My first was the first Indy Car. I started on keyboard, then moved to a very rudimentary gamepad, and finally to a joystick, a Wingman by Logitech if I recall. I broke them constantly using them for racing. Eventually I moved on to a wheel, but that was a few years later. Then I went to the Papy NASCAR sims, and Indy Car 2, then Grand Prix 2 and later Grand Prix Legends. I can recall being stoked to discover the -hires switch in DOS, which I think made the Papyrus sims high-def, 640x480! Ah, those were the days

That gamepad was the Gravis gamepad lol Remember these?

This will take you back. Papy's Indy Car Racing

I went directly from a joystick to a wheel. I used a joystick for "World Circuit" but I bought my first wheel in 1994 and I have never looked back! I'm pretty sure my first force feedback wheel was the Logitech MOMO which I bought around 2007 or so.

edit: That video for IndyCar Racing immediately reminded me of my youthful college days when Bill was POTUS, the X-Files was a hot new show and grunge music was cool.

First race in my fledgling Formula One career is in the books. I seemed to have found just the right level for the AI. I have it set on 80, and running a pure lap managed to put my Racing Point 8th on the grid, at 1:30-flat. That's right where I would expect to be given the strength of my car, as it's early and I've not managed to complete many technical improvements yet. The opening race is at Bahrain, which is a magnificent, purpose-built facility. Race was under the lights, in clear, dry weather.

I spent several hours working on my setup, learning the effects of the various tweaks and settings, dialing out the bad and making it better suited to the track and to my style. You run a few laps, and check three things mainly -- corner entry behavior, corner exit behavior and top speed. Come back in and make a change or two, never too many at once, and then test it again over a few laps trying to dial it in. In the end I felt it was good, stable with just a touch of entry oversteer like I like, but sure-footed enough on exit to keep it under control. Velocity in the speed trap was in-line with the top cars so I felt good about my setup.

50% race length is 29 laps at Bahrain. Deciding on a strategy was difficult. One stop or two? I don't have the requisite experience yet to properly judge tire wear and fuel loads, so I played conservatively and went with two stops, which cost me in the end. I broke it down as 8 laps on softs, 9 laps on softs and 12 laps on mediums, as you are required to run both compounds per league rules.

I opted for having a formation lap as it's Formula One after all and I go all in. I was grinning as I was just loving it. It felt so real and that my time had arrived as a driver in the world's top motorsport competition, The sights, the sounds, my teammate, who qualified 9th, right alongside. We came around to the pit straight and took our places on the grid. The lights came on and the engines roared and as they went out the field took off. I managed to hold my position in to and through turn 1 and ran near my limit. I have to to keep pace. I managed a couple of overtakes using a combination of DRS and ERS, and after 8 laps came in for my first stop. "Box Box" the engineer says over the radio

I must have damaged my front wing, which I didn't even realize, maybe I nudged someone under braking, and that change added a couple seconds to the stop. When I came out I was in 18th. Quite a few were on a one-stop strategy it seems. But the combination of them on harder compounds and me on new softs allowed me to work my way through the field to 10th. Second stop came and went, which went smoothly and now on mediums I tried to make my way forward, but was unable to make much headway, despite liberal use of the ERS system which can give the car a big boost.

And that's where I took the checkers, in 10th. Not bad for a first run against AI that hardly makes mistakes and set to a fairly good strength. 10th is the final points position and my teammate Sergio Perez finished in 9th, where he started. So both cars scored, even if we got the fewest points possible. And it's a long way from"Push for Podiums", but some tracks I am better suited for lie ahead, like Monza and the A-1 Ring where I hope to do better. The center sector at Bahrain is tricky and the AI runs it well, so it's difficult to make any headway.

In all though I really had fun on my first weekend in F1. I completed a number of the programs in the practice sessions to obtain data and have more points to spend on R & D, so I hope I can see my car improve relative to the field. My driver acclaim improved after this result and so did my 'value', which will translate to better offers and opportunities in the future. 10th is about where Racing Point is technically at the mo, so I basically kept form, but I hope to improve on that as the season continues. When setting up the career I could choose between a 22-race schedule, or 16 or 10. I chose 16, which allows me to cull some of my least favorite circuits and I did so, but I did retain Monaco, because what is a Formula One season without Monaco?!

