Let’s start with a few definitions. Admittedly, these are my words, my definitions, but they’re based on many years of discussion with many smart drivers, instructors, and coaches, so they should stand up fairly well. As with any definition, though, there are subtleties that one person may add, delete or change — rightly or wrongly.
Apex: The Apex is the place where the tires on the inside of the curve you’re driving through clip past the inner edge of the track, the most inside point or area of the corner. Using the basic “the line through a corner goes from the outside edge of the track, to the inside, and back to the outside” advice, the Apex is that “inside” point or area of the cornering line. As I said, an Apex can be a point, or an area of some small distance. An Apex can be right in the middle of the corner (geometric Apex), earlier than that (early Apex), or after that (late Apex). The Apex is also sometimes called the “clipping point.”
Apex Angle: This is the angle of the car as it passes the apex point, in relation to where you want to go, towards the Exit point of the corner. Often, a driver will clip past the ideal apex point, but the car will still be pointing in a less-than-ideal direction because it’s not at the right apex angle. More about this in a bit.
Clipping Point: As I said, the Apex is also sometimes referred to as the “clipping point.” In reality, they may be slightly different, but for our purposes, let’s use Apex and Clipping Point interchangeably. Personally, I don’t think the differences are great enough to worry about. Having said that, I recommend you watch Nico Rosberg talking about driving COTA, and specifically Turn 1 in the video below. Go to about the 3-minute mark to notice how he separates the Apex from the Clipping Point.
Min (Minimum) Speed: There is a point in every corner where you’re at your minimum velocity – the min speed. Typically – but not always – it’s just around or very slightly past the EoB (End-of-Braking) point. That is, it’s most often after the turn-in, around where you finish braking, and just before you begin to apply the throttle.
WHAT TO DO
Let me be very clear about one thing: your min speed is not necessarily at the apex or clipping point of a corner. Sometimes your min speed will be before the Apex (usually in slower corners — the “in slow, out fast” type), sometimes at the Apex, and sometimes after the Apex (usually corners that don’t have much of a straightaway afterward — corners where exit speed is less important).
Speaking of types of corners, let’s review what Alan Johnson wrote in his Driving in Competition book way back in 1971 (still one of the classic and most important driving books). He identified three types of corners:
Type 1: Corners that lead onto a straightaway
Type 2: Corners at the end of a straightaway
Type 3: Corners in between other corners
Type 1 corners are all about exit speed, and are usually the most important of all the corners on a track. The priority for Type 2 corners is entry speed because there isn’t a straightaway afterward of enough length to matter. And your focus for Type 3 corners — which is usually a series of corners, such as Esses or a chicane — is to set up for the final part (which is a Type 1 corner).
This identification also led to the over-simplification of which corner is the most important on a track, saying that the corner that leads onto the longest straightaway is it. Like I said, this is a bit of an over-simplification, because it’s not always true. It works a lot of the time, and is a great place to start, but as I’ve written and talked about in the past, sometimes other corners are most important. In fact, one way of prioritizing the importance of corners is to simply look at which corner you’re losing the most time in.
When looking at data, your min speed point (where your minimum speed is in the corner) is an important piece of information to consider. What’s most important is not just how fast it is, and where it is, but also how long you spend at it. In some corners, a lower min speed helps with your exit speed (“in slow, out fast”); in other corners rolling momentum through it is more important, and therefore a higher min speed is what you’re looking for; some corners reward very little time at min speed; and with others, spending a little more time at min speed is okay (this typically goes along with a higher min speed, or rolling more momentum).
Note: When looking at a data trace of speed, notice the difference between corners where the speed trace looks like a “V” (little time spent at min speed), and when it is more of a “U” (more time spent at min speed). Typically, slow corners of less than approximately 60 MPH reward a “V” shape, and faster corners reward a “U” shape. Think about what this is telling you: slow corners reward getting the car slowed, turned, and accelerated out of it; faster corners are more about rolling momentum, slowing the car as little as possible.
