented racecar driver in the world, but he/she would never have seen a race car before, let alone drive one. A Joe Bloggs with a decent understanding of racing line and physics will run circles around him/her the first time out.

Personally, I can't change my baseline talent, so I just focus on practicing as hard as I can and learning from the best. If I maxxed out my driving and I'm still not the Top 1 in the world, well, nothing I can do about that and getting frustrated is just not going to be productive. I have done everything in my power to utilise 100% of what I have, and that's enough.

If you say I'm mentally weak, then consider this: by the time you practiced 100s of laps and improved by 0.1 seconds, someone who is innately faster than you would've also practiced 100s of laps and found another 0.1 seconds. It's diminishing returns for the faster guy sure, but it's also exponentially harder and harder the closer you get to him/her to improve your own times.

Now when you race against an alien and they disappear off into the distance it can seem like magic, but objectively speaking it's just teeny tiny differences here and there that makes the difference. In the last GT6 GT Academy I compared my telemetry to the top times. Now I'm usually 2-3 seconds a lap slower than the top guys. Sounds like a lot? According to the telemetry, I'm losing 0.1 second on corner entry, 0.1 second at the apex, 0.1 second on exit. That's 0.3 second in one corner. In one lap of 10 corners that's 3 seconds. So it's not like I'm missing some super special technique. The top guys are just that tiny bit more accurate with their braking, line and throttle application. Even if I watch their replays a thousand times and try to apply it to my driving, it won't work because the quickest human reaction time, the blink reflex, is >0.2 seconds. If you have to "think" before you do those actions, you're already past the braking point mate. It all has to flow naturally from within, and some people are just able to flow a little bit better than others.

If that makes you depressed, remember that just like how there's always someone faster than you, there is also always someone slower than you. Trust me, when you pull away from them you'll look like a god to them Just enjoy the driving, and keep improving to the best of your potential in life 👍

 

[senzr]

According to the telemetry, I'm losing 0.1 second on corner entry, 0.1 second at the apex, 0.1 second on exit. That's 0.3 second in one corner. In one lap of 10 corners that's 3 seconds. So it's not like I'm missing some super special technique.

This explains a lot! The top aliens are a tenth or two quicker everywhere, but it all adds up. Agree that those last tenths are the hardest to chase, and diminishing returns for most of us mere mortals. But if you have the talent, time and dedication to get those tenths, more power to you!

One thing I wanted to add: before when Gran Turismo was purely offline, I thought I was hot $hit playing by myself and split screen with friends. Once GT went online, I realised how much I sucked! What an eye opener. But for all of GT Sport's flaws, Sport Mode is the one thing that made me want to improve my racecraft more and more, and I think I've improved more in the last 12 months with Sport than I have in almost 20 years of playing GT. I've never felt more frustrated and fulfilled at the same time than I have with GT Sport. I love it!

 

[ramurel]

Totally agree with this online stuff! It could push you forward !
And I remember I read something very interesting the other days, but can't find the link again, so I'll try to say it in my words, hope I remembered well the main idea and won't blew it !
There was recently researches about breaking the athletic records and the conclusion was that is very much on mental level, there's a block in our minds somehow. When Steve Prefontaine break those athletic records, in the next year there was 20 more guys breaking those records and the next year 200 more. The conclusion was that there's something in our mind and that something say to us all the time "Stop, hit the brake, or you'll gonna die!" As soon as we are able to ignore that voice, we'll break those limits of ours. Well, added to that must be some talent, otherwise it's just suicide, right?
PS: in a fun way, actually there are a lot of guys who ignore that voice, don't hit the brake when they should, but all they achieve it's becoming divebombers !

 

[Auditore]

"Ex F1 driver, John Watson, once told the story about when he was piloting his Formula One car around the Brands Hatch racetrack in southern England. He had just finished his qualifying lap and was preparing to pit. Coming into a complex known as Dingle Dell, Watson let a young guy with a bright yellow helmet fly past, and proceeded to watch in awe as Senna tackled the treacherous turns. "It was like the car was dancing," Watson said. "He was doing things that I hadn't even thought about, let alone put into practice. In that moment, I realized my time as a professional race car driver was effectively over."

Watching Senna pass you around the track must've been crazy.

 

[senzr]

The conclusion was that there's something in our mind and that something say to us all the time "Stop, hit the brake, or you'll gonna die!" As soon as we are able to ignore that voice, we'll break those limits of ours. Well, added to that must be some talent, otherwise it's just suicide, right?

I saw the Senna documentary, and that sounds just like him. Except that he honestly believed that God was with him, guiding him through and carrying him through the risks. I guess one way to look at it is self confidence, another could be divine intervention, like Senna.

I still want to believe that we are all capable of some greatness if we try hard enough and push ourselves in whatever we do.

