So how do you keep a Ferrari from sliding around? Don’t ask it to do too many things at once. When you think about it there are really only four things you ask of a car. Speed up, slow down, turn, or maintain speed. At the track the very first thing I learned was I had to use the brakes to slow down for corners. It is seldom on the road that I am driving fast enough I have to brake for a corner. On the track if I had to brake for every corner. If not, one of two things would have been true. Either I was going too slowly or I would end up getting well acquainted with a tire wall.

If you get to drive on the track or if you are going fast enough on the road that you need to brake for a corner don’t ask your car to slow down and turn simultaneously. Get all the busy, distracting stuff involved with slowing down and changing gears done while the car is going straight. Let the car settle down then turn.

Why? Turning unsettles the car, braking unsettles the car, and shifting unsettles the car. Together, these unsettling events reduce the tire’s grip and the speed at which you can safely get through the corner. Easy stuff, but watch other drivers. Most people apply their brakes when turning and do not release the brake until they are well past the apex of the turn.