The Good (& Bad) Karting Driving Mistakes

So, today, in the next 10 to 12 minutes,

I’m going to be explaining to you what I

believe is a massive difference between

two driving mistakes that you can do in

karting. And there’s one mistake that I

consider very bad. And there’s one type

of mistake that I consider very good. So

you may be like, “Oh, but Alessio, like

you know, uh, all mistakes should be

bad, shouldn’t they?” Well, I don’t

agree. You know, not all mistakes are

treated equal. In fact, as you will see

at the end of this video, you will be

equipped to know, okay, these are the

kind of mistakes I should look forward

to make and these instead are the

mistakes that I shouldn’t be looking

forward to make. And that’s not just

based on my experience. That’s also

based on many many drivers that I raced

against and I spoke about and also read

document like I read books from you know

Schumacher Michael Schumacher etc. And

so they describe something very similar.

They may not be using the same words as

me, but uh they describe something very

similar. Now the two mistakes that I’m

talking about and I’m referring to is

over pushing. Okay.

Over pushing

my writing is not the best but hope you

can see. And then the other type of

mistake is the opposite which is under

pushing.

So

let me

make them clear to you what it means. So

in simple terms over pushing is for

example when you are going into a corner

and let’s say it’s uh it’s qualifying

and you have to discover the grip level.

You know uh you never know exactly what

the grip level of specific corner

because you know uh before qualifying

everybody’s going new tires. the

categories before went on new tires and

so the track all of a sudden gets more

grippy but you don’t know exactly where

the grip is. So you have two choices to

make. Either you go in full sand mode in

lap one and you try to obviously once

your tires are up to temperature you are

going to push beyond your limits in

order to find the limit. So let’s say

that the hypothetical limit is this. So

okay this is the hypothetical limit. All

right this is the corner let’s say.

Okay, we are going to make like this is

the corner, right? Just going to make

the corner. Okay, this is like just not

not the best. But let’s say you’re

arriving and okay, this is the corner.

Okay, this is the hypothetical limit. So

there’s the corner in two different I

mean the same corner but two different

approaches.

All right, so the driver that is an over

pushing mode is a driver that is going

to push beyond the limit on lap one. So

he’s going to instead of breaking you

know obviously again it’s going to be

very hard to tell where the limit is. So

obviously as a driver you are always

guessing where the limit is and so

you’re like okay I’m going to break here

and to be honest most of the case we

don’t even have the the references where

we break and so we have to break by

feeling. So the driver that is an over

pushing mode okay that has this kind of

mindset is going to break let’s say the

limit let’s say is 25 mters from the

apex. Okay. So from here to here let’s

say it’s 25 m the limit the like the

perfect the perfect point of breaking in

you know in qualifying. I’m just making

a random number. Okay it’s just like a

random number. So who is in on who the

driver who’s in over pushing mode is is

on is going to break not at 25 m not at

30 m but on lap one he may be breaking

at 22 m. Okay. So on lap one he may be

breaking at 22 meters whereas the same

other driver

you know that is an under pushing mode

which is much more conservative as a

driver is going to be breaking at let’s

say well 28 m. So it’s going imagine

like so the the f the closer you get

here and the less obviously the number

so it’s going to be 28 25 23 obviously

the further away the higher the number.

Okay. So, you can see this driver.

Obviously, both of them are going to be

losing time. All right. Both of them are

going to be losing time because this

driver, let’s say he breaks here. All

right. He’s going to be breaking here

and I expect him to miss the apex,

right? Because he has overpushed. All

right. So, maybe the time loss is let’s

say one one/10enth from the perfect like

ideal corner. This driver though, you

know, is obviously going to break in

this case if he’s in under pushing mode.

He’s gonna break early and he’s probably

going to most of the cases turn early.

Makes the apex very easily, but most of

the times because he has an early apex,

he lose on the exit, too.

But then what’s going to happen on lap

two? On lap two, okay, the over pushing

driver is going to go, okay, you know

what? I realize I just made a mistake. I

I made a mistake. And really quickly in

his brain, he’s like, okay, next lap I

got to break a bit early because, you

know, I missed the apex. I was super

efficient, but I missed the apex. So,

what is going to do the lap after is

going to break at 24 m.

Okay, it’s going to be breaking at 24 m.

And what happens is is that as you can

see, it’s going to break, you know, and

because he’s a bit, you know, earlier

than before. He’s almost going to make

the apex like just about missing it, but

very very tiny bit. Okay, the corner is

still very fast. He only loses like

0.03, 03 let’s say 300s of a second

which is obviously not amazing but not

bad. Whereas this other driver which is

in under pushing mode is going to go

from 28 m to let’s say 26.5.

