5 Throttle Mistakes That Destroy Your Lap Time in F1 25

Improving your lap times in F1 25 isn’t always about the car setup or hitting every apex. Often, the biggest gains come from addressing small but costly habits. While braking techniques, like trail braking, often get the spotlight, throttle application is equally important and is often easier to fix. Mismanaging the throttle can ruin corner exits, cause instability, or cause understeer.

In this guide, I will break down five of the most common throttle mistakes that sim racers—from casual players to top-tier esports drivers—make in F1 25. I will not only explain why these mistakes are harmful but also give you practical advice on how to fix them.

1. Touching the Throttle While Braking

One of the most basic but widespread throttle mistakes is remaining on the throttle while braking. Even a few percent of unintended input can destabilize the car, lengthen your braking distance, and reduce consistency.

Pressing the throttle at the same time as the brakes can cause understeer and make it harder to slow the car effectively.

This mistake is not exclusive to beginners. Even world-class drivers, such as Jarno Opmeer, have a tendency to throttle blip too early in the braking zone. In most cases, this happens because of over-eagerness or pedal mis-calibration.

How to fix it:

• Check your pedals: Sometimes hardware can register inputs too easily. Recalibrate in-game or adjust pedal dead zones. Pressing the throttle a small amount, then pressing the min calibration button on your pedals in Moza or Fanatec software is often the easiest way to fix this.
• Be deliberate: Mentally separate braking and accelerating. When braking, your only job is to brake—don’t hover over the throttle.
• Use telemetry: Tools like Team Telemetry or the in-game telemetry HUD can help you identify whether you’re truly lifting off fully. Here is a video on how to install the Team Telemetry Software.

The rule here is simple: when you’re braking in F1 25, you should be 100% off the throttle. No overlap.

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2. Double Inputting: Dancing on Both Pedals

If light throttle under braking is a small mistake, then dancing on inputs is a much larger one. This happens when drivers are rapidly switching between the brake and throttle in quick succession mid or late corner.

It often looks like this: brake → throttle → brake again → then throttle. Under race pressure, especially in wheel-to-wheel combat, drivers sometimes panic and unconsciously “dance” between inputs. The result is a car that doesn’t rotate.

At Austria, for example, Tom97’s telemetry shows a driver still touching the brake pedal mid-exit—even while approaching full throttle. 

How to fix it:

• Focus on sequencing: One input at a time. Brake first, then release, then accelerate.
• Practice discipline in races: Mistakes that don’t appear in time trial often come up under pressure. Record race sessions to spot them.
• Brake earlier: Many drivers double input because they braked too late or are not trailing braking enough.

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3. Being Too Smooth: Missing the Throttle Jump

While over-aggression is sometimes punished in sim racing, there are times when being too gentle is actually the mistake. One of these is failing to “jump” onto the throttle when traction allows it.

In high-speed corners, or in cars with strong downforce, the grip is there to support a quick, decisive throttle input. If you roll onto the throttle too slowly, you risk understeer on corner exit, forcing you to over-correct later and potentially causing snap oversteer. (shown below)

This mistake is especially common among newer players who fear wheelspin. Ironically, their caution often destabilizes the car more than a confident input would.

How to fix it:

• Learn corner types: High- and medium-speed corners often reward an assertive throttle jump, while slow hairpins require patience.
• Use the throttle overshoot: Many esports drivers show sharp throttle spikes followed by minor dip. This is intentional and effective for getting the car to rotate on exit while allowing a correction for potential oversteer. Additionally this allows the engine to maintain high revs on exit. 

The art of throttle application isn’t about being overly cautious. It’s about knowing when to commit.

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4. On Throttle Too Early

Another common error is getting on the throttle too early, and then having to lift before reapplying more throttle. This is not as bad as double inputting, but it still disrupts rhythm and costs time.

Here’s the typical sequence:

1. The driver applies the throttle too soon.
2. The car begins to understeer and run wide.
3. The driver needs to lift the throttle partially.
4. The driver re-applies throttle once the car is stable.

