Corner Lab

Your car, the corner, and what it's doing there — the setup changes worth trying, in order.

The lap

Circuit de Lédenon · Full Circuit

5 corners, 4 of which decide the lap. What each one asks of the car, and what you do about it.

StraightFast cornerMedium cornerSlow corner
Wing level wanted2/5
Traction demand5/5
Braking demand3/5
Kerb usage3/5
The lapRuns anticlockwise over roughly thirty metres of elevation on a narrow strip with almost no run-off. Nothing else on the rookie calendar is like it: the car is either being compressed or going light for most of the lap, and confidence matters more than outright grip.
Set up forA rear you can trust while the road drops, then traction on the climb. In that order — the descents are where confidence is lost, and a driver who is not committed is slow everywhere.
Classic mistakeSetting up for grip in a corner rather than for behaviour over a crest. This circuit unloads the car constantly, and a setup optimised on a flat corner will not survive the elevation.
Works hardestRears on both descents, fronts through the plateau
Length3.15 km · road course · FR
Corner by corner

Every corner on this layout

A • marks the corners that decide the lap.

T2 The Drop •

Medium · downhill · blind

The road falls away sharply as you commit, and you cannot see where it goes.

Technique
Brake before the descent, not in it. The rear goes light exactly where you would want to be slowing.
Demands
Compression or crest loading · Rear grip limited · Wants a settled rear · Braking-limited

T4 The Climb •

Medium left · steeply uphill

A hard climb taken under power, with the car squatting on its rear axle.

Technique
Get the car straight before you commit. Wheelspin on a gradient this steep is very slow and very easy.
Demands
Traction-limited · Exit-phase limited · Compression or crest loading

T6 The Plateau

Fast · flowing

The one part of the lap where the road is level and you can carry real speed.

Technique
Use it. It is the only place on the circuit that rewards commitment over precision.
Demands
High speed — aero is live · Sustained mid-corner load · Wants a settled rear

T9 The Hairpin •

Slow · hairpin · off-camber

Tight and slow, with the camber falling away from you on the exit.

Technique
Wait. The camber will pull the car wide if you get on the power before it is pointed.
Demands
Low speed — aero does little · Wants yaw on entry · Traction-limited · Exit-phase limited

T12 Final Descent •

Medium · downhill · onto the straight

Downhill onto the pit straight, with barriers close and the car light.

Technique
Smooth wins here. The lap is decided by how early you dare to be back on the throttle while the road is still dropping.
Demands
Rear grip limited · Exit-phase limited · Wants a settled rear · Traction-limited

Corner names and numbering follow common usage; some circuits number differently between layouts.

Sideways

Where to go next

The ranked answer is per car. Pick yours to see what this lap asks of it.

This lap, car by car
Acura ARX-06GTP · mid-engineAcura NSX GT3 EVO 22GT3 · mid-engineAston Martin Vantage GT3 EVOGT3 · front-engineAudi R8 LMS EVO II GT3GT3 · mid-engineBMW M Hybrid V8GTP · mid-engineBMW M2 Racing (G87)Spec / fixed setup · front-engineBMW M4 GT3 EVOGT3 · front-engineCadillac V-Series.RGTP · mid-engineChevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.RGT3 · mid-engineFerrari 296 GT3GT3 · mid-engineFerrari 499PGTP · mid-engineFord Mustang GT3GT3 · front-engineLamborghini Huracán GT3 EVOGT3 · mid-engineMazda MX-5 CupSpec / fixed setup · front-engineMcLaren 720S GT3 EVOGT3 · mid-engineMercedes-AMG GT3GT3 · front-enginePorsche 911 GT3 R (992)GT3 · rear-enginePorsche 963GTP · mid-engine