running straight and will make it much harder to turn into the corner when you turn the steering wheel. The simple solution to this is to remember to release the brake pedal completely just before turn-in - as long as you have reduced your speed enough for the corner there shouldn't be any problems as you get back on throttle ready to drive through the upcoming corner. This technique of releasing the brake pedal is definitely worth remembering - I've often turned into a corner and ended up running too deep in the turn (understeer) and at first I've thought it was simply because I was carrying too much speed, but quite often this wasn't the case and it was simply because I still had a small amount of the brake pedal pressed down. So release the brake pedal gradually and try to make sure you have fully lifted from the pedal just before you turn-in.

These braking techniques are very hard to learn and unfortunately I've found that some pedals are better than others for using the more complex techniques (such as throttle under braking). I prefer the Logitech Momo pedals as they are more comfortable for me - the Microsoft pedals were okay too but I didn't like the pedals that came with the Thrustmaster Ferrari F1 wheel... the various techniques just weren't as easy with those pedals and I was much less consistent. I think a lot of people ignore the pedals when they are buying a new steering wheel but you should always give them some serious thought - they are more important than you might think.

One final braking technique which I used a lot in F1 2002 was a technique especially for fast turns and chicanes. If you are reaching a fast chicane in only 5th or 6th (due to the previous straight been quite short) and you know you could take the chicane in that same gear if you weren't using full throttle then rather than lifting the throttle at all you can simply tap the brakes very slightly before you turn-in. This will normally knock just enough speed off so that you can make it through the chicane with full throttle constantly applied - it will lower the revs a little bit and because you tapped the brakes before you entered the chicane you have the benefit of accelerating all the way through it, so when you exit the chicane your speed will be almost as fast as it was just before you tapped the brakes on entry. This braking technique is normally a lot more stable than lifting the throttle before a corner or chicane (especially at high speeds) so it is worth trying.
Unfortunately that technique was a lot easier in F1 2002 than it is in F1 Challenge; In F1 2002 you had a huge amount of high speed grip (more than real life F1) so you could drive through a lot of the fast chicanes and corners in very high gears. The developers changed this for F1 Challenge (removing some of the high speed grip) so now this technique is much more difficult. I used to use this style of baking at 'Waite' in Albert Park, 'Pouhon' in Spa and the first fast chicane in Magny-Cours (among others) and although it can still be used at certain corners in F1 Challenge (if you have a very good setup) it is nowhere near as easy as it was.


9.2. Downshifting;

You might not think downshifting is particularly important but you should give it some thought - it's not just a case of pressing the gear shifter as many times as you need to as fast as you can physically do it.
If you are at high speed in 7th gear and you want to brake and downshift for a 1st gear corner or chicane the first 4 downshifts should be as quick as possible - this will create some 'engine braking' as the lower speed gears (5th, 4th, 3rd) will be forcing the engine to slow down at the same time as you are pressing the brake pedal. By now you will be in 3rd gear and you should shift to 2nd just before turn-in (when most speed is knocked off) and then 1st as you start to enter the corner. This technique prevents the "snap oversteer" that occurs when you shift down to a very low speed gear while you are still going too fast (as you haven't been braking long enough at that point), so you have to be careful and smooth with your downshifts towards the end of the braking zone - releasing the brake pedal gradually (very smoothly) and only making the final few downshifts when you know you have knocked off enough speed for those gears.
If you were just to shift from 7th to 1st as fast as you could press the gear shifter there is a very good chance you would spin instantly when you reached 2nd or 1st gear because you would still be going too fast for those gears (and their maximum revs) - the brakes on an F1 car are very good but they still need a bit of a chance to slow the car down when you are using them from over 200mph.
So it is important to think about your downshifting (and when you should do it) as this can really help cut out some of the mistakes caused by choosing the wrong gear or choosing the 'right' gear too early. It sometimes happens in real life too - I remember Mika Hakkinen selecting the wrong gear once when he was leading a grand prix (I think he selected 2nd when he wanted 3rd); he spun instantly and it was end of his race.

One final downshift technique I should mention can be used when you are downshifting for a fast corner that you don't really need to slow down for very much (e.g. if you were in 7th at full speed and you were coming up to a fast turn which you can normally take in 5th) - in this situation it might be better (quicker) if you don't actually brake at all. Just shift down from 7th to 6th before turn-in (without lifting off the throttle) and finally shift down to 5th as you enter the corner (maybe with a slight lift of the accelerator to prevent the negative effect on car balance that downshifts can have when lots of throttle is applied). The 'engine braking' will slow you down and that should be more than enough if you have a stable setup with a decent level of downforce - you also save the tenths you would normally lose by using the brake pedal in a similar situation.
A good example of this is the Maggots/Becketts/Chapel complex at Silverstone - I never actually touch the brake once when I negotiate that section of the lap and it saves me a huge amount of time compared to a lot of other drivers (I always have a very good first sector). I approach the complex in 7th gear, drive through Maggots and the entry to Becketts (still in 7th) without lifting the throttle at all, shift down to 6th on the exit of Becketts (with a slight lift to prevent imbalance) and then I shift down to 5th for Chapel and play with the accelerator pedal so I use enough revs to carry as much speed through the corner as possible without using too much and spinning at the apex or running wide on the exit. This technique might not be the best for a race distance (as in theory it should cause the engine to overheat earlier) but I've actually used it in some shorter races without any problems (and it is certainly a good technique for qualifying).


9.3. Turn-In;

You should always know exactly when you want to turn-in. Most drivers know the best line through a corner naturally and just in case they don't there are plenty of guides for this (including the manual), but I always find it is worth experimenting with - you might think you know the best line but this doesn't mean it is definitely the fastest. I often try turning in earlier and then I move the weight distribution slightly to the rear and I try turning in later. This is to see which line lets me carry the most speed into the corner, and I can check the speeds accurately using telemetry. Replays of the fastest drivers can also be useful when trying out the best driving lines because if there is a quick way of doing something they normally have it worked out.
You should concentrate on re-applying the throttle very early just before turn-in (if you weren't using 'throttle under braking') and then focus on holding a constant (if very small) amount of throttle throughout the whole turn - this keeps the revs up and the car will start accelerating on the exit earlier. If you don't use this constant throttle technique then you will have to wait for the revs to get back up when you press the accelerator on the exit of a turn. It's also good to have the ability to 'play' with the throttle pedal so if you feel yourself starting to run wide you can very slightly ease off and if you seem to be turning too much into the corner (due to not carrying enough speed) you can slowly apply a little more throttle as you are reaching the apex. I find playing with the throttle pedal during a turn to be one of the hardest techniques to master but if you have the correct speed to begin with (on corner entry) you shouldn't have to make too many adjustments with the accelerator until you reach the exit.

I have spoken to some people who say they never fully lift the throttle pedal during a qualifying lap - in other words they are applying throttle for the whole lap! It might sound crazy but when you think about it it isn't... You have the braking technique where you apply some throttle under braking to stabilize the car, you need a decent amount of throttle on turn-in (depending on the how tight the corner actually is), you hold a constant throttle during the entry (and all the way through to the apex) and then you start accelerating on the exit - if you applied those techniques to every turn on the circuit you would never fully lift off the throttle. Obviously during some of those turns (such as hairpins or very tight chicanes) you will only be applying the slightest amount of