Never really thought of it that way before.

The guys up front might not intentionally be hitting the brakes to cause everyone behind them to work harder, but it certainly has that effect.

Yes I get pissed when I have to hit the brakes going through a turn, just cause I don't want to do the extra work sprinting out of the corner.

If you don't want to brake going through a turn, make sure you're in the top 5 going into it.