It’s typical to witness footage from a “pedal-cam” when watching videos of Formula 1 drivers training or showcasing their vehicles, or when we see footage of a tuning lap. Pedal cams show how drivers use their feet to manipulate the car’s pedals, which is particularly useful for F1 racers and engineering teams.
The footage from these pedal-cam views has many people wondering if Formula 1 drivers drive with both feet.
F1 drivers use both feet while driving, one foot to accelerate and the other to brake because there is no clutch pedal. Because the driver’s left foot must constantly be ready for braking, there is no space for a footrest or any other place for the left foot to rest except on the pedal.
By driving with both feet, F1 drivers use the left-foot braking technique developed by racing drivers to improve the performance of their vehicles, particularly when cornering. Let’s look at what is the reason behind Formula One drivers driving with both feet.
Do F1 Drivers Always Use Both Feet?
Formula One drivers are among the most skilled of any racing series on the planet. They must work under extreme conditions that no normal person can handle, as well as develop specific talents required for not only competitive driving but also operating a Formula 1 car.
These cars are unlike any other and necessitate the development of special abilities to operate them effectively. Modern F1 cars are designed to brake with the left foot. The driver must adopt this technique due to the car’s pedal design and the size of the footwell.
The driver has only two pedals: an accelerator on the right and a brake on the left. Because there is very little space in the vehicle’s footwell, the driver must have one foot on each of the two pedals at all times.
Long before there was a clutch pedal, F1 drivers used the method of braking with their left foot because it enabled them to get the most out of the car. This implies that modern F1 vehicles don’t have a clutch pedal and are intended for left-foot braking, which is how every driver brakes. Formula 1 drivers always brake with their left foot for these reasons. The cars are designed in this manner because the drivers drive in this manner.
Do F1 Drivers Brake With Their Left Foot?
The cars in today’s Formula 1 racing are designed to perform at tremendous speeds with optimal braking, cornering capabilities, and aerodynamics, and they’re all packed with the most cutting-edge computer systems to manage many aspects of the car and transmit data to the driver and engineers.
Without the expertise of a decent driver, all of this technology and clever engineering is for naught. Because the driver is still the most significant part of a Formula 1 car, the tactics that the driver can execute are crucial to how well the car performs throughout a race.
F1 racers employ left-foot braking as one of their strategies for getting the most out of their cars.
There is no clutch pedal in current Formula One cars. To change gears, the driver used paddles located on or near the steering wheel. Except when starting from the pits or the start line, when the driver uses a clutch button to ensure a precise launch, the clutch is controlled by an electronic system.
Modern F1 drivers can use one foot to accelerate and the other to brake because there is no clutch pedal. The accelerator is on the right, and the brake is on the left, as it is in most cars. This means that every current Formula 1 car is designed for the driver to use his or her left foot alone for braking and his or her right foot solely for acceleration.
For an F1 driver, this approach is crucial since it allows them to get the most out of their car throughout a race.
It is so important in racing that the brake pedals are now intended to only be actuated with the left foot, and the right foot is rarely used. In fact, many F1 cars have bracing plates around the pedals to keep the driver’s foot firmly planted on the correct pedal while driving.
Because the driver’s left foot must constantly be ready for braking, there is no space for a footrest or any other place for the left foot to rest except on the pedal.
Why Do F1 Drivers Break With Their Left Foot
Left-foot braking is advantageous to an F1 driver for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it allows the driver to retain faster speeds during cornering, which is critical for fast lap times.
Left-foot braking allows the driver to keep accelerating through bends, improving brake bias and load transfer and allowing the car to tuck into the apex of the corner sooner, cutting corner time in half.
Another reason this approach is so critical for Formula 1 car performance during a race is that it keeps heat out of the brakes.
Carbon brakes are used in F1 cars, and they only work until they reach a temperature of roughly 300oC. (572oF). If they’re any cooler, they’re not going to slow the car down significantly. These brakes are extremely robust and require so much heat to function properly that they can tolerate temperatures above 700oC. (1292oF).
This implies that an F1 car’s brakes must be maintained hot in order to function properly, and adopting the left-foot braking technique allows the driver to keep their brakes operating at peak performance even if they haven’t used them in a while or haven’t been able to corner at high speeds due to rainy conditions.
Because of the increased turning speed, car control, and brake bias reduction that comes with left-foot braking, as well as the fact that it keeps the high-performance F1 brakes in good working order, braking with the left foot is a must for every F1 driver.
Another benefit of left-foot braking is that the driver does not have to take their foot off the throttle. F1 cars are so sensitive to slight pedal movements that even a fraction of a second away from the accelerator pedal at the incorrect time can mean the difference between a first and second place in a race. It takes time to release a driver’s foot from the throttle.
As a result, every F1 driver must use their left foot to brake. A driver who does not use their left foot to brake will have significantly slower lap times than one who does.
The Lack of a Third Pedal
Left foot braking refers to applying the brakes with the left foot rather than the right. When approaching a corner, the driver applies pressure to the brakes with their left hand while releasing the throttle with their right. However, this method implies the absence of a third pedal.
The absence of a third pedal is one of the reasons why the approach has become so popular in Formula 1. Teams have learned that using a clutch on the steering wheel is more efficient as a result of this. Instead of using a clutch, this frees up the left foot to conduct the braking. Back in the day, drivers still used their left foot to stop.
This only applied when approaching a corner that did not need a gear change. Yet again, it’s about decreasing the time the car is moving slowly before being either halting or going, and that’s exactly what racing is about. You’re losing time and, as a result, the race if your car doesn’t stop or go.
Conclusion
Formula One drivers use both feet to drive, utilizing the right for throttle and the left for braking. This practice is so engrained in Formula One that modern F1 vehicles are designed to break with the left foot. They don’t have a clutch, and the two pedals they do have are controlled with one foot each and have bracing to keep the foot from leaving the pedal.
This brake technology helps the driver to gain better performance from the vehicle when cornering, resulting in better control and faster cornering speeds, which reduces lap times.
