The driver who brakes before the curve passes the one who brakes in it.

Preparation looks like caution and works like speed. Slowing down before the hard part means you arrive at it under control and can start accelerating out of it while the other car is still fighting. Handle the difficulty late and you spend the whole corner correcting. Most of what looks like talent under pressure is just work that was done earlier.

Find the point in your week where things usually go wrong, and move your effort in front of it. Pack the bag the night before, read the brief before the meeting, warm up properly before the session. It costs the same energy and buys a completely different corner.