Is there a scenario where a layman would use it (i.e. evasive maneuvers)? In what scenario would a racer use it?
Edit: Yes, I mean accel+brake. Heel-toe, etc
In: Engineering
You’ll occasionally see pro drivers apply brake and throttle simultaneously, usually as an advanced technique to help control car balance through tricky sections of track. It’s not used often, but a skilled driver can use it to help maintain higher mid-corner speeds, set up a tricky corner entry or stabilize the car to get on the gas sooner.
Basically, lightly dabbing the brake while under throttle shifts the car’s balance forward, which can give you more front-end grip. You might do this in a corner that can’t normally quite be taken at full throttle, but perhaps could be if you find a touch of extra rotation on corner entry. Dab the brake while flat and you might get that corner entry correct. (Most people would simply lift the throttle to get that same weight transfer and rotation, but it’s possible a light dab of brake is marginally faster.)
Applying (slight) throttle through a braking zone corner does the opposite and can help in stabilizing the front-back weight transfer through a corner. You might do this through a long sweeping turn that has you on the brake through a long tricky braking section, with all the car’s weight over the front axle. Add a dash of maintenance throttle and you might shift the weight slightly to the rear, giving you more confidence you won’t experience oversteer.
You might also use very light throttle to help control a car that’s set up with aggressive engine braking. Maybe the track has a very heavy braking zone that benefits from that extra engine braking, but the same effect destabilizes the car in a different part of the track. One solution might be to apply some light maintenance throttle to lessen the downside effect of engine braking.
All that said, this technique is rare even at the highest level, and you’ll never need to do this as a layperson.
An example is here, comparing Hamilton’s lap against Verstappen at Silverstone. Note how Hamilton is on the throttle at about 20% through several braking zones, and how this helps him maintain a speed advantage over Verstappen.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/i28t52/oc_qualifying_telemetry_hamiltonverstappen_more/#lightbox](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/i28t52/oc_qualifying_telemetry_hamiltonverstappen_more/#lightbox)
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