Let’s say 27. Okay. It’s going to go to

27 m.

It’s going to go 27 m. So he’s gaining

only one meter on the brakes. So you can

as we said he’s a conservative driver.

So again he breaks early. Because he

breaks early automatically you know it

turns in. Oh, actually let’s make the

opposite. So he break because he breaks

a bit later. He turns a little bit later

than before, but it’s still too early

and it’s still too early at the apex and

he still loses time. Let’s say he loses

like 0.05. Okay. Okay. He loses 0.05. So

it’s like half a tenth. Whereas these

other guys lost 0.03 which is 300. But

you see where I’m going? So the two

drivers maybe

on lap three both of them perfectly nail

it and they perfectly get to the

absolute limit you know uh this other

driver get also to the perfect limit and

they both end up doing the absolute

perfect corner which I don’t believe

there isn’t any any such a thing as a

perfect corner because you can always do

the corner like a 0.001 001 faster and

that’s not only me saying it by the way

it was al also like on Santa used to say

this and so I thoroughly believe in this

because

well yeah besid that’s a story for

another day but uh but yeah there’s no

such a thing as as a perfect corner you

can always make at least 1,000 of a

second faster and if you believe you

made the perfect corner that’s when you

stop improving that’s when you stop

growing but the point I wanted to to

make is this two drivers trying to get

to the limit in two different ways one

who is over pushing and the other is

under pushing. So they’re getting

progressively to the limit, you know,

both but in in different ways. But you

have to think about it, why do I believe

over pushing is way better than under

pushing? Because first of all, when you

over push, it takes less time. It takes

less time to find the limit. So again,

let’s say this is the hypothetical

limit. Okay, you need to believe that

obviously

this is the hypothetical limit, right?

Okay, I’m trying to make it proper.

Okay, let’s actually do it like that.

Perfect. So, this is the hypothetical

limit. All right, for both drivers. So,

let’s say this is the hypothetical

limit. Problem is that if you are like

the under pushing driver which is in

conservative mode, what is going to do

is that okay, so this let’s say that

actually let’s make it like this.

This is the limit.

This is the limit. Okay. And these are

the number of laps. So this is like lap

one, lap two, lap three, lap four, lap

five, lab six. Oh, I’m not going to say

that because otherwise.

[laughter and gasps]

Okay, then we same here. Lab one, lab

two, lab three. I don’t want this to be

too boring. Like I just wanted to to

prove a point. So these are two separate

things. what’s above and down. But hear

me out. So the underpushing driver, so

the conservative is lap one, two, oh

one, two, three, etc. One, two, three,

etc. So what’s going to do this driver

is going to be like, okay, let’s say

this is the limit. Okay, this is like

100%. Okay, so there’s like 100%.

And uh let’s say here’s like 90, there’s

like 80, here’s like 110%. Okay. So

again, here is u 100%. Let’s do the same

here. So that you get my point. So

what’s going to happen? It’s going to

happen that the driver here

is on lap one most of the time going to

be like driving at 80%. So he’s going to

just break very early.

So it’s going to be like that. Then the

next lap is going to be be at like 88%

then it’s going to be at 90%. then it’s

going to be a 92 and then by the end of

the session he probably gets to the

limit

and you’ll be like oh but alo then he

may manage to make to get to the limit

you know so what’s the problem you know

by lap seven all right he gets to the

limit and you’re like oh what’s the

problem look at the difference between

the over pushing driver which is the one

I like the over pushing driver does the

opposite so on lap one what he does is

pal he right away pushes beyond the

limit let’s say he goes to 105 5%. He

realizes, oh, I push a bit too hard and

then he’s like, you know, I need to

break a bit earlier and then already by

lap two or three, he has already found

the limit. You’ll be like, oh, Allessio,

you know, you’re saying this. I mean,

there’s nothing that can prove that. I’m

telling it works like that. Because when

you are under the limit, when you’re

under pushing, you never really know

where where was the limit. Think about

it. If you make the apex so easily,

you probably assume, I mean, if you’re

realistic, that you are not on the

limit, right? Think about all the time

that you make an apex and you’re like,

“Oh, I made it too easily,” right?

