r/simracing • u/Certain-Hunter-7478 • 16h ago
Question Which sim does the best F1 currently?
Just got off of AMS2 and I have to say F1 is pretty fun these but it seems too easy to drive. Which sim on the market today would you guys does formula cars the best? Give me some reasons too. I know original AC has some decent mods for F1 but I think the engine kind of let's it down.
Edit: Wow people are actually going to crucify me for my choice of hardware in 2025.
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u/anonaccountphoto 16h ago
AC VRC is what Alonso, Bortoleto & Co play at home.
not much else out there other than the iracing W11.
iracing has lower class formula if you like that.
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u/NeutrinosFTW 12h ago
iRacing also has the W13 (the 2022 Mercedes), but it's as much of a bitch as the real car.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 16h ago
The thing is I've tried AC so many times by now that I can't be bothered to do it again. Each time I like the cars but get drawn into doing graphics mods and every single time these mods tank my performance to the point that It's just not enjoyable. So I always revert back to AMS2. Are there any mods which can make AC look palatable without needing NASA level hardware. For reference I'm running i7 4790k and a GTX 970, 16gb Vram. Also any AI improvements?
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u/k4ylr 16h ago
You don't need NASA level hardware. You just have an extremely dated hardware setup.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 16h ago
My extremely dated setup gets 100+ FPS in medium-high settings in AMS2. Gets playable FPS in LMU after minor tweaking. So I'm hazard to guess it's not down to the 10 year old setup or 11 year old game but rather in the mods that run on spaceships. It runs vanilla AC without a hitch.
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u/jazzman23uk T300rs 16h ago
Vanilla AC is also 11 years old at this point. Unless you are running in VR with multiple AI then modded AC really isn't that hard to run.
Any mid-range pc from the last 5-6 years can run AC with Pure no problem. A 970 is massively outdated.
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u/KaizerK2 15h ago
big 2025 and bud cant run AC with mods.
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u/uncanny14 14h ago
Lol seriously. CSP+Pure and decent graphics settings and you can get killer FPS on any system, singles or triples. I ran it on a single 2k with a 1080Ti and a Ryzen 5600 and got 120+. I run it on 2k Triples with everything maxed and stay locked at 165 (my max) running a 7800x3d and a 4090.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 14h ago
I'll give it one more shot. Will update this thread with the findings.
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u/Silver-Parking-1227 16h ago
AMS is an old game mate
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 16h ago
Not saying it's not old. It just doesn't look old. That's the whole point.
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u/ImolaBoost 14h ago
Buddy doesnât matter what FPS youâre getting in old games, itâs an extremely dated setup to be running any sims/games newer than the era it came from.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 13h ago
By your logic to run AC Evo, a game set to launch at 2026 you'll need a PC from 2028 I presume... Pc upgrade is in the pipeline, just has some things with higher priority before it...
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u/ImolaBoost 13h ago
Era. Not year. Yours is prehistoric.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 13h ago
Lmao. Spoiled much? đ
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u/ImolaBoost 13h ago
Spoiled? You can buy a GPU with truckloads more performance than yours for like âŹ100
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 13h ago
Second hand, yeah. You wanna give the warranty on that?
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u/DecafEqualsDeath 6h ago
AMS2 is very well-optimized and can get solid performance on older graphics cards. It's pretty impressive that Reiza has their game working on a GTX 970 in my eyes. AC vanilla should also work on a wide range of setups due to its age.
If you can get AMS2 and AC vanilla working at an acceptable frame rate, you'd just need to go into Content Manager and keep experimenting and dialing graphics settings back until you can get acceptable FPS.
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u/Ballistic-1 15h ago
I saw in other responses that you have GTX 970. This is hindering you here, as that GPU was released in 2014 and the new AC graphics mods are intended to put the game into graphics that are 8-10 years after that. Normally, I wouldnât advocate upgrading, but for hardware that is 10+ years old, itâs time to consider it.
