F1 22: 5 Ways to Get a Perfect Start – Tips & Tricks

by Mike Alexander / Game Guides, General Guides, Tips & Tricks / 04 Jul 2021

F1 22 is finally here, and Formula One fans are ecstatic. This yearly series delves deep into the mechanics and systems of the intense sport of Formula One, and it is consistently one of Codemasters’ best racing simulation games.

Every year, many adjustments and improvements are made to the game that consistently makes F1 the goto simulator for its fans. However, the core gameplay of the series remains largely the same. If you’ve played an F1 game before you know the score. But, if you’re new to the series, it is worth knowing how to get a perfect start in the game.

Thankfully, I have several tips in this guide that will help you start your engines and get on track in no time. If you want an advantage over all of the other racers and to blast off to the head of the pack, take note of the tips and tricks in this guide and use them in your next gameplay session. When you’re ready, buckle your seatbelt, take a deep breath, and let’s get started.

Prepare for Each Race

When you first boot F1 22, you might be tempted to jump straight into the online mode and see what the competition is like. If you do this and you’re brand new to the series, you’ll quickly find that you’re outgunned and you probably won’t have a very good time.

However, preparing before each online race by completing a few offline races can mitigate this. Use the offline races to learn the best turning points for each corner, and to get a feel of how the other racers clump together on certain parts of the track.

Use this information to inform your online race decisions and path choices. It won’t be easy, but having some information beforehand will make you more competitive.

Formation Laps

Before each race, you will have a period set aside for the formation lap. This is there to get you used to the track to prevent any serious damage or injuries, but you can also use it to your advantage.

F1 22 takes on the new tire rules from the real-life 2022 season. That means your tires can only start with a temperature of 70 degrees when the ideal temperature is between 80 and 100. You can use the formation lap to weave and accelerate on the track to get all of your tires up to the ideal temperature. This will make your car safe by perfecting the grip on your tires.

Clutch Management

When those starting lights begin to flash, you’ll need to engage your clutch and rev your engine to get ready to go. There are several meters on the screen that are tied to this action, and they are all in the bottom right of the screen.

You’ll want to keep your clutch meter with the first three green bars while you rev your engine. Any more and you could stall the engine, any less and you won’t get the oomph you need for a good start. This is kind of tricky but practice makes perfect and you’ll be getting those perfect starts in no time.

Take Off

Once the starting lights go out and your engine is properly prepped, you’ll be tempted to blast off to get ahead of the pack. This will only get you into trouble. Hitting the gas all the way so early will only result in your tires being unable to find a good grip and you spinning out on the track.

To get up to speed properly, you should carefully build up speed. Not too slowly, but not too quickly either. Doing this will acclimate you and your car to the high speeds you’ll need to reach and allow your tires to grip properly.

Once you have these things, you can go all out and shoot for first place, but you should never take off from the starting point with this goal.

Have Patience

Much like the previous tip, you’ll want to have patience throughout a race. Just as taking off from the starting point will often mess you up, being overzealous early in the race will often cause you to lose precious time.

Trying to overtake everyone on the first lap is not ideal unless you can maintain that lead for the entire race. It is much smarter to navigate and manage your leads throughout the race and take that first spot as late as possible so you’re less likely to lose it.

F1 22: How to Drive without ABS

Mike Alexander

Mike has been playing video games since he was able to hold a controller, having been fascinated by Sonic 2 on his mom’s Sega Genesis. That fascination and passion for the art form has grown exponentially nearly 30 years later, and he doesn’t see that fading away anytime soon.
View all posts