You’re like, “Shit, I should have break

a bit later, you know?” And so, it’s

like you put a mental sticky note in

your in your brain and like one of

these, I don’t know if you can see. It’s

like if you put a sticky note in your

brain when you made the apex to you’re

like okay next lap I got to definitely

break later because I break too early

but again you break maybe like confirm

the lap before you just break one meter

later but what if again you are like

breaking like 10 meters too too early

right it will take you 10 laps to do

like one meter step so it’s going to be

so hard it’s going to take so long and

if it’s a qualifying where you have to

take you know you have to find the limit

in two three laps it’s going to you know

result in you not finding the limit till

the end of the session you’re But I

said, “But I know the the track, you

know, I already know where the limit

is.” Well, yes, it could be a good

argument, but the reality is that on on

new tires, the track always gets quite a

bit faster. You know, maybe some

sometimes half a second or sometimes

even one second if the track becomes

very very grippy with soft tires from

all the categories on the track.

You know, if you are the conservative

drive that just pushes the limit just

little by little, I’m telling you,

you’re not going to be able to to get to

the limit as fast as if you are that

kind of driver that is in over pushing

mode. This one here. And as I said, if I

if I actually show you again, like this

driver is going to be pum on above the

limit. So, it’s going to break too late

in lap one, miss the apex, bam, lap two,

it breaks a bit too late again, bam, lap

three is on it. And then it’s going to

be like you know obviously nobody’s a

robot. It’s difficult to to be perfect

like every lap. I mean not even Max

Stapen can do that. But uh for sure if

you if you are from that kind of uh if

you have this kind of mentality and

mindset if you are have no fear if

you’re full of courage and you just go

in lap one and you send it and you just

go a little beyond the limit. There’s

also another very very important part

that you have to consider is that the

tire temperatures play a massive role

and when you I mean when 90% of the

tires in 90% of conditions you know

especially with these ecological tires

nowadays that are so hard I mean last

week and we had a race with with MGs at

Italian championships you know it the

more laps you do the the the warmer they

get and every lap it gets faster and

faster. So in like six six minutes

quali, the last lap is always going to

be the quickest because the tires just

need more temperature, more need more

energy. And so if you drive like a

gentleman on lap one, if you drive very

conservatively, you’re not going to warm

up the tire as much as if you attack the

corners like crazy in this kind of over

pushing mentality, right? So this is

another point is not only it’s very

beneficial to be over pushing obviously

unless you are in a street circuits. I

mean I raced in street circuits in in

Mon not Monaco Macau but po and po Grand

Prix Norris ring I love that in F3 and

uh I didn’t do it in F2 unfortunately

but in F3 and I also won a major formula

3 race in in po and that was such an

amazing such amazing time but what you

learn in the street circuits is that you

cannot over push on on lap one you know

because otherwise if you do it right

away you’re in the wall and not only

you’re going to lose a lot of track time

but it’s very expensive you And you

don’t want to do that unless you’re like

L stroll and you have a limited budget.

But um so what I learned from the street

circuit is like I had to kind of like

change my approach from my over pushing

approach to being more like this guy

like under pushing mentality like this

is all right. This is like this was this

is me all the time, right? But when I

had to do the street circuit, I had to I

had to be more like this because you

know if you again overshoot the corner

and you go into the wall, it’s game

over, right? Especially in quali or in a

race. So you have to take it step by

step, you know, you have to get there.

But when what I realized is that I don’t

like that approach, you know, and it’s

not efficient because it takes so long

to get to the lap time. Uh and so I was

like, you know, oh, I was like, man, now

I understand why it’s so important to

over push in the first laps when you go

to normal tracks, you know, especially

in carting. In carting there’s no street

circuits. I mean unless you’re doing

some uh uh some street circuits races

but please ping me. I want to come too.

That would be fun. But uh but you know

in carting you don’t have any problems

with that. Uh you can push your limits.

And that’s what I love about carting is

that you don’t have to worry about

crashing and having to spend 150 grand

on on a car repairs as you have to do in

GT3s or in formula cars unfortunately.

So in cartingly it’s the purest form of

motorsport I believe and uh and so you

can really throw the card and you can

really push the limits and that’s so fun

by the way. I mean that’s what makes me

alive when I drive and I guess that’s

what makes alive makes you alive too. So

when I go in in a qualifying session, I

mean I’m like on the first lap, I’m over

push. Okay, obviously I need to get

basic temperature in the tires because

otherwise it’s not good for the tire to

start pushing and start sliding on the

tire until there’s basic in like core

temperature. But what I noticed that

whenever I have the temperature, let’s

say lap one or two, I start I I’m like

over pushing on the on the first laps

because so by doing so I I figure out

right away where the limit is. Okay.

