i just noticed the dots last week, on my attemps to Zeus!
i wish they were bigger and RED, and this part of the HUD not going out of the screen when taking a pad.
Better if it's easier to see you have only 2s to go to have your 10 shield points back before rubbing the wall, if not, the 1 point for touching the side is like 11...

that doesn't change the fact that slowing your ship on the straight line won't be efficient each lap, but only if it can make you stand till the end of the current zone.