How racing drivers save fuel efficiently: the lift-and-coast technique

In most motorsport disciplines, fuel management across the race distance is of paramount importance given the strong and restrictive regulations on the powertrains. A few years ago in Formula 1, when the hybrid V6s landed all immature, drivers used to spend a big part of their race saving fuel. We all remember Fernando Alonso’s nightmarish team communications back in the McLaren-Honda days when he was asked to slow down “I don’t want, I don’t want. So I race and then I concentrate on the fuel”.

The question is: how can drivers adapt their driving to save fuel? Probably advanced readers know that the most successful technique is called lift-and-coast. It’s so called as drivers lift the throttle earlier before a heavy braking section, let the engine brake and aerodynamic drag take over for a few hundred meters, and then if needed mildly apply the brakes to coast into the corner. (Other fuel saving methods include short-shifting, left out of the scope of this post.)

Let's analyse in depth how this technique works. We show the throttle and brake used to save 10% fuel. The maximum attack (qualifying lap) throttle is shown in blue, whereas the lift-and-coast is colored in orange. The track Circuit de Catalunya, located in Spain, is used for this example.