F1 2021 | Beginner’s Guide: Basic Mechanics And Gameplay

This guide is for people who are completely new to the F1 series of games and will cover basic mechanics and gameplay. It is for people who bought this game with zero prior experience of F1 games and need help coming to grips with it.

I felt this guide was necessary due to the game’s lack of actual tutorials. This is meant for casual players who want to get into the racing straight away without worrying about any of the game’s more in-depth options. So check out the details down below.


A Beginner’s Tutorial For F1 2021

I generally don’t make beginner guides but I have made an exception to the rule owing to a special request from one of my readers. In this guide, you will be able to get to know the important terms that all beginners should know. Have a look.

DRS

If you are within 1 second of the car ahead of you, you can activate DRS, signified by a small beeping sound. It helps in reducing drag and increasing speed by opening a flap in the rear wing, allowing for easier overtakes.

Try not to make sudden movements under DRS, as doing so will cause the rear end of the car to snap and lose control.

Multi-Function Display (MFD)

Remember to keep the Differential between 70-75% on dry tracks and 50% on wet tracks and street circuits. You can adjust deployment through the MFD. Though it is entirely your choice whether you want to assign a separate button for overtaking.

It is LB as default BTW. If your brakes have a habit of locking up, you can adjust the setting for this according to the way it suits you and the car best.

Tire Compounds

Just like in real life, at each Grand Prix, every team is given access to three compounds of tires. Unless conditions are wet, drivers are allowed to use two of these three compounds during the race.

Do keep in mind that wet conditions come up in 25% races and above.

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W stands for wet tires which are to be used in heavy rainfall conditions. You should use I (intermediate) for light rain. S are soft tires that are faster but wear quickly.

M stands for medium tires which are somewhere between soft and hard. H (hard tires) are slower but last longer.

Flags (How To Read Them)

If you see a Chequered Flag it means that the session is complete and you should finish your current lap. The Green flag means that the sector is clear, continue with racing.

The Yellow flag signifies that there is an obstacle on the track or a slow car, race carefully till you see the green flag. Overtaking is not allowed under yellow flags.

If you see the Blue flag it means that backmarkers (people who are a whole lap behind race leaders) should let a fast car overtake. If they fail to do that then they are given a time penalty.

A Black flag means that you have been penalized for dirty driving too many times, and have been banished to the Forza realm.

Red flags have not been used in the F1 games since 2014, so no need to worry about them.


These are a few aspects you should keep in mind if you have just started playing the F1 series. I will be back with more advanced guides soon so do keep a lookout on this page.

Do share your thoughts with us in the comments section. 2021 promises to deliver more awesome games like this so this should be a great year for all gamers.

If you want to check out our other guides then you can do so right here. Stay safe and enjoy responsibly. See you soon.


Last Updated on December 17, 2021

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