It’s so much easier for me to find the

limit instead of waiting just for the

last lap to find the limit because let’s

say there’s like um uh you know, let’s

say there’s like 12 corners in a lap.

You know, I’m just like making a random

track. You know, you don’t only have to

find the limit in one corner. You have

to find the limit in different corner

like this one. Turn one, two, turn

three. So, if you are postponing this to

the last lap when the tires are hot,

you’re probably not going to be able to

find it in most of the corners. I mean,

not even if you’re the goat, I’m telling

you. So you need to start finding the

limit right away. Lap two I would say

after you get basic temperature in the

tires and as I said by doing so not only

you will get closer to the limit faster

but also you will generate so much more

heat and so much more energy into the

tires because remember whenever you push

more into the corner like if you have

like this is another point is you over

push yes it’s not only the braking point

it’s also how efficient you are on the

brakes for example. So if you are going

and let’s say over pushing, you’ll

realize you’re missing a corner. You’re

like, “Holy I gotta hold the

brakes like crazy.” And so you’re going

to be maximum threshold braking and then

you know trailing the brakes until like

at the apex, but you have to threshold

break at the beginning like lock the

tires and uh by doing so you generate a

huge amount of temperatures. Whereas if

you are this other driver here to the

right, the under pushing driver, which

is conservative, and you break early,

what are you going to do if you break

early, which 99% of the drivers do? They

not only they turn early, but they

release the brakes. And by doing so,

you’re not generating temperature.

You’re not generating um yeah, you’re

just not just not generating grip. And

especially in cold conditions or hard

tires. Um as I said, if you’re driving

with MGs or or Maxes, you know, if

you’re not genuine the temperature,

you’re like driving on ice the first

laps. And so it’s like a vicious cycle

because you’re not pushing in the first

laps. You you’re going to be sliding

more and more. And I’m telling you, not

only this is deadly for a quali, but

it’s also and way more deadly in a race

because even if you manage to get P1 in

quali, all right, because you have an

amazing equip equipment, you do like the

last lap, you’re able to put everything

together and you do like a, you know,

alien lap like, you know, you put

everything together somehow, let’s say.

But if you then going into the race and

in lap one you take it step by step and

you’re like 90% on the limit, you know,

in the first lap and the others are

already at 99 or 101, you know, they’re

going to be not only warming up the

tires way more than you, but they’re

going to be finding the limit way early

than you. And so even if you are

studying P1, you probably get passed by

every like every corner, you’re going to

get overtaken at least by one driver.

You know what I mean? So, and if it’s 10

corners, you’re going to get passed by

10 drivers. I mean honestly I am

exaggerating I know but uh you you have

to understand the point. It’s really

like that. I believe there two there’s

these two kind of mistakes and you

should favor one over the other. If I

see my drivers at baby race are just too

conservative and they are yes losing

one/10enth or two10 in one corner but

they do that because they break early

and release the brakes and they do it

not only in the lap one but also in the

last lap. I get so mad because I’m like

mate what are you afraid of? I mean just

over push the limits and by the way this

is another important not important thing

and you develop car control when you are

driving over the limit you develop car

control which is an essential skill

right I mean it’s like ice carting and

those kind of skill like driving the way

you develop car control but you do not

develop car control when you’re driving

below the limit like think about it when

you’re running in the engine

you’re not developing car control

because you’re so far away from the

limit and therefore you only develop a

control when you are on the limit or

above the limit. So you have to oh

I’m missing the corner. I’m controlling

over steer, controlling under steer,

etc. So just by definition, this thing

alone just should should should frame

you into this mindset of just being over

pushing, over pushing. Of course, when

you get to the last laps, you obviously

want to bring it back. But it’s not

like, oh, unless you said you should

over push, now you’re going to miss the

apex just because unless you said so.

No, I mean like you need to do it

strategically. I’m so happy if you miss

the apex the first few laps of a session

to get, you know, finding the li and as

I said, you know, you start by missing

that over the li and then you you

gradually find the limit and you

obviously the goal is by the end of the

the session you are on on the limit, you

know, not above the limit. Come on,

let’s be let’s be real. Um, but the the

equally the to the only way and the the

best way to get to the limit is to

really go beyond it and then get closer.

Guys, there’s nothing to lose. There’s

nothing to be afraid of. I mean, I’m

telling you, I came from Formula 3 and

Formula 2 where I was so freaking scared

of destroying the car when I was in

Macau. And my father before getting into

the car was like, “Uless you make sure.”