Now, on to Hanoi.....

Hanoi was a disaster really. I failed to score and finished 18th. Qualified 4th in the rain, but when the session ended a number of cars were on the track. I guess their laps are then simulated by the program and when the qualifying results popped up I had dropped from 4th to 10th! Not too happy with that, and then the race did not go well, as I was shuffled back. I had added some downforce to get a good qually lap in the wet, but we are using the parc ferme rules (setup locked for qualifying and the race) the race was dry and the other cars just ate me up on the very long back straight. It must be a mile long and I stood no chance. I could hold my own through the rest of the track, but that straight did me in. I would have been better off qualifying a little slower and having that top end pace for the race. Lesson learned and when we come here next season I'll have that knowledge in the bank. Teammate Sergio Perez finished 10th and scored another point for the team.

Next race is Shanghai, which is a good track for me. Qualified 7th, but the race weather is screwing me. It starts dry, begins to rain after three laps and then goes dry later. I completely bottled it as I haven't worked out how to change strategy on the fly. It's all I can do to concentrate on the track at these speeds, and to have to navigate MFD menus while underway is a bit beyond me right now. I thought I had managed to swap to Inters for my first stop, but when I came out I was on slicks again and I'm going to try it again. I must have missed a 'confirm' step when trying to change scheduled tire type.

I can hang with the top cars here, and if the race were dry start to finish I think I'd score well. But this shifting weather is doing me in.

I have two 'major' R & D projects underway which should both be complete before the next race at Zandvoort, if they do not fail that is. Barring failure, our car should see a nice boost. Never raced Zandvoort in modern Formula One, but as I said in the GPL thread, Zandy is one of my favorite tracks. Will be interesting to give it a go in these rocketsleds.

Having struggled with adapting to changing race weather in my first attempt, I took a mulligan. My main issue was how to navigate the MFD options while also driving at race pace. But F1 2020 has an option that I have never had in any racing sim before, the ability to talk to your engineer with voice commands. Game. Changer.

So before I returned to Shanghai, I started a practice session at the the A1 Ring and hooked up the headset to test it out. I turned a few laps (setting a new PB as I am improving) and after a few laps I hit the radio button and said out loud "Box this lap". The engineer acknowledged and it felt like a huge leap forward in sim racing. Maybe this has been a thing for a while now, but it's new for me and it's as awesome as it sounds. There is a long list of commands, everything from tire and wing changes to teammate position and championship standings can be handled with voice commands, which frees me to concentrate on the track. Love this.

Armed with this new ability I returned to Shangai to try the race again. Rain drops were falling during the formation lap, their intensity slowly picking up. Starting 7th on the grid I got a good start and passed a couple cars in the long turn 1 + 2. The two Mercedes were in front and my Racing Point in third. The rain kept getting heavier and by the third lap the track was wet, I had lost a lot of grip and was sliding around. "Box this lap" "Set Intermediate". Sure thing mate.

Got a lightning fast stop of 2.4 seconds and when the pits shook out I found myself in second behind Bottas. My pace in the wet was considerably faster than the other cars, and I got by Bottas and opened up a ten-second lead. I reckon I've more downforce than the AI cars and this translated in to superior wet pace. It rained for eight laps and by lap 11 it was over, the track began drying out and the skies brightened. "Box this lap" "Set Hard". More rain was forecast but I gambled that it would hold off until the race was over. If it didn't, a softer compound would have been the right call, with another switch to Inters when the rain fell again. But if it held off, then the hards would allow me to finish without any more stops.

Soon, the sun was shining and the track fully dry. But my dry pace was a little slower than the top AI cars like Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes. Not by much, but enough to see the interval tick down each lap. Hamilton had switched to softs, while most went with mediums. Hamilton promptly set fastest lap, but before long his tires faded and he was forced to pit for a third time, and with it his chance for victory was gone. He got a DNF in Vietnam, and is well behind leader and teammate Bottas in the standings.

