On Monday night, Chen Xiangbei "walked" the track. Limited by the nighttime lighting conditions, his judgment of the corners relied more on the feel of the car.
During today's practice session, the reason Chen Xiangbei was so slow at first was that he was using his eyes to observe the track details and reference points, then reinforcing his memory by repeating laps again and again!
F1 drivers have two ways to memorize a track.
The first is through a simulator or real-world trial runs, relying on hundreds or thousands of practices until the entire track is imprinted in their minds, reaching a sensational level of familiarity where they could run the whole course even with eyes closed.
The Red Bull driver, Perez, once showcased during a promotional event, running the track blindfolded with his back to the screen.
That really achieved passing every corner without a millimeter's deviation, turning the boast "I can drive F1 with my eyes closed" into reality!
