Lift & Coast (L&C) is a driver setting that lifts the throttle earlier before braking zones to save fuel + tire temperature. It costs lap time — typically 2–4% — but it’s the lever that lets you finish a race when you over-fuelled or run hotter compounds than ideal.
What it actually does
When L&C is active, every lap:
- Speed reduction (zone-weighted):
- Braking zones: −2.4–4.8% (most aggressive lift)
- Lifting zones: −2.0–4.0% (carries less corner speed)
- Accelerating zones: −0.3–0.6% (minimal — still accelerates)
- Tire temperature target reduced: 4–8°C cooler
- Fuel consumption reduced: 10–20%
All three numbers scale with driver intelligence — high INT drivers execute L&C more efficiently, losing only ~2% pace; low INT drivers lose closer to 4%.
The INT bonus
int_norm = effective_intelligence / 20.0
penalty_base = 0.04 - 0.02 × int_norm
fuel_save = 0.10 + 0.10 × int_norm
tire_cooling = 4 + 4 × int_norm (°C)| INT | Speed penalty | Fuel saved | Tire cooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.0% | 10% | 4°C |
| 5 | 3.5% | 12.5% | 5°C |
| 10 | 3.0% | 15% | 6°C |
| 15 | 2.5% | 17.5% | 7°C |
| 20 | 2.0% | 20% | 8°C |
A high-INT driver gets nearly twice the benefit at half the cost. L&C is dramatically more effective with smart drivers.
When the AI uses it
The AI Lift & Coast module toggles L&C on:
| Trigger | AI activates L&C |
|---|---|
Fuel emergency (fuel_laps_remaining < 2.5) | Yes — survival mode |
| Tire overheat (>5°C above optimal_high) | Yes — cooling lap(s) |
Defending in dirty air (backing_off > 0) | Sometimes — combine with back-off |
| Active overtake commit | No — kills the overtake |
| Final stint, comfortable fuel | No — push to the flag |
The AI checks every 4 seconds (hold_interval); a flip-flopping driver can’t be productive.
When you should manually toggle
L&C is exposed to you via the L&C button in the race UI (or a hotkey). Override the AI when:
- You over-fuelled at the last stop — running heavy = lapping slow; lift to recover the fuel deficit on a few laps and the engine map to compensate later
- You see an orange engine overheat warning — combine with engine map 0–3 to bring the temp down
- Tire wear is way ahead of plan — buy time for the cliff to stay manageable
- You’re defending and want to break the tow — running slower in dirty air can kill the chaser’s draft
When to NOT use L&C
- You’re on the last 3 laps with plenty of fuel — nothing to save for, push instead
- You’re in an active overtake commitment — L&C cancels your speed boost
- You’re chasing P-X with track position to gain — L&C costs the very pace you’re trying to gain
- Your driver has INT 5 or below — the penalty outweighs the fuel save unless you’re emergency-low
L&C + engine map combo
The two settings work in tandem:
| State | Map | L&C | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal cruise | 5 | OFF | Default |
| Save fuel mildly | 4 | OFF | Light economy |
| Save fuel actively | 3 | ON | Medium economy, 2% pace |
| Emergency fuel | 0–2 | ON | Maximum save, 3–4% pace |
| Push to win | 8–10 | OFF | Maximum pace, fuel cost |
Map and L&C don’t replace each other — they stack. Map alone trims fuel by 10–15%; L&C alone trims by 10–20%; the combo can extend a fuel target by 25–30%.
Tire-cooling use case
L&C also drops tire temp by 4–8°C. This matters when:
- You’re running Soft tires in hot conditions and they’re overheating
- You just exited an aggressive overtake (extra tire load) and need to bring temps back to optimal window
- The dirty-air degradation is heating your tires beyond the heat-resistance window of your supplier
Two laps of L&C can drop tires by 5–10°C without losing more than 1–2 seconds across both laps.
Driver match
| Driver profile | L&C suitability |
|---|---|
| High INT (15–20) + Smooth Operator (when traits land) | Excellent — minimal pace cost, max save |
| High INT, low CON | Good for fuel save, but mistake risk under L&C remains |
| Low INT (1–8) | Avoid except emergencies — penalty too high |
Choker (driver trait, planned) | OK — they’re slow on lap 1 anyway, L&C cost is hidden |
Reading the UI
When L&C is active, the race UI shows a small L&C badge next to the driver name, plus a toggle indicator on the engine map widget. Commentary may say “X is lift-and-coasting” when the AI fires it on a fuel-emergency.
Quick reference
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Default state | OFF (the AI activates when needed) |
| Pace cost (high INT) | ~2% |
| Pace cost (low INT) | ~4% |
| Fuel save | 10–20% (INT-scaled) |
| Tire cooling | 4–8°C (INT-scaled) |
| Combine with map 0–2 | Yes — emergency fuel save |
| Combine with map 10 | No — they cancel out |
| Combine with active overtake | No — overtake commitment kills L&C |