With about 5 laps to go Bottas caught me. I let him by without defending my position. A win would be great, but finishing as high as possible and not throwing it all away near the end was my goal. Verstappen was also gaining, but even on hards I was able to maintain enough of a gap that I crossed the line under gathering overcast 6 tenths in front to take second place! Sergio Perez finished 8th, for 4 points, while I got 18. Perez has finished 9th, 10th and 8th, scoring in each race so far. Our combined 26 points vaults Racing Point to 4th in the Constructors, the best of the rest. But there is a long way to go. Team expectations when I signed with Racing Point were 'Push for Podiums", and I've got my first. Hopefully this will help to be offered a renewal.

This was an awesome experience. Mulligan aside, the combination of dynamic weather and the voice communication with the engineer, not to mention a great team result, left me grinning. Dynamic weather and the need to react to it and choose the right strategies adds so much to sim racing. I am digging this sim.

Unfortunately, returning to headquarters saw one of my two 'major' R & D projects fail. This was a fuel injection improvement that cost a lot of resource points and time. To have it fail was a big blow. The other major project was a front wing redesign which succeeded, so we are making some progress on the technical side. My driver acclaim and value got a nice bump from Shanghai and now it's off to Zandvoort, and my first laps there in 13 years, since my GPL days.

Returning to Zandvoort was a real treat. The track has changed some from 1967, but it still has good flow and is still quite technical. It's as tight as ever and I had a blast racing the AI there.

A few screens to dress this ARR thread up....

This is the HQ screen, where you do your R & D and other team functions. In Driver Career the options are limited, but My Team has more depth. And a good look at the number 9 car, and Racing Point's livery, and you see the warning that parts are wearing out which I'll get to in a bit






Between Shanghai and Zandvoort our team finished a couple minor technical projects, and I took care of the media responsibilities, which is just answering a few questions from a reporter. One of them asked me who I thought of as my rival. Options were McLaren's Sainz, Renault's Ricciardo and I think Verstappen from Red Bull. I chose Sainz. This starts a rivalry and the player scores acclaim points if he outdrives the rival over the various weekends. A neat touch that gives you a parallel narrative as the races tick by.

Like real Formula One, each team has an allotment of parts...turbos, ICEs (engine), electronics, gearbox and more. You need to manage this wear over the season, and if you use them all up you incur a grid penalty when forced to go over. Each part has an estimated number of laps remaining before it fails, and so it was that I arrived at Zandvoort with virtually all of them nearing that point. There would not be enough laps left in them to get through practice and qualifying, and the 36-lap race too. Durability is part of the R & D tree, and I had only done gearbox so far. But I would start both ICE and turbo after this race. I used the degraded parts through the practice sessions, and then swapped all before qualifying. You only get three engines, and I am already replacing one after just three races of a 16-race season. So I need to improve reliability. Degraded parts suffer a loss of power too.

The modern Zandvoort layout





My first laps at Zandvoort after all this time were a lot of fun. It's great track, full of sweeping turns and tight ones too, with a lot of elevation and camber changes, even some banking. It took a number of laps to learn it, especially braking points and which turns could be taken flat out and the practice programs help a lot. And they also generate resource points for R & D plus tire and fuel data which is useful when setting your race strategy. Strategies are vital, but dynamic weather means they often don't survive the race. If it stays dry, or is wet all the way though then yeah, but changing conditions mean the strategies change on the fly. And sure enough, the weather forecast for Zandy was dry with rain in the second half. But with the same experience at Shanghai, I felt more confident I could deal with it.

Here, I overcook the entry to turn one at Zandvoort while learning the track





And the view from the cockpit during the first practice session. The big screen is showing my in-car it seems lol. I have removed the center bar from the halo, one of the graphics options





I made a real good setup, very fast and stable, and managed to nip pole position by two tenths over Bottas. Starting from the front would be awesome, on such a tight track, and as long as I could avoid major mistakes I had a chance to score well. Got a good start but a slight slip early allowed Bottas to get by, but I settled in to a rhythm and kept position through the first stop. I took hards since I didn't know when the rain would start. I didn't want to have to pit for a second set, then have to come in again for wet weather tires once the rain started falling. The rain came about the mid-point and I