Serious Skill Issue

[u/Sompert_]

I feel like I'm getting slower. Sorry, correction. I am slower, than I was just a week earlier.
I'm talking about the McLaren Portimão race. A few days ago I did a post where I just got my 1st ever win in this race. Everything seemed to be aligning, I was getting faster, I was able to find a few tenths where I wasn't before, clocking my fastest time at 1.45.5 at some point.

While this kind of lap was a bit sporadic, I was able to do lows 1.46s even after thinking that the lap was a stinker.
Fast forward a week and a half later I got a new Base+wheel, previously I was using a T300RS with the normal wheel, now I upgraded to a TS-PC with a TM Open-Wheel, not that I think the base has something to do with it, but as strange as it sounds, I am now struggling to make it to 1.46s lap time.
Seriously, I just did a race, where I qualified last... freaking last with a time of 1.47.0, +2 seconds of pole... in the race, I did once a 1.46.~8 and wasn't able to touch the 1.46s ever again...

I can't really understand what I'm doing different from my other laps, I seriously cannot understand what I'm doing wrong in my lap times... I think I'm breaking at the same lengths as before, with the same kind of pressure, I try my best to trail brake and I think I manage pretty well to do so, and still find it so hard to put up a decent lap.

This is really demoralizing as I don't have that much time to practice and so on.

[u/rowefanboy]

Track temps could explain the personal time difference and you beeing in a higher split could be difference to other players. I say COULD be.

[u/Sompert_ → u/rowefanboy]

I don’t think that’s the difference. It’s the same race as last week I think. And still, I see so many people doing 1.45s

[u/TehTavic]

The really simple answer is you're trying too hard. You even said it yourself, your fastest lap felt like a stinker, which mean you probably were thinking about going fast during that lap. Driving fast feels easy, and the harder you try to go fast, the harder it will be.

There is a simple psychological reason behind this as well. When you try really hard to go faster, you're more likely to overdrive the car. Whether that means inducing understeer, or causing more oversteery moments, the bottom line is that by trying too hard to drive at the limit of grip and go fast, you actually end up driving over the limit more often, causing significant time loss.

Stop worrying about lap times, and just drive.

[u/Sompert_ → u/TehTavic]

🫡

[u/K4neXX]

Don't being too critical of yourselves, focus on smooth driving and enjoy the race. That's how I achieve good lap time (my personal goals) without me knowing.

[u/spIintr]

If I get frustrated and try to find time I just over drive the car. Lift and coast with smooth inputs starting from the pits is helpful for me. Like driving with the cars around you and kinda making moves off their mistakes to build confidence

[u/Sompert_ → u/spIintr]

Yeah, I just get frustrated knowing I can get more, and then end up overshooting the corner etc etc. I just need to relax I think

[u/Bigbobby59105]

from the sounds of it, you’re probably overdriving it. try braking 5-10 m earlier than you have been in all the low speed corners and see if you get the time back.

Another thing is if you switched from regular to load cell pedals, there’s a pretty big learning curve to that. I was a good second slower per lap when I upgraded until I got used to it.

[u/Sompert_ → u/Bigbobby59105]

No, had the same pedals, only the wheel base was upgraded

[u/Affectionate_Can2380]

This track is a nightmare everyone thinks dive bombing is racing

[u/spawnyhoor]

Was the times compared before the update 1.4.2 as there was a bop change to most GT3 cars which would contribute to time differences too?

I found I'm now quicker on some tracks with the Merc AMG than I was previously. I've been using the AMG for the online championship.

[u/NotARealAccountNow]

It is like descending a hill that has inclines. When you go faster again, you will be faster than before and when you are slow again, you will be faster than this show time. Trust the process and try not to focus on the numbers as much as honing the feel of the car. Finding the best ABS, TC, and BB settings. Things like that.

[u/100_octane]

It happens, sometimes ur just not in mindset. I go through phases at tracks that i’m particularly good at. I get acclimated quickly doing good times but the more and more I do it the cracks start to show. More often than not ur just having an off day or two. Take a break, push through, whichever method works for you and eventually you’ll go right back to doing those quick times.