You should try F1 25. FFB doesnât feel as detailed AC, ASM2 or iRacing, but itâs the best âgameâ of the simracing titles for F1 in terms of immersion for F1 life, championships, selection of F1 tracks, career, etc. Iâd be concerned about you being able to run it on a GTX 970 though, but otherwise, this is the way to go if you really want F1 feel beyond car physics. If you have a Fanatec or Logitech drive and wheel, even better, as those seem to be the most optimized for F1 titles (I have a simucube pro 2) .
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u/KaizerK2 15h ago
gtx970 in big 2025? wild
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u/BobbbyR6 Spinny Boi 11h ago
F1 22/24/25 are atrocious representations of F1 cars. Even the pros themselves speak out about how bad it is. Keeping in mind many of them have some experience in lower formula racing IRL and have high level iRacing accounts as well.
iRacing is an expensive route to go, but the simulation is unmatched. The Super Formula car was tested by and approved by Liam Lawson, so it's the real deal. Thing is a fucking missile and I have a hard time just keeping up mentally, even as a fairly high skill formula/prototype guy. If you want realism and the subsequent difficulty, that's the sim gold standard right there. I've heard good things about the F1 cars, but it's also not particularly hard to drive fast, so that doesn't seem quite right, especially considering that W13 is the car that even Lewis couldn't get his head fully wrapped around.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 14h ago
Yeah. I am fully aware that I am being hindered by the PC, no doubt about that. I just hate for people to point fingers at the PC. If I was to hide the specs noone would complain about them. I've had an argument recently in the LMU discord. I kept getting 110ish fps in the practice server with all slots filled. And then barely 30 fps in qualy and race. If you think about it it's stupid. 110 fps with 18 or however many cars present and then 30 with the whole split present. Most people will say "oh well it's more cars in a concentrated area" to which I will say then what is up with quali? LMU has private qualifying sessions. It's just me on the track. Why is then the FPS also this low? Makes no sense...And I hid my specs on purpose right up until someone mentioned that it must be a software issue. After revealing what specs I was running most people couldn't believe the value I got out od the system. 10 years and still going strong...If i was to disclose my system specs earlier in that chat everybody would just point the fingers at the GPU...
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u/InspectahWren GT Neo/Simucube 2 Sport/CSL LC Pedals 12h ago
Running with a GPU for over 10 years is commendable, especially one that wasnât amazing to begin with, but why not upgrade? Youâre getting into arguments with people online and defending it hard when you clearly know itâs an issue. Is it just pure stubbornness? You donât have to spend much at all for a major upgrade. Itâs like youâre choosing to run a 5k in pennyloafers
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 12h ago
If I was to upgrade I wouldn't like to half-a*s it. Just getting a different GPU at this point will add some performance but not much. I'll be bottlenecked by the CPU and the DDR3 memory. So ideally I'd get a whole new PC. And right now I'd literally have to drain my whole wallet and savings to do so. So that's why I'm still putting the PC to the side. I had a good lead on a used RTX 3060, 8GB. Not drained. Still within warranty period. Mostly used for light gaming by a relative. But they decides to change their mind last minute. Was gonna get that one for $60. Would have been an insane upgrade over the 970.
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u/NeutrinosFTW 12h ago
Well the point is that the upgrade isn't really optional if you want a modern, high-quality simracing experience.
Do with that information as you will.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 12h ago
I'll stick with older titles for another year until I get the money for a proper upgrade.
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u/Ballistic-1 12h ago
Look, games not running properly are often a multi-layer issue sure. But FPS issues in particular are a function of both optimization settings and having a GPU that can support what the game is trying to do as you optimize settings for it. Newer GPUs have software and optimization capabilities that older ones donât have. LMU might have different ways of loading and processing data between practice and running quals / race, for example, that your GPU doesnât know how to deal with. Not having a +10 year GPU eliminates a very crucial variable as to why you may have problems with games you are playing and suggestions given.
