Ten-tenths

Ten-tenths refers to driving a race car at its absolute maximum limit, where the driver is extracting every bit of performance possible from the vehicle.

Think of it like a scale from one to ten, where ten represents the car's absolute peak performance. When a driver is at ten-tenths, they're pushing the car as hard as physically possible without losing control. At this level, there's no room for error – one small mistake could send the car spinning off the track.

Most drivers don't operate at ten-tenths during an entire race. Instead, they might drive at eight-tenths or nine-tenths, which means they're going fast but leaving themselves a small safety margin. This approach helps them avoid costly mistakes that could ruin their race.

You'll most commonly see ten-tenths driving during qualifying sessions, where drivers attempt to set their fastest possible lap time to secure a good starting position. In these moments, drivers take calculated risks because one perfect lap can make the difference between starting at the front or back of the grid.

The challenge with ten-tenths driving is that it requires perfect execution. The car is right on the edge of losing grip, and the driver must have complete control over every steering input, brake application, and throttle movement. Even experienced drivers find it difficult to maintain this level of performance consistently.

Interestingly, trying to go beyond ten-tenths – sometimes called "overdriving" – actually makes drivers slower. When they push too hard, the car starts sliding more than necessary, which increases lap times rather than decreasing them.

The term has also spread beyond motorsport to describe operating at peak performance in any challenging situation where maximum effort and skill are required.