This staggered application kills momentum and likely means you are missing the apex and taking a compromised line. Instead of one clean, strong exit, you’re left with a slower exit.

How to fix it:

• Patience at apex: Train yourself to wait a split second longer before committing. Sooner is not faster. It is better to wait and apply a larger throttle jump at the apex than to try to apply a small throttle input too early thinking it will give you a better exit. 
• Listen to the car: If you’re consistently running wide mid-corner, it’s likely you’re rushing back onto the throttle.

Remember, a single clean throttle input is worth more than several hesitant ones.

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5. Stairstepping the Throttle

The final throttle mistake is what I call stairstepping—holding the pedal at fixed percentages (say 40%, then 70%) instead of applying it fluidly.

Stairstepping creates flat, unnatural throttle traces. Instead of micro-adjusting to balance grip, the driver locks into “steps,” which reduces car control.

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The best drivers, like Jarno Opmeer, constantly correct their throttle inputs with tiny dips and rises, reflecting subtle balance corrections. Increases in throttle can create oversteer while decreases in throttle can create understeer. Use these micro corrections to keep the car rotating at the ideal slip angle. 

Flat throttle steps, by contrast, suggest the driver is waiting for the car instead of actively managing it. 

How to fix it:

• Pedal maintenance: Make sure your pedals are smooth and properly lubricated—hardware issues or pedals that have never been cleaned can create stickiness and encourage the step-like inputs. Additionally pedals that have a very large resistance spring can also impact your smoothness.
• Drills: Practice corner exits in practice sessions, aiming for fluid telemetry lines. “Squeeze the throttle” and “smooth is fast” are two sentences that apply for throttle applications after the initial throttle jump. 
• Think micro-adjustments: Small changes in pressure keep the car balanced and rotating.

The goal is to be reactive and fluid in getting the car to rotate, not rigid.

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Why These Mistakes Appear in Races (But Not in Time Trial)

A recurring theme across all these throttle mistakes is that they often don’t appear in practice sessions. Drivers can set clean laps in time trial mode, but once qualifying or race pressure kicks in, bad habits resurface.

There are several reasons for this:

• Dirty air: Following another car reduces grip, causing understeer on entry or oversteer on exits. Additionally, DRS and slipstream can change braking points in ways that are not seen in time trial.
• Pressure: Chasing or defending positions makes drivers rush inputs. Thinking, “I need to get a really good exit” can lead to applying the throttle too early.
• Fatigue: Over long stints, concentration lapses, and as tyre wear increases the amount of throttle and brake inputs to hit apexes can change rapidly. 

That’s why recording race telemetry is just as important as reviewing time trial laps. Improving under pressure is what ultimately lowers race lap times and will improve your finishing places. 

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Tools to Help You Improve

Fixing throttle mistakes isn’t only about conscious effort. Leveraging tools and methods can accelerate the learning curve:

• Telemetry overlays: Use the in-game throttle/brake visuals or use Team Telemetry tools to see your inputs.
• Comparing laps: Compare your inputs against faster drivers to identify where you’re losing time. Specifically look for race laps from top esports drivers to compare.
• Video reviews: Recording and rewatching your own race sessions exposes habits you may not notice mid-drive. This analysis is included with the F1 25 Pro Setup package and happens in our Discord.

Small adjustments and focusing on 1 or 2 things at a time can lead to big improvements in lap time consistency.

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Final Thoughts

Throttle control is often treated as secondary to braking technique in sim racing, but in reality, it’s just as critical. Clean throttle inputs determine whether you carry speed out of corners, whether your tyres survive a stint, and whether you stay consistent under pressure.

The five throttle mistakes we’ve covered—touching the throttle under braking, double inputting, being too smooth without a throttle jump, early applications with corrections, and stairstepping—are all common but fixable.

Addressing them won’t just shave tenths off your lap times; it will also make your driving style more professional, controlled, and race-ready.

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Watch my video guide that summarises this entire article.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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• Written by Carson Article updated on October 3, 2025 Tags: Sim Racing How To Guides, EA Sports F1

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