Firmware
Tesla Model 3 Performance with Track Mode beats a Ferrari’s record in closed circuit test
Around six weeks ago, the Tesla Model 3 Performance squared off against the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and the Jaguar I-PACE EV400 around the “Streets” of Willow Springs International Raceway in CA. The track tests, which were conducted by auto publication Motor Trend, ended with the Model 3 Performance falling short of the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s lap times, despite being loaded with a pre-release version of Track Mode.
The loss of the Model 3 Performance to the Alfa Romeo was taken very seriously by Tesla. Over the past six weeks, the man who drove all three vehicles — professional racecar driver and journalist Randy Pobst — worked with Tesla in refining the features and quirks of Track Mode. These refinements were rolled out in the feature’s “release version” that started rolling out yesterday. Compared to the initial iteration of Track Mode that took on the I-PACE EV400 and the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the feature’s “release version” was more refined and tempered, thanks to valuable input from Pobst, a racecar driver who honed his driving skills over decades of experience.
Needless to say, the improvements to the Model 3 Performance’s capabilities were notable. In a recent test back at the Streets of Willow Springs, Randy Pobst took the Model 3 Performance with its “release version” of Track Mode around the circuit. This time around, Tesla equipped the high-performance electric sedan with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, which are 10mm wider than the 235/35-20 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires that the vehicle was equipped with when it ran the track six weeks ago. During its initial test under the hands of the professional driver, the Model 3 Performance lapped the track in 1:23.90. Equipped with Track Mode’s “release version,” the electric sedan completed the same course in 1:21.49.
That time pretty much matches the record of the 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4, and is far quicker than the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio’s 1:22.78 lap. Perhaps more remarkable was that the Model 3 Performance’s new record in the Willow Springs Streets actually ended up beating one of Motor Trend‘s Best Driver’s Car winners in the past — the 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia, which completed the course in 1:22.30.
Later relating his experience with the Model 3 Performance and its refined Track Mode, Randy Pobst noted that the release version of the feature makes the vehicle hook far better on the road.
“That prototype version of Track mode a few weeks ago was inconsistent. I had this distinct impression of approaching a corner flat-out and thinking, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen?’ But this one (with the updated software) is far, far better. One thing we did was reduce the regenerative braking at lower speed. There’s naturally less of it at higher speeds because the battery can’t absorb that rate of power. But the last time we were out here, the car kept slowing down a lot when I’d lift off the accelerator; they showed me the data, and it’s about 0.3 g of deceleration. The trouble is that I’m a trail-braker, and it’s adding that strong brake force while I’m turning. Now it’s less, more like a normal car’s engine braking. This is a huge step forward.
“At first there was too much front regen, which made it pushy on the entry phase, so they shifted it to the back. There’s a tremendous amount of torque here (450 hp and 471 lb-ft of torque), so the car can be slid around a little bit—but actually not that much because the front motor comes back in and balances everything out. At the apex, it has a little bit of initial power oversteer from the rear motor, then it fixes itself and wants to power understeer. We made some progress on refining all that. I tried the car on the Pilot Sport Cup 2s and Brembo pads, and it was really hooked up.”
Tesla has started rolling out the “release version” of the Model 3 Performance’s Track Mode through an over-the-air update. Thanks to the tuning expertise of a racing veteran and Tesla’s mastery of custom-built software, the upcoming Track Mode update would essentially transform the company’s fleet of Model 3 Performance vehicles into monsters on the track. With the release version of Track Mode now enabled, the Model 3 Performance had all but climbed to the apex of the high-performance sedan arena. And it lies there, in silence, waiting for its next challenger.
Tesla announced its Spring 2026 software update, and it’s the most feature-dense seasonal release the company has put out. The update covers twelve named changes spanning FSD, voice AI, safety lighting, dashcam storage, and pet display customization, among other things.
The centerpiece for owners with AI4 hardware is a redesigned Self-Driving app. The new interface lets owners subscribe to Full Self-Driving with a single tap and view ongoing FSD usage stats directly in the vehicle.
Grok gets its biggest in-car upgrade yet. The update adds a “Hey Grok” hands-free wake word along with location-based reminders, so a driver can now say “remind me to pick up groceries when I get home” without touching the screen. Grok first arrived in vehicles in July 2025, but each update has pushed it closer to genuine daily utility. Musk framed the broader vision clearly at Davos in January, saying Tesla is “really moving into a future that is based on autonomy.”
On safety, the update introduces enhanced blind spot warning lights that integrate directly with the cabin’s ambient lighting, building on the blind spot door warning that arrived in update 2026.8.
Dog Mode has been renamed Pet Mode and now lets owners choose a dog, cat, or hedgehog icon and add their pet’s name to the display.
Dashcam retention now extends up to 24 hours, up from the previous one-hour rolling loop, with a permanent save option for any clip. Weather maps now show rain and snow with better color differentiation and include the past hour of precipitation data along the route.
Tesla has now established a clear rhythm of two major OTA pushes per year. As with last year’s Spring update, that cycle started taking shape in 2025 with adaptive headlights and trunk customization. The 2025 Holiday Update then added Grok to the vehicle for the first time. This Spring follows that structure: the Holiday update introduces new architecture, and the Spring update broadens it across the fleet.
