What is “lift and coast” and why it is used
Before analysing Charles Leclerc’s specific case in Spain, let’s define what “lift and coast” is. It is a driving technique that consists in lifting the foot off the throttle early (“lift”) when approaching a braking point or a corner, allowing the car to roll for a certain amount of time without applying throttle or brake (“coasting”), until it is time to begin braking or reapplying power on corner exit.
This approach, while resulting in lap time loss, is often used by all drivers during race phases for several reasons:
Fuel saving: lifting off the throttle early reduces engine power demand, allowing for fuel savings necessary to complete the race while staying within the minimum fuel level set by regulations.
Power unit temperature management: similarly, in case of overheating—due, for example, to extreme weather conditions or prolonged exposure to dirty air—coasting for several meters at lower revs helps cool the power unit and thus improves reliability.
Tyre management: reduced throttle demand helps manage the tyres, both in terms of thermal degradation and wear, improving race pace consistency and extending tyre life.
Charles Leclerc telemetry analysis in Spain
During the third stint of the Spanish GP, Charles Leclerc had to use lift and coast almost constantly. To understand the direct impact of this technique, it is useful to analyse telemetry by comparing his best lap in the third stint with the best lap of the second stint, where no such limitation was present.
Overlaying the data clearly shows how, at the end of the main straight, Charles Leclerc lifts off the throttle about 150 meters before the usual braking point, coasting through that stretch. As a result, in that phase the speed drops gradually, mainly due to aerodynamic drag.
Source: F1inGenerale
As for the lap time impact, as can be seen from the rapidly falling delta channel, the manoeuvre at that point on the Spanish circuit costs Charles Leclerc more than one tenth. This certainly helps explain the Monegasque’s less competitive pace compared to the previous stint, in which such management limitations were absent.
The specific reason at Ferrari
A team radio, however, suggests that Charles Leclerc had to apply lift and coast for a reason different from the more common ones listed earlier. The Ferrari pit wall, in fact, instructed him to do it always—except when the DRS was open.
This instruction suggests the reason could be related to preserving the plank, i.e., the wooden skid block mounted on the car’s floor, whose maximum wear is regulated under penalty of disqualification. This wear increases in spots where the car reaches the minimum ride height, causing the phenomenon known as “bottoming,” or contact between the car’s floor and the track surface. This occurs especially at the end of straights, where the car hits top speed and thus maximum downforce, which compresses the car towards the ground, reducing ride height.
In this context, the DRS plays a key role: when open, it reduces aerodynamic drag and with it some of the downforce, slightly increasing ride height. Applying lift and coast only when the moveable flap is closed would therefore appear to be a targeted solution to reduce bottoming and thus plank wear, possibly required due to an aggressive ride height setup aimed at maximising aerodynamics.
This highlights the commendable effort from the Prancing Horse’s engineers, willing to push the limits to maximise performance—a strategy that ultimately helped bring the driver to the podium.
Source: f1ingenerale
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