Since we’re talking general guidelines (but not rules… unless you plan to break them every once in a while), here are a few more:
The min speed in Type 1 corners is usually prior to, or at, the Apex.
The min speed in Type 2 corners is usually at or past the Apex.
The min speed in Type 3 corners is… well, it depends on what’s coming up next, but usually in the middle of this “connecting corner,” because you want to be accelerating toward, through and out of the Type 1 corner that it’s connecting to.
Let’s go back to the angle your car is at when clipping past the Apex. It's not just where you apex that matters, but also the angle your car passes by the apex.
When I walk a track with a driver, the exact location of the apex often comes up. Drivers will point out where they're apexing, but the most important discussion I like to have is not the exact location of the apex, but the angle, or direction, that the car is aimed in at the apex. That's more important, and something many drivers don't think enough about.
For example, compare the angle the two cars are on in the illustration below. You could argue that the yellow car is apexing earlier, but a better way to think about it is that the yellow car is on a different angle than the red car is (the Apex being the second red panel of the inside curbing). In this case, I'm not going to say that one is necessarily any better than the other — but they are different.
It's important for you to recognize the angle that your car is on while passing the apex. To change the angle, you can turn in earlier or later; you can turn in quicker (more "crisply") or slower; or you can use your brake release to change the balance of the car to help it rotate quicker or slower... or some combination of these.
Just because you're "hitting the apex," that doesn't mean you're on the right line, as the angle you pass by it is even more important.
IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD
As much as there is a technical aspect to this topic that these guidelines and techniques apply to, to me the mindset is more important. For Type 1 corners, the mindset should be on exit speed; in Type 2 corners, the mindset is on entry speed; and Type 3 corners are all about discipline in the middle to maximize either the exit or entry (usually the exit). The technical aspect is around how to do that, but without the right mindset, the “how to” doesn’t matter much. In fact, I’d say that with the right mindset, most drivers can apply the right techniques to make the right things happen. But that will rarely happen if you don’t understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.
In the past, I’ve written and talked about the Why behind the line you drive through any corner. Many drivers drive the line they do because that’s the line they were told to drive! And who’s telling them to drive this line is a fellow driver, instructor, coach, or some other human… and not their car. In the end, it’s your car who should be telling you what line to drive, not a person who is basing it off of what they do, or what they were told by someone who was told by someone else, who was told by someone else, who was told by someone else….
I’m not saying the line will be massively different from car to car. In fact, it’s usually not very different. But your apex angle, where your min speed is, how long you spend at min speed, and how you prioritize corners does depend on your car and what it needs. Yes, “it depends!” So, you have to listen to what your car is telling you, and what it’s asking for. And again, that’ll never happen if you don’t have the right mindset to each and every corner, because each and every corner wants something a little different.
When I say you have to listen to your car, that also means you need to listen to what your overall lap times, your segment times, and the data say. There are times when something feels faster, but the data says otherwise, and there are times when a lap time is faster, but the segment time through the specific corner you’re working on is slower. That’s why you need to look beyond the obvious, and truly listen and read into the information you have, so you can see what’s working, and what’s not working.
Apexes, apex angles, clipping points, min speeds, corner types, and mindsets. Who knew there were so many things, all going on at the exact same time, that you need to manage just right? Of course, that’s what makes it so much fun, right?!
I find the mindset part of cornering really interesting, sometimes if you ask a driver to forget all the data and physics, and just prioritise exit speed for example, everything can just fall into place. Sometimes is quite an important word there though!!
One of your better/more interesting articles. I had not thought about mindset directly but I see how that leads to better technique. Also appreciate the comment about listening to the car. In my little slice of the car on track world I manage to get a lot out of my ride...better than most (not good as others). I believe this is because of the mindset you discuss and me inherently feeling that as well as the communication I have with the car. While I have a long way to go it does mostly feel natural to me. Who knew in my 50s I would finally find a hidden talent? One of my areas for improvement is listening to the car and making the adjustments that produce results. On some tracks and some corners this comes easier than others and then there are other tracks/corners where I have yet to find satisfaction. I will mediate on this before and during my next outing.