F1 is a sport where even the smallest of gains can make all the difference and Codemaster's F1 2021 is no exception. But whether it's against the AI in singleplayer or other players in multiplayer, it can be hard to figure out how to start going any faster than you already are.

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Practice is always the best way to improve but there are factors in F1 2021 that will slow a car and driver down no matter the level of skill. Fortunately, some of these can be mitigated or avoided altogether if you know the ins and outs of the game.

10 Use ERS Assist To Stay Focused

F1 2021 Ricciardo McLaren Alonso Alpine Racing Side by Side

In F1 2021 there is seemingly no end to the settings you can adjust on each car. One of these settings is ERS deployment, which dictates how much electrical energy the engine is using at any given time. And to get the most performance, this setting needs constant management.

But constantly adjusting the ERS takes focus away from driving the car and unless you're a master of ERS, it's unlikely you're gaining any time from it compared to the game's automatic ERS management assist. So it's often worth enabling automatic ERS management to allow your focus to remain on driving and gain time by making fewer mistakes.

9 Turn Off Input Assists Like Traction Control

F1 2021 Verstappen Red Bull Racing In Austria

Unlike ERS assist, some assists purposefully slow the car down to make it more driveable for beginners. Traction control, for example, limits throttle when the game detects wheelspin which is helpful when learning not to spin out but will limit speed out of the corners once you get the hang of driving.

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The following assists are sometimes tricky to live without, but any player will see better lap times once they learn to stop relying on them:

  • Steering Assist
  • Braking Assist
  • Anti-Lock Brakes
  • Traction Control

Turning all assist off at once however might ruin the experience of driving in F1 2021, so it's often better to gradually remove assists to match your current skill level.

8 Increase Steering Saturation To Counter Understeer

F1 2021 Stroll Mazepin Racing A Queue Of Cars In Bahrain

Tight turns in F1 2021 can be tricky to navigate, especially when using a gamepad. If it seems like you simply can't turn enough then you may need to increase a setting called Steering Saturation. This essentially increases the amount of input the game receives when the analog stick/steering wheel moves.

To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open Game Options
  2. Open Settings
  3. Open Controls, Vibration & Force Feedback
  4. Open Control & Calibration Schemes
  5. Select Your Control Scheme and Select Edit
  6. Go To Calibration
  7. Alter Steering Saturation

As a result of this, the car will turn more tightly with less input and the maximum amount of steering angle you can input is increased, making tricky corners like Monaco's infamous hairpin much easier to navigate.

7 Skip FP3 To Save Your Gearbox

F1 2021 Leclerc Ferrari Stroll Aston Martin Racing

This one is specific to F1 2021's Career and MyTeam modes. In these game modes, players participate in a full season with a limited amount of components to use in your car. One particularly vulnerable component is the gearbox. But during the FP1 and FP2 practice sessions, players are actually given a separate gearbox that can be replaced without penalty.

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So by completing the team objective in these two sessions and skipping FP3 (which uses the race gearbox), players can avoid additional damage, allowing them to avoid grid penalties and gearbox malfunctions that slow you down in the race.

6 Adjust Brake Bias To Counter Lock-Ups

F1 2021 Leclerc Sainz Ferrari Schumacher Haas Side by Side

F1 cars don't come with ABS to help avoid their wheels locking up under braking, but they are also expected to brake as late as possible from incredible speeds. Fortunately, the braking system in these cars allows the driver to distribute the force between the front and back wheels.

And just like in real life, players can adjust this distribution using the Front Brake Bias setting. So if the front wheels keep locking up under heavy braking, try reducing this bias by just one or two percent and you'll find the car stopping faster and staying under control more easily when braking.

5 Short Shift To Improve Your Start

F1 2021 Starting Grid with Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari

Traction is key when F1 cars are trying to get off the line at the start of the race. But with engines this powerful it's often in short supply in those low gears. But this is an issue that can be easily resolved by shifting up through the first couple of gears more quickly than you usually would.

This is a technique called "short-shifting" and intentionally reduces power and torque in favor of grip. This allows the car to accelerate more quickly compared to holding first and second gear all the way to redline and will see you flying off the start line as quickly as your reaction times will allow.

4 Lift and Coast To Save Fuel

F1 2021 Schumacher Haas Ocon Alpine Racing

When you're racing hard, the last thing you want to worry about is how much fuel you have left, but in F1 2021 that's not an option. One way around this is to add extra fuel before the race starts to guarantee the tank won't run dry. The problem with this is that fuel adds weight which slows the car down. So instead, the players need to be able to save fuel during the race.

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This can be done by lifting off the throttle early on the approach to corners but before reaching the braking zone. This coasting saves fuel in small amounts throughout the race but also costs lap time so it's important to be aware of how close your rivals are on track when deciding on the best time to try and save some of that precious petrol.

3 Use Time Trial To Practice

F1 2021 Bottas Mercedes AMG Time Trial Mode

There's no better way to improve than by practicing. But sticking to career mode or MyTeam mode and using the free practice sessions limits how much time you can spend driving on each track. Instead, time trial mode offers endless running to learn the race tracks without needing to worry about objectives or component wear.

F1 2021 also has time trial leaderboards that let you compare against the best in the world, meaning players know exactly how much faster they have the potential to go. It's also possible to try out adjustments to car setups and driving in different weather conditions, making time trial mode the perfect place to practice.

2 Use Upshift Tone and Suggested Gear To Learn Manual Gears

F1 2021 McLaren Haas Alpine Alpha Tauri Racing

Using manual gears in F1 2021 can help players achieve the best possible lap times, but with some tracks requiring more than 50 gear changes per lap, knowing when to go up a gear is a crucial skill.

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But manual gears can be daunting for beginners so making use of aids is key in learning how to make use of them. Suggested gear tells players what gear to be in for the next corner, and the upshift tone causes an audible beep when the player needs to shift up a gear. Using both of these tools together will allow any player to learn the basics of using manual gears.

1 Download Car Setups

F1 2021 Russell Williams Raikonnen Alfa Romeo Side by Side

Like every game in the F1 series, F1 2021 has a huge range of adjustability in the setup of the car, to the point where some players may not even understand all the settings they are able to change.

Luckily, plenty of players do understand the complexities of finding the optimal setup for each car and track combination. Even better than that, they share these setups online on sites like Sim Racing Setups so other players can use them with minimal effort, potentially allowing them to drive seconds a lap faster than the default setups most players use.

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