 

[fastone371]

I cant help but wonder if there is something about getting accustomed to seeing everything in 2D on a monitor that also helps aliens become aliens. Do people who play video games consistantly do better at sim racing too? Is sim racing more about car feel or video game feel? The only games I play are racing games and I have not played a video game for a few years before GTS came out, is that why I suck? I understand racing, weight transfer, how to break down a corner, etc, I have raced cars for many years. On PS4 on my TV I just cant pull everything together though. I know where the car should be but I struggle to put it exactly there lap after lap. It's also difficult because you cant feel what the car is doing through your butt, the sensations you get from sitting in the seat of a real car transfer so much valuable information on what the car is doing and how to manipulate the car to get it to do what you want it to do.

 

[DJShadesUK]

Using the grass to rotate the car better into the first turn,

Wait, you think he did that on purpose? I'm not saying he didn't but I'd be more inclined to believe it was really on purpose if he posted video of him doing it on consecutive laps.

I know Lightning is very fast and very talented, but I don't believe anyone would do that on purpose on a hotlap. I suspect, because I'm a cynical old git, that it was more of a happy accident that worked out and that is why that sole lap ended up on YouTube.

I'm in absolutely no way comparing myself to Lightning but I've done, as probably many of us have, what I would regard as, at this point without further evidence, similar; ever-so-slightly clipped the kerb/grass at the wrong point (or right point, depending on how you look at it), got myself into a big ol' slide and somehow ended up going through a corner faster than I would normally. Then, try as I might, I cannot reliably replicate it (safely, predictably) and going through the corner normally just isn't as fast. But then I guess thats the dilemma most circuit racers face: jaw-dropping but high risk speed Vs getting round quickly without ending up in a barrier or the kitty litter.

Don't get me wrong, if it turned out he could do it reliably, lap after lap, I'd doff my cap and eat a large slice of humble pie, but until then I'm remaining slightly sceptical.

 

[Alpha Cipher]

Wait, you think he did that on purpose? I'm not saying he didn't but I'd be more inclined to believe it was really on purpose if he posted video of him doing it on consecutive laps.

I know Lightning is very fast and very talented, but I don't believe anyone would do that on purpose on a hotlap. I suspect, because I'm a cynical old git, that it was more of a happy accident that worked out and that is why that sole lap ended up on YouTube.

I'm in absolutely no way comparing myself to Lightning but I've done, as probably many of us have, what I would regard as, at this point without further evidence, similar; ever-so-slightly clipped the kerb/grass at the wrong point (or right point, depending on how you look at it), got myself into a big ol' slide and somehow ended up going through a corner faster than I would normally. Then, try as I might, I cannot reliably replicate it (safely, predictably) and going through the corner normally just isn't as fast. But then I guess thats the dilemma most circuit racers face: jaw-dropping but high risk speed Vs getting round quickly without ending up in a barrier or the kitty litter.

Don't get me wrong, if it turned out he could do it reliably, lap after lap, I'd doff my cap and eat a large slice of humble pie, but until then I'm remaining slightly sceptical.

Yup, someone pointed it out in the comments section and LIGHTNING did confirm it's intentional

Makes it all the more amazing

 

[DJShadesUK]

Yup, someone pointed it out in the comments section and LIGHTNING did confirm it's intentional

Makes it all the more amazing

Forgive me if, while I still don't see it with my own eyes, I take that with a hefty pinch of salt; A common trait, of any sportsperson, is to never admit, in public at least or until they retire, when something accidentally fortuitous happens. That is page 1 of Sportsperson Psychological Warfare 101; Make your opponents believe that, through sheer force of will, you can make the impossible possible; That, even on race tracks outside of Russia, you don't go round a corner, a corner goes round you.

 

[Alpha Cipher]

Forgive me if, while I still don't see it with my own eyes, I take that with a hefty pinch of salt; A common trait, of any sportsperson, is to never admit, in public at least or until they retire, when something accidentally fortuitous happens. That is page 1 of Sportsperson Psychological Warfare 101; Make your opponents believe that, through sheer force of will, you can make the impossible possible; That, even on race tracks outside of Russia, you don't go round a corner, a corner goes round you.

That's a really cynical way of looking at things
I dunno, maybe it's naivety, but I just trust him. He's a great fella, both on and off the track, quite humble, the list goes on. It's just... hmm, not within his personality per se to lie about it

 

[zzz_pt]

I not only trust @TRL_LIGHTNING did that on purpose because I've seen him and others do similar things, but because I've also done it a few times. If you want to put in a WR lap, you need a "pixel perfect" line. If you fail the "grass touch" on the second corner, you can restart the lap right away.

I've done a few world and EMEA lap records where I'd abort a lap if I missed a certain line through a corner (especially if it was in the first sector). Maybe LIGHTNING doesn't need to do it (abort laps) as much as I do, but not believing he's choosing the lines he chooses at all is a bit of a stretch IMO.