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F1 24 Guide: The best tips and tricks for beginners
The new Formula 1 game F1 24 is racing to the start with a number of new features. Our beginner's guide provides the best tips and tricks to help you get faster.
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The new racing simulation F1 24 has launched, and this year features a number of gameplay changes. Do you have what it takes to match Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and be crowned the virtual F1 champion? Our F1 24 guide provides the best tips and tricks for beginners.
01
Customise driving aids and settings
Driving aids are good to get you started. But you're faster without them.
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
F1 24 once again offers a whole range of driving aids that are extremely useful, especially for beginners, to keep the Formula 1 racing cars travelling at over 300 km/h on the track. With steering assist and brake assist, these sometimes even intervene in the gameplay, while the anti-lock braking system and traction control open up the steering when braking or prevent the tyres from spinning.
Whilst these driving aids can be very useful, especially for newcomers, they will slow you down in the long run. So learn to get along as quickly as possible without many of the driving aids in order to be faster.
In particular, you can leave the anti-lock braking system and the traction aid activated alongside the pit stop aid. However, you should definitely switch off the ERS assistance, as this does not make ideal use of the additional horsepower. Up to 1.5 seconds faster lap times are possible if you use the ERS itself.
So make sure you practice getting along without the driving aids. It's worth it in the long run.
- A bit of fun is a must: In the '(Un)Serious Race Series', F1 drivers from Oracle Red Bull Racing and the Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team compete in crazy off-track events.
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02
Adjust the steering wheel and controller
F1 24 can now be controlled better than ever with the controller, thanks to the new driving behaviour. Those who play with a steering wheel have much less of an advantage than in previous years.
Before your first laps on the tarmac, you should take the time to adjust the controls and, for example, set the dead zones of the steering and much more.
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03
Customise the OSD
The on-screen display (OSD for short) in F1 24 shows you many important details. These include position, lap time, flags, targets, revs, and much more. Under the menu item "On-Screen Display," however, you can fully customise, individualise and move the OSD to suit your preferences.
The on-screen display can be customised.
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
The virtual rear-view mirror can also be set here, for example, which offers a real advantage. This means you can always see exactly what's going on behind your car and whether another driver is about to overtake.
It is also useful to have the complete track map displayed, as this gives you a better overview of the individual sectors or corners.
04
Learn how to use the engine brake
One of the most interesting new features in F1 24 is the engine brake. It describes the mechanical resistance of an engine against the torque and allows you to decelerate to such an extent when downshifting without having to use the brake pedal.
Advanced techniques such as engine braking and ERS give you an advantage.
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
In gameplay terms, this means that you shift down a gear before a fast combination of bends, for example, and the engine brakes for you using the corresponding friction and compression forces alone.
Your racing car will not decelerate as much as when using the normal brake, but you can still take fast corners with it. This in turn results in faster lap times than if you were to use the normal brake and gives you up to 1-2 seconds advantage on the lap time.
So be sure to try out the engine brake in training or time trials and test which bends can be worthwhile and when it is better to use the brakes yourself.
05
Start in Formula 2
Formula 2 is much more accessible
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
If you are doing your very first laps on the virtual tarmac in F1 24, you should start with Formula 2 . The racing series is not only slightly slower than the premier class Formula 1, but also much easier to drive.
Traction and aerodynamics are better, which results in a more accessible gaming experience. Thanks to the lower top speed, it is also easier to keep the racing cars on the track, while the Formula 2 races are shorter.
Start in Formula 2 in career mode, which makes it easier to get started and gives you a better feel for handling, driving behaviour and speeds.
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06
Start with the time trial
In the F1 World Hub, you will find the Time Trial game mode. This is perfect for familiarising yourself with the feel of the game, as you can practice the 24 tracks of the 2024 Formula 1 calendar without other drivers and get to grips with the driving behaviour.
You can get a feel for the tracks in time trial mode.
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
In the first few laps, you can familiarise yourself with the circuits, their curves and special features. The game always provides you with the best lap time of comparably faster other players as ghost data so that you can see on the track where your competitors may have been faster and where they have lost time.
Then look for the ghost cars of other players that are slightly faster than your best lap time. This provides an easy but constant challenge from which you will ultimately benefit and become faster.
- On the road in the Grand Prix cities: In the'Red Bull Racing Road Trips' we invite you to explore Grand Prix cities around the world together with current and former Formula 1 drivers.
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07
Vehicle setups are crucial
In F1 24, you can create and save your own setups for your car and customise them for different tracks. These vehicle setups have a huge impact on grip, handling, acceleration or maximum speed and have an enormous effect on the driving behaviour of the cars.
In fact, a good setup will give you an advantage of several seconds per lap, while you can barely control your race car with a bad setup.
Try out different setup settings for the circuits.
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
You can adjust the setups in the pit lane on each course. The game always gives you five presets that favour faster cornering speeds (good for tight circuits such as Monaco or Singapore) or give you more top speed for fast circuits such as Monza or Spa.
These presets are a good starting point from which you can further customise the setup. Try out different settings, but don't change too many parameters at once - otherwise you won't know which change had which effect.
It can also be worth downloading the setups of other riders who are high up in the rankings. However, you will have to try out whether you can cope with these settings.
F1 background knowledge
08
Customise the ERS modes
Another new feature in F1 24 is the option to change the activation mode of the ERS (Energy Recovery System). This allows for completely new strategies, as you can now use even more energy in "Overtake" mode, for example, to accelerate faster out of corners and overtake other drivers.
With the right ERS settings, you'll be several seconds faster.
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
In "Hotlap" mode, on the other hand, the additional energy is released more evenly, which does not deliver quite as much power, but the energy is not discharged as quickly and you can use it for longer over the course of the lap.
These ERS modes can be set individually for each session (i.e. free practice, qualifying, sprint and race) at any time while you are on the track. At the same time, it is now possible to use Lift-and-Coast to manually reduce the power output from the ERS, thereby returning more energy and recharging the memory more quickly.
ERS utilisation can be set in various modes.
© EA Sports / Philipp Briel
Lift-and-coast is a process that regulates the petrol flow rate. If you are driving down a straight as fast as possible, you should take your foot off the accelerator at the end (just before the braking point), which reduces petrol consumption to almost zero and recharges the ERS.
In this phase between full throttle and braking, the car is slowed down by aerodynamics and rolling resistance alone, and this is extremely effective. Although this initially costs time (up to three tenths of a second per lap), it saves a lot of petrol in the long term and recharges the ERS more quickly, which compensates for the time disadvantage over the course of the race and can even turn it into an advantage.
How does the Red Bull F1 car hold up against a MotoGP bike, rally cars and a surprise challenger? Watch the 'Ultimate Race' on Red Bull TV for free!
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