Yeah, push but be careful. Uh you can

better to lose one/10enth but not

destroy the car because you know he he

made me realize most many times that we

didn’t have the budget, you know. Um,

and so if like I crashed, not only I

wouldn’t be able to race the next races,

but I probably I had to probably stop

alto together. So,

so every time I I go and drive on track

now with my cart, I’m like there’s not

like I think about those days where I

had, you know, the constraints not only

about the walls that if you if you over

push or in the wall you’re not driving,

but also the financial thing like a sh I

cannot over push because not only will I

not be driving, but I will also have to

we will also have to pay because you

know in formula cars and GTS like you

there’s no insurance that can cover.

It’s like it’s yeah it’s just it’s it’s

a bit of a broken model but yeah if you

over if you try to find that alpha 10th

and you destroy the car and you have to

spend 200 grand to repair that. I mean

uh well I guess if you’re again L stroll

and this that’s nothing. I I I have had

teammates where it was like nothing you

know okay it’s no problem it’s like it’s

like literally nothing. It’s like pocket

change for them. I had bunch of

teammates like that but thankfully I was

not I was not the case. I mean, and um

and so long story short, when I get when

I got back to carting, I’m like, “This

is amazing.” You know, I can over push

the limits without any constraints,

without any fear of making damages.

What’s the worst? You’re going to pick

up some dirt, uh some grass, some stones

when you go off the track. And that’s

amazing, you know. And by the way,

that’s I have this rule at Baby Race,

especially in the testing days when they

have to learn new tracks. I’m like, if

you’re not coming out of the session

with some grass or some dirt on the on

on the car like you that you clearly

went off the track because you pushed

the limits. Obviously, there’s two way

to go off the track. One, it’s uh

because you pushed more limits and you

tried to use more track for example on

entry and you just dropped the wheel and

you went off or because you over pushed

the corner, you went off on the exit.

You went on the gas and you went off on

the exit. Or there’s another way that’s

like forgetting to turn and missing the

corner with like little speed or you

know that’s that’s another kind of uh

mistake. But again, it’s it’s very rare

to be honest with me to go off the track

because you’re not pushing enough. But

again, you should be doing these

mistakes. You should be framing your

mindset of going on the track next time

you go out and be like, you know what,

I’m going to choose being over pushing

rather than under pushing. And on lap

one, I’m going to find the limit. I’m

going to be beyond the limit. And by

doing so, it’s going to be much easier

to find the limit and go back to it. Not

only that, it’s going to be so much

better for my tires because I’ll

generate temperature earlier on. I’ll

have a much better aggressive driving

style, especially in the race. I mean, I

remember Max Fest and I was looking up

to him. He was always like one category

above me except two, three races we did

together in juniors. And I remember this

guy in lap one, he would like smoke

coming out of his tires in the winter

cup in the in in January. It was like or

February is like in this race at Lonato

like he was going through the lap one

like breaking so hard like locking the

tires and the real was like smoking and

but by doing so not only could break

super late but he could generate so much

tire temperature and I learned from him.

He was winning that race in this

category in in those seniors and I was

winning in junior and he was winning in

in shifters and I was winning in in

seniors you know we won it together. Um

yeah with backto-back wins and that was

considered as like the world

championship. there was like 120 drivers

uh per category that that those years.

Unfortunately, that there’s no more that

race. But yeah, I remember that I was

looking up to him like this guy in lap

one and two is pushing like crazy much

more than anybody. He would build a huge

gap like one two seconds gap within the

first five laps and then it would be

easy for him you know and you would keep

pushing but you would like the once the

gap is is established then everybody

would start fighting in the back and it

was like you you would see that it was

like such an easy win for him. The

reason why he was so good, not only was

warming up the tires so well in the

formation lap, but Max was just like

amazing in the first couple of laps, he

would just like push more than the

others, generating more temperature. And

yeah, I learned from that I learned from

that moment and that I had to do the

same. And it’s just my my standard

operating procedure now. Like you will

see me going off the track. You’ll see

me making mistakes because I use too

much track because I break too late, you

know, because I get on the gas too

early, stuff like that. So

yeah, I hope this uh relates to you and

uh try applying this next time you’re on

track. I hope this video was

interesting. Let me know if you have

some suggestions for other videos like

that. I if you like this kind of

whiteboard format, please let me know in

the comments. I would like to do it at

least one once a week and obviously if I

have the time. But I hope you liked it.

Get let’s get in touch somehow. Uh, I’ll