One thing I've learned in the last few weeks, when trying to assess where I can get faster, which was proven out a bit in the 1st Nations Cup race in this FIAGTC 2020-21 season: the game prefers a V-shaped speed profile as opposed to a U-shaped one.
I've noted it before, but to expand on it a bit- I think there is a problem of sorts in the physics/control models... it will absolutely not let the car rotate when there is any throttle input or even some braking. It wants you to coast. It wants you to coast as short a time as possible, but as opposed to a u-shaped speed trace through a corner, where a driver IRL might be 'feeling' the absolute limits of grip and making adjustments, the game just requires you to hit the 'gate' or window at the bottom of that V, which in effect turns into \_/ in most cases... because no one is perfect.
This was evident to me as I practiced for the Nations race in the Bugatti Gr4 car. To be fast, you absolutely have to coast, unless you could time your braking and throttle on perfectly, but then even in the long corners, coasting with absolutely 0% throttle input + 0% braking was almost always more effective than feathering the throttle or brake even a tiny bit.
I don't think this is realistic, and is attributed to the modeling and controls of the game, more than anything 'sim' related.
I also think that
@Mistah_MCA nails it in his guide videos "brake for a short bit" and then coasting through the remainder of the turn is better than braking for a longer time, until you are at the preferred max cornering speed. This is not realistic, as a good driver could get better or faster times using either method (maybe at the expense of increased tire wear, for example... or maybe not. Maybe even preserving tire wear by allowing better weight distribution when accelerating, for example), but the game simply refuses to let the physics of the U-shaped speed profile work.
Explains why, when added to the known 'assists' built in to the controls (to mimic how a wheel/pedals might behave without the actual inputs) driving with a DS4 can be really effective. (NO I'M NOT STARTING THAT DEBATE! Just adding to the supporting info...)
When you read about certain drivers and their techniques, you see there are different ways to do the same thing well... Schumacher was all about that front end feel and carrying max cornering speed through as much of the turn as possible. I'm not comparing myself to him, but I am saying there are different ways to get through a turn fast IRL, but the game seems to require just the one: slow in, coast/rotate (minimize this time but at 0% throttle + brake input), get on the throttle as fast as possible (admittedly the game really does reward throttle management up that exit slope... it's one of the most important things in the game).
It was just really evident driving the Bugatti, and in my mind proved what I was starting to really see. Could see it big time in the first hairpin (T2) and the last complex with two joined RH turns and the penultimate LH turn... I saw 0.5 sec chunks of time vary with this approach in each corner during FP for the race.
Just throwing it out there. Maybe I'm all wet. But I feel more and more confident this is the case after the Rd1 race.
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