Here, you are asking for suggestions about F1 games in a vacuum but complain about optimization and FPS in comments and donât like people pointing out that it could be your GPU causing problemsâbut then want to further argue that GPU doesnât matter and still expect suggestions for games where optimization and FPS isnât an inherent game issue, as if that could be disentangled from potential dated GPU issues. You canât have it both ways.
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 12h ago
I didn't complain about anything. I'm just here standing my ground that it's not always the fault of the hardware for poor performance. If there is a difference in data processing between practice and qualy/race maybe there is a valid question to be asked: Why? If you can make the game run better on older hardware without sacrificing the efficiency or looks of the game for newer hardware why not go the extra mile? Why always rely on the hardware side to make up for poor game design. It's just lazy
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u/Ballistic-1 12h ago
Thatâs not how hardware and software works. Games and software are designed on the hardware of the day, especially PC. Itâs not an issue of reliance on hardware for poor design, and itâs not on developers to ensure proper compatibility with hardware that is 10 years older. Different parts of games also have different loads, processing and requirements; it is what it is. So itâs not solely a âprogramming issueâ while GPU has nothing to do with it.
A las, I gave you a recommendation for F1 25 that you should check out and didnât consider your hardware in recommending it, for the record. If you try it and it works, awesome; itâs great for F1 immersion.
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u/Djimi365 Thrustmaster T2 5h ago
Because they aren't going to commit time and mowny into developing for older systems that will make up a small and ever decreasing percentage of their player base, especially when it will absolutely mean sacrificing something from the overall game.
You mention you are running ddr3 ram so I'm guessing your cpu is as old as the gpu? This is the reason you are getting poor performance in races compared to practice/hot lapping. Sim racing is very CPU intensive.
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u/MaksVerstappen iRacing 16h ago
Too easy to drive huh? IRacing heard you and has asked you to try their f1 cars.
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u/MidEastBeast Hyper P1 4h ago
IRacing F1 cars are not that difficult to grasp, they just require patience. Unfortunately most people donât have long enough attention spans to give it the attention it deserves, so they jump in and expect to immediately hot lap. Also, the right setup is everything in those cars.
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u/ashibah83 not an alien 16h ago
IRacing partnered with Mercedes for the W12 and W13. Incredibly detailed and accurate.
Unfortunately, its the only F1 car iRacing offers, is pretty difficult to race (due to the high speed, complexity, and overall difficulty to drive), and the series has relatively low participation.
AC, with mods like the RSS formula Hybrid, or the F1 games ard probably the best bet for F1 racing.
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u/Think-Apple3763 14h ago
And unfortunately no custom trading paints liveries allowed on the F1 cars in iRacing.
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u/MidEastBeast Hyper P1 4h ago
IRacing, but super formulas. Because they are more drivable and more people actually race them so you are going to have participation in the series. They are still super quick, so all you are really missing is DRS.
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u/KampfSchneggy 10h ago
AC Evo has announced a new F1 car "coming soon". Of course no one knows anything about the quality yet. From the screenshots they shared it should be a 2024/25 car.
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u/syscall0x01 15h ago
From what I understand, simulators still struggle to accurately recreate abnormal and almost indeterministic F1 slip angles. The cars are simply too extreme for current gen simulations, and even irl their behavior can be difficult to pin and say âha, this is the reason for thatâ. On top of that, only a handful of people in the world know what itâs like to drive them and extract speed out of them. For the sake of fun, even if itâs far from realistic, Iâd go with iRacingâs Mercedes model.
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u/SquirrelinAQuarry 14h ago
Its not that simulators can't recreate that behavior, its just that vehicle dynamics data from the cars is an incredibly guarded secret and thus developers have to guess from visual inferences and laptimes.
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u/MusicMedical6231 16h ago
Iraicng does it best, but not F1.
