Heel and toe in F1

[CANGOQUICK]

I'd like to know how many current Formula One drivers can heel and toe. Any thoughts....?

[dave87]

Probably most of them, considering they would have worked their way up to F1, rather than merely starting there.

[EDLT]

All of them.

[TheEnd]

i'd say they all can, but use the paddle shifts....

[DieselJohn]

Even I can heel-toe it's not hard.

Apart from in my new car where the bloody pedals are too far apart.

[Sharief]

Why would they heel toe whilst in an F1 car?

[HAB]

Sharief said:

Why would they heel toe whilst in an F1 car?

Exactly.

[CANGOQUICK]

Sharief said:

Why would they heel toe whilst in an F1 car?

I realise they don't heel and toe in current F1 cars, thats my point. If they go straight from karting to F3 for example. When do they learn?

[Tunku]

I would have thought it would be more useful in rallying etc.

[EDLT]

Tunku said:

I would have thought it would be more useful in rallying etc.

WRC drivers use a sequential box so they don't have to either.

[jaik]

I can't see how they wouldn't know having most likely grown up around cars?

[CANGOQUICK]

jaik said:

I can't see how they wouldn't know having most likely grown up around cars?

I'm sure your right. How many of them have had the chance to use it whilst racing though?

I just think it's a shame the art of heeling and toeing is no more in modern motor racing...

[The Black Flash]

EDLT said:

Tunku said:

I would have thought it would be more useful in rallying etc.

WRC drivers use a sequential box so they don't have to either.

WRC drivers don't use H&T, but it's nowt to do with the box being sequential, and everything to do with them left foot braking.

[cptsideways]

Don't forget most of them will have worked there way through the ranks, been instructors at circuits & no doubt are more than capable of all the tricks.

Even Lewis used to work at Palmersport in his younger days

[Ianeire]

Every rally driver can heel & toe, they hardly started in WRC cars learning their trade.

H&T is quite easy, it just takes a little practice and patience to find the best way to do it in what you're driving.

[jaik]

CANGOQUICK said:

jaik said:

I can't see how they wouldn't know having most likely grown up around cars?

I'm sure your right. How many of them have had the chance to use it whilst racing though?

I just think it's a shame the art of heeling and toeing is no more in modern motor racing...

It's still used in the most entertaining (IMO) forms of motorsport; things like the Clio Cup.

[fastfreddy]

Most F1 drivers will be good all round drivers and are experienced enough to have driven cars where this is necessary.

Also, you still need often need to heel & toe with a sequential box, depending on the type of gearbox and shifter, especially in the wet with a FWD car.

I have come across a few very young race drivers who have only ever driven karts or sequential box race cars and not even had experience of driving a manual car on the road. Clutch control and heel & toe can be a real problem in these cases.

All round experience of all types of cars and techniques can only be an advantage I reckon.

[matt3001]

CANGOQUICK said:

Sharief said:

Why would they heel toe whilst in an F1 car?

I realise they don't heel and toe in current F1 cars, thats my point. If they go straight from karting to F3 for example. When do they learn?

In Formula BMW and Renault, nobody goes straight from Karting to F3

[tomTVR]

I would love to see a clutch and H pattern gearbox, that would sort out the drivers!

[anonymous-user]

They all have clutches.
H pattern boxes can be faster on the downshift in some circumstances, you can miss out gears at will, you cant with a sequential. H pattern arnt hard to use compared to a sequencial, getting used to dog boxes is where the skill is and once you have that sussed out it all done very quickly and automatically.