Tesla Model 3 "faster than a Ferrari 458" with new Track Mode

That the fastest Tesla Model 3 is astonishingly quick in a straight line isn't up for debate. But what's always been a little murkier is whether the brand's smallest EV can mix with conventional performance cars on a race track.

But Tesla says we should wonder no more, releasing a Track Mode feature for the dual-motor-equipped Performance version of the Model 3 in an effort to improve its track-attack credentials.

And happily, as you'll see from the video, it also unlocks the ability to pull off huge and heroic drifts at will.

And it has made a hell of a difference. So much so, that with pro driver Randy Pobst behind the wheel, the Model 3 recorded a 1:21.49 run of the Willow Springs race circuit in California.

Compare that to the regular Model 3 Performance time of 1:23.90, and it's impressive. But it's even more so when you consider that the same driver recorded a slower lap time of 1:22.30 in the Ferrari 458 Italia for US publication Motor Trend.

"Since the introduction of (the) Tesla Roadster in 2008, we’ve exploited the immediate availability of motor power and torque to achieve unprecedented straight-line performance, making the car’s forward acceleration a pure extension of the driver," says Tesla.

"With Track Mode, which is designed specifically for use on closed autocross circuits and racetracks, our goal was simple: use that same motor power and torque to make cornering on the track feel just as natural as forward acceleration."

So how does it all work? The Model 3 Performance has an electric motor at each axle, and so Track Mode can feed more power to the rear wheels as required, reducing understeer and increasing the chances of rear-wheel smokiness. In fact, when the car is sensing understeer, it can shovel 100 per cent of the available torque to the rear tyres.

Tesla has also designed a new performance-tuned version of its stability control system, which it says acts a kind of Dynamic mode, reducing the amount of traction control intervention to ensure power isn't sucked away from the wheels when the car eases a loss of traction.

"Track Mode adds features to make any track driver, amateur or professional, feel superhuman on a track," Tesla says. "This is possible because with Model 3 Performance, we replaced the stability control system with our own in-house Vehicle Dynamics Controller – software developed specifically for Tesla vehicles that acts both as a stability control system and also as a performance enhancement on the track."

There's more regenerative braking and improved cooling, too, but most importantly, Tesla has also developed a system that applies braking force to individual wheels without cutting power, helping with cornering traction, too.

We're yet see how or when the Track Mode function will be applied to the Model 3. But let's face it, time is on our side. At the recent Australian unveiling of a US-spec 3 we learned that production of right-hand drive cars is expected to begin around the middle of next year, with cars arriving at the end of 2019 at the absolute earliest.

Would you track a Tesla? Tell us in the comments below.