F1 Simulator
Driver's Guide

F1 Simulator

A modern Formula 1 car on five real circuits (Monaco, Monza, Silverstone, Spa and Suzuka), built from real 2024 qualifying telemetry. You can chase the real pole lap in Hot Lap mode, or race up to eleven AI cars with tyre strategy, pit stops and a race engineer on the radio.

Start hereControlsCircuit guide

Your first ten minutes

  1. Start F1 Simulator from the Start menu. The main menu appears, with an AI car lapping the circuit behind it.
  2. Choose Select Track and pick Silverstone or Monza. Both are wide and forgiving, so they're easy to learn on.
  3. Choose Hot Lap. You start on the grid, and the lap timer starts when you cross the line.
  4. Drive with W (throttle), S (brake) and A/D (steer). The gearbox, traction control and ABS are all automatic at first.
  5. Press C until you have the chase view, which is easiest while you learn. Then follow the translucent ghost car. It's the real pole lap, and it shows you the line and where to brake.
  6. If you spin or end up in the gravel, press R to put the car back on the track. Esc pauses the game.

Tip. Not sure where the track goes? Press F2 for Autopilot and let the AI drive a lap or two while you watch. Press F2 again to take over.

What's in this guide

Getting Started

Launching, the menus, choosing a track and car, and setting up a keyboard, gamepad, mouse, or wheel and pedals.

Controls & HUD

Every key and button, the three cameras, and what everything on the screen means.

Hot Lap & Race

The two game modes, race setup, the start, AI opponents, rules and penalties, team radio, and how to win.

Tyres & Pit Stops

The three compounds, temperature and wear, the wear cliff, and a step-by-step pit stop.

Driving Tips

Braking, cornering and throttle, turning off the assists, brake bias, and fixing common mistakes.

Circuits

Corner-by-corner tips for each of the five circuits, with overtaking spots and a tyre plan for each one.

Cars

The seventeen cars, from the 1967 Ferrari 312 to the 2022 Gulf McLaren.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Wheels that aren't detected, frame rate, sound, and where settings, screenshots and replays are saved.

The game at a glance

Two ways to play
Hot Lap: you drive alone against the ghost of the real 2024 pole lap. Race: a standing start against up to eleven AI cars, over 1 to 50 laps, with a compulsory tyre change.
Real circuits
Each track follows the real circuit's shape and elevation, built from telemetry. The ghost drives the real pole lap, so its times are genuine targets.
Tyres and strategy matter
You have Soft, Medium and Hard compounds. Tyres have to warm up, they overheat if you slide, and they fall off a cliff at about 72% wear. Races of 3 laps or more require two different compounds.
Assists for beginners
Automatic gears, traction control and ABS all start on. As you get faster, you can turn each one off with a single key.
Every car handles the same
The seventeen cars are cosmetic: they all use the same modern F1 physics. Pick the one you like the look of.

Suggested progression

  1. Autopilot a lap of Silverstone to see the line.
  2. Hot Lap at Silverstone in the chase view, with every assist on. Follow the ghost.
  3. A 3-lap race with 5 opponents at Rookie, starting at the back. Remember to pit once for a different compound.
  4. Switch to the cockpit view, and turn traction control off (T).
  5. An 8-lap race against a full field of 11 at Club, from the middle of the grid.
  6. Take on Monaco and Spa. Try the manual gearbox, and ABS off.
  7. From pole against Pro AI, or against the Pro-level strategy car. That's within 1.5% of the real pole pace.