F1 22 tips with seven things you need to know before playing

Our F1 22 tips aim to turn you into a virtual Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton without the drama surrounding the sport’s greatest rivalry. Before moving on to this year’s game, you need to learn your F1 22 ratings, get on top of its new features and learn the nuances of My Team. Below are all the tools needed to do just that, and a few more surprises. Make all your necessary pre-race tune-ups with GR’s F1 22 guide.

1. Know new things

Whether you’re new to F1 games or playing back to the heyday of PS1, there’s a lot of innovation for the games you’re familiar with.

Get F1 Life. Using this new hub, you can view all your trophies and supercars, relive the highlights of the track, and set your avatar and location. All of them can be shared online, so if you have friends playing, you can dive into their crib and admire their achievements – or laugh at their questionable outfit choices. It’s like real.

A big change to the track is worth confusing. Simplified aero regulations were introduced to the sport this season, reducing wake turbulence and encouraging cars to overtake using DRS. This means you want to maximize your use of the straight, position yourself behind the vehicle in front to gain momentum and then accelerate as late as possible. When timed right, F1 2022 is as exciting as it gets.

Pit stops are also more gripping, positioning your car at the entrance is vital if you’re going to avoid costly mistakes. Also be aware of the revised track layouts in Australia, Spain and Abu Dhabi. Enjoy driving in Miami too – this is the only new track in F1 2022.

2. Get stuck in Pirelli Hot Laps

Wait, did I say ‘supercars’? Yeah! With Grid Legends, the F1 22 not only unlocks some of the fastest rides in the world, but also features a stylish crossover where you can navigate real F1 tracks on these tracks. These are the eight offered:

• Mercedes-AMG GT-R Pro
• Aston Martin DB11 v12
• Ferrari Rome
• Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition
• Ferrari F8 Tributo
• McLaren 720S
• McLaren Artura
• Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series

These beauties are available in a new mode called Pirelli Hot Laps. It consists of 40 challenges that test you in various ways on the world’s F1 circuits. Grab a DB11 at a checkpoint around Zandvort, try to take down a single F8 Tributo opponent in Monza, or drag an Artura around the Americas Circuit to earn extra points based on speed and angles.

3. Refresh F1 22 ratings

Just want to jump in and drive around as your favorite driver? No problem. Probably best to know how they’re rated, huh?

• Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 94
• Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-AMG): 94
• Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 92
• George Russell (Mercedes-AMG): 90
• Lando Norris (McLaren): 90
• Fernando Alonso (Alpine): 89
• Sergio Perez (Red Bull): 88
• Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo): 88
• Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari): 87
• Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin): 85
• Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri): 84
• Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren): 83
• Esteban Ocon (Alpine): 83
• Alexander Albon (Williams): 82
• Kevin Magnussen (Haas): 81
• Lance Ride (Aston Martin); 80
• Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri): 78
• Mick Schumacher (Haas): 77
• Nicholas Latifi (Williams): 70
• Zhou Gaunyu (Alpha Romeo): 70

4. Be brave and close your assists

F1 22 includes 12 different assists that you can change based on your experience level. Expert players know how to fine-tune these options to their liking, but for the more casual driver it may be tempting to have every possible help open to maximize your chances of winning.

Newsflash: it doesn’t quite work like that.

Get ‘brake assist’. Set this to ‘High’ and the game will automatically slow you down when entering corners. Realistic, sure, but it’s a video game: sometimes the best way to gain an edge over an opponent is to cut the inside, which requires you to brake later than traditional, while you both take the same corner. In this kind of scenario, having this help turned on is actually useless – because you can’t.

Also, while your first few unassuming runs will likely result in various mistakes and accidents, you’ll improve much faster without assists – this is especially important if you have goals to compete online. Aim to play all assists within two weeks of receiving the match. You may surprise yourself.

5. Be kind, rewind

Struggling with the above? There is a MacGuffin that will save your day. It’s been in the series for years, but be aware that you can undo the bugs using the Flashback feature in offline play. This lets you rewind time by a few seconds, allowing you to go back and take an oversteered corner or ‘accidentally’ hit Verstappen coming off the starting line. Trigger it by going into Instant Replay, going back to an episode of the race before your mistake, and pressing the square (PlayStation) or X (Xbox) button.

6. Take the time to set up my team

MyTeam is the most fun way to enjoy F1 22 for a long time. But there’s no way to turn back time after a few races into its first season, so don’t speed up the initial setup.

There are three entry points to choose from. The newcomer represents the toughest challenge: You have literally zero money to spend. The Midfield Challenger provides $5 million to run, while there’s a $10 million starting kitty if you choose the Championship Contender option. Most people find it too easy and the Midfield Challenger offers the most balanced challenge.

One of the key options is whether to include My Team icons. These are legendary drivers like Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve that can be recruited into your team. Once you choose to apply this option, there is no way to undo – so if you want to keep the list with up-to-date drivers, make sure to select ‘Skip’ during initial setup.

Do not rush for the sponsor screen. Here you meet four potential sponsors who are willing to spend big on your team but each have slightly different Terms and Conditions. The most important thing to check is the Goal Bonus. That could mean a massive cash injection, like $3.5 million, to finish above a given Constructors Championship slot if you can afford it – but if you fall short, no. So if you plan on getting the one that offers the most moolahs, make sure you can meet their demands.

As for your first teammate, spend a little extra to get the best of what’s available. It’s a results business and you want your fictional friend to increase the team’s overall podium chances – even if that means it costs more than other options. Don’t get hung up on wanting to constantly upgrade this slot. Sorry Osc.

7. Be patient with longer races

Unlike real life, F1 22 is geared towards shorter races. Just as a 90-minute game of FIFA 22 breaks your brain, doing 58 laps of Melbourne wears out your reactions and concentration. But the option is there. [Races can be 3 laps, 5 laps, and 25%, 50% or 100% of the real thing.]

Whatever setting you choose, remember that AI drivers make human-style mistakes. One of the beauties of the series: Where in the past every opponent felt like a robot, now you can rise in the middle of the race simply by applying pressure to the car in front. Don’t think that every straight needs a DRS pass, or that every corner requires you to force an opponent off the track. Getting your pit strategy right and just driving sensibly can propel you towards the podium without a single risky maneuver.