Two notable features still did not make it. IFTTT automations, which launched in China earlier this year, were held back from this North American release for unknown reasons, and Apple CarPlay remains absent, reportedly still delayed by iOS 26 and Apple Maps compatibility issues.
Below is the full list of feature updates released by Tesla.
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 13, 2026
It appears that Tesla may be preparing to roll out some subscription-based services soon. Based on the observations of a Wales-based Model 3 owner who performed some reverse-engineering on the Tesla mobile app, it seems that the electric car maker has added a new “Subscribe” option beside the “Buy” option within the “Upgrades” tab, at least behind the scenes.
A screenshot of the new option was posted in the r/TeslaMotors subreddit, and while the Tesla owner in question, u/Callump01, admitted that the screenshot looks like something that could be easily fabricated, he did submit proof of his reverse-engineering to the community’s moderators. The moderators of the r/TeslaMotors subreddit confirmed the legitimacy of the Model 3 owner’s work, further suggesting that subscription options may indeed be coming to Tesla owners soon.
Did some reverse engineering on the app and Tesla looks to be preparing for subscriptions? from r/teslamotors
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite has been heavily speculated to be offered as a subscription option, similar to the company’s Premium Connectivity feature. And back in April, noted Tesla hacker @greentheonly stated that the company’s vehicles already had the source codes for a pay-as-you-go subscription model. The Tesla hacker suggested then that Tesla would likely release such a feature by the end of the year — something that Elon Musk also suggested in the first-quarter earnings call. “I think we will offer Full Self-Driving as a subscription service, but it will be probably towards the end of this year,” Musk stated.
While the signs for an upcoming FSD subscription option seem to be getting more and more prominent as the year approaches its final quarter, the details for such a feature are still quite slim. Pricing for FSD subscriptions, for example, have not been teased by Elon Musk yet, though he has stated on Twitter that purchasing the suite upfront would be more worth it in the long term. References to the feature in the vehicles’ source code, and now in the Tesla mobile app, also listed no references to pricing.
The idea of FSD subscriptions could prove quite popular among electric car owners, especially since it would allow budget-conscious customers to make the most out of the company’s driver-assist and self-driving systems without committing to the features’ full price. The current price of the Full Self-Driving suite is no joke, after all, being listed at $8,000 on top of a vehicle’s cost. By offering subscriptions to features like Navigate on Autopilot with automatic lane changes, owners could gain access to advanced functions only as they are needed.
Elon Musk, for his part, has explained that ultimately, he still believes that purchasing the Full Self-Driving suite outright provides the most value to customers, as it is an investment that would pay off in the future. “I should say, it will still make sense to buy FSD as an option as in our view, buying FSD is an investment in the future. And we are confident that it is an investment that will pay off to the consumer – to the benefit of the consumer.” Musk said.
Tesla has started rolling out update 2020.36 this weekend, introducing a couple of notable new features for its vehicles. While there are only a few handful of vehicles that have reportedly received the update so far, 2020.36 makes it evident that the electric car maker has made some strides in its efforts to refine its driver-assist systems for inner-city driving.
Tesla is currently hard at work developing key features for its Full Self-Driving suite, which should allow vehicles to navigate through inner-city streets without driver input. Tesla’s FSD suite is still a work in progress, though the company has released the initial iterations of key features such Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control, which was introduced last April. Similar to the first release of Navigate on Autopilot, however, the capabilities of Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control were pretty basic during their initial rollout.
2020.36 Showing Speed Limit Signs in Visualization from r/teslamotors
With the release of update 2020.36, Tesla has rolled out some improvements that should allow its vehicles to handle traffic lights better. What’s more, the update also includes a particularly useful feature that enables better recognition of speed limit signs, which should make Autopilot’s speed adjustments better during use. Following are the Release Notes for these two new features.
Green Traffic Light Chime
“A chime will play when the traffic light you are waiting for turns green. If you are waiting behind another car, the chime will play once the car advances unless Traffic-Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer is active. When Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control is activated, a chime will play when you can confirm to proceed through a green traffic light. To enable, tap Controls > Autopilot > Green Traffic Light Chime.
“Note: This chime is only designed as a notification. It is the driver’s responsibility to observe their environment and make decisions accordingly.”
Speed Assist Improvements
“Speed Assist now leverages your car’s cameras to detect speed limit signs to improve the accuracy of speed limit data on local roads. Detected speed limit signs will be displayed in the driving visualization and used to set the associated Speed Limit Warning.
“As usual, to adjust Speed Assist settings, tap Controls > Autopilot > Speed Limit.”
Footage of the new green light chime in action via @NASA8500 on Twitter ✈️ from r/teslamotors
Amidst the rollout of 2020.36’s new features, speculations were abounding among Tesla community members that this update may include the first pieces of the company’s highly-anticipated Autopilot rewrite. Inasmuch as the idea is exciting, however, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that this was not the case. While responding to a Tesla owner who asked if the Autopilot rewrite is in “shadow mode” in 2020.36, Musk responded “Not yet.”
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