Velo Città: How to Attack the Final Esse Without Losing the Rear

You attack Velo Città’s final esse by releasing the brake before the first apex and reducing the steering angle in the second arc, not by pressing the throttle harder before it’s time. The rear lets go because the car is still settling its lateral attitude when throttle arrives too quickly in the second half of the corner.

This sequence closes the lap right before the main straight and hides two different traps within the same corner. The first direction change is quick and short. The second already demands a stable car to accept power. Mixing the technique of both phases is the most common mistake at this iRating range.

Where the Rear Really Lets Go

Almost no one spins on esse entry. The problem shows up in the transition between the two arcs, when the wheel reverses direction while the car is still loaded laterally. That’s the moment the rear axle loses part of the grip available to hold the new direction change.

That’s different from a braking mistake. The brake point can be correct and the rear can still let go, because the error lies in the car’s rotation phase, not in the deceleration phase.

The First Arc Decides the Second

If the first arc of the esse is taken with too much steering and the brake released too fast, the car arrives at the second arc already short on rear tire reserve. The correct technique is releasing the brake in proportion to the steering angle you’re applying, not letting go of it all at once.

This is the same principle as releasing the brake in proportion to the steering, except here it decides the outcome of the following corner, not just the corner itself. Whoever turns the wheel too early in the first arc pays the price in the second, and the symptom is often mistaken for a setup issue.

Step by Step to Attack Without Losing the Rear

1. Brake straight and release early. Finish most of the braking before you start steering into the first arc, leaving only a trace of trail brake.
2. Split the steering into two movements. Treat the first and second arcs as separate corners, not as one continuous steering motion.
3. Hold the angle in the middle. At the transition point between the two arcs, keep the steering stable for an instant before reversing it.
4. Apply throttle progressively. Only start adding throttle once the car is already pointed toward the exit of the second arc.
5. Confirm the car’s attitude before the straight. The car needs to be straight, or nearly straight, before the first strong application of power.

Setup Changes That Reduce the Chance of Losing the Rear

• Softer rear anti-roll bar. Gives the rear axle more time to accept the second direction change without breaking grip all at once.
• Less locked diff on acceleration. Prevents exit traction from arriving as a single block and pushing the rear wide.
• Slightly lower rear tire pressure. Increases contact patch exactly at the moment of transition between the arcs.
• Revised rear camber. Excessive camber reduces the tire’s useful area right at the lateral load transfer of the esse.

None of these adjustments replace the correct wheel and pedal technique. They only give you more margin so a small mistake doesn’t turn into a spin. To review the priority order among them, it’s worth checking which four setup adjustments to touch first.

Symptom and Cause, Side by Side

How to Confirm It in the Data Before Changing Anything

Before touching the anti-roll bar or the differential, look at the steering angle graph overlaid with throttle for that specific corner. If the steering peak of the second arc happens before throttle returns to zero, the problem is technique, not setup.

This comparison is one of the three channels worth checking first in telemetry. Laptics automatically compares your lap against a reference by corner phase, so you can see exactly at which meter of the esse the steering, brake, and throttle start fighting each other.

The Mistake That Looks Like the Right Call

Many drivers, upon feeling the rear move in the esse, lift off mid-corner to “catch” the car. The effect is the opposite of what’s expected: the load transfer to the front axle takes even more grip away from the rear on exit.

The right way to react is to keep your foot steady, or even slightly constant, and let the wheel handle the correction. Turning the wheel less in the second arc is, almost always, more effective than touching the pedal.

In Velo Città’s final esse, the car doesn’t lose the rear from a lack of restrained power. It loses it because two separate steering inputs were treated as one.

Practical Summary

Treat the esse as two corners, not one. Release the brake in proportion to the steering in the first arc, hold the angle through the transition, and only accelerate once the car is straight. Setup adjustments come after confirming, in the data, that the technique is already correct.