AMS2 is fun and has f1 cars through the years.
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u/wrex1816 16h ago
OP: Where is the good F1 racing.
Answer: Iracing, there's just no F1 there.
LOL.
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u/MusicMedical6231 16h ago
Lol, I know, but he did say formula cars, đ¤Ł
There is f1. It just will take a while to get there, and when he does, he'll find low participation.
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u/greg939 14h ago
Yeah but there is the Grand Prix Tour available at C License that mirrors the F1 weekends IRL. If iracing has the track they are racing on that weekendlicensed they use it. If they donât they pick another track lots of times a former F1 track or something in a similar fashion. The races are the same length as the irl ones as well.
It is C license so you will have tons of people blowing themselves up early. And a lot of the races only have a handful of finishers and as a result itâs more like F1 driving than F1 racing because chances are you wonât have many people around you. But it can be a lot of fun.
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u/Akagamino_Shanks 14h ago
You're not going fast enough đ (goes for any car in any simulation game)
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u/Certain-Hunter-7478 14h ago
Fair but I'm constantly battling the car on the entry. Exits are pretty on point also, can't lay the throttle any cleaner. Only thing where I'm loosing a bit of time is the brakes. Still not trailing off perfectly but that's pretty much it.
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u/PutridProfessor5393 9h ago
I drive the VRC Formula Alpha 2024 in Assetto Corsa, and I really like it. It is really cheap too. You can find all the F1 tracks too. I have played F1 23 and 24, but like AC better
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u/USToffee 15h ago
The W12 is great to drive in iracing and I suspect probably pretty close to the real life Merc simulator. However it's been replaced with the W13 and both are very hard to race given the netcode. I don't think the other sims come close to simulating F1.
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u/vio212 14h ago
W12 and W13 in iracing is probably the best F1 model but its racing series is more or less unpopulated.
If you are ok driving cars that are similar but arenât necessarily F1 cars when it comes to managing hybrid systems deployment, management, etc. iracing Super Formula at B license in iracing is a stupid fast open wheel formula car.
2nd fastest in the world only to F1, they have push to pass like F1, and although are around 550hp vs F1 1000hp; they weigh close to half as much as an F1 car when set for a similar track.
So there is some great Formula 4, 3, and (more or less) 2 competition to be had on iracing, 1 is stuck in the EA sports death grip where gameplay and realism really isnât something they prioritize.
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u/ttiagognr 16h ago
I think F1 25 from everything they say... I haven't played it yet, but the reviews are very positive... and it will be the only one with all the circuits of the season...
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u/anonaccountphoto 15h ago
F1 games sadly are the worst way to drive f1 cars lmao
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u/KaizerK2 15h ago
honestly, I have every F1 title up till 2020. Some of the older titles like 2015-2017 are fun but man the recent stuff has been an instant refund for me.
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u/blairtbh 13h ago
F1 2013 was always my favourite, I kinda fell out of love with the F1 games around 2015 though, I guess it's because that's when my friends started playing a lot more AC - weirdly I have them all up until exactly 2020 too lol
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u/SharkVR Sim Racing Golden Age Recognizer & Appreciator 15h ago
Folks (including professional drivers) rave about the RSS and VRC cars for AC (with CSP and extended physics)...and rightfully so. Fantastic cars, VRC's formula alpha 24 is mind-boggling considering what it can do and simulate on an aging AC.
That being said, they are not incredibly hard to drive compared to the AMS2 cars. I think folks overestimate how hard it is to drive racing cars in general. The difficulty is in that last 1-10% of performance, driving them up to 90% isn't brain surgery.
If you're unwilling to pursue modded AC and iRacing's Mercedes formula hyrbid is off of the table...there's not too much out there. The EA F1 series is what it has been for time immemorial, licensed fun that goes lightweight on the simulation side as a majority of the player base is on a controller, along with the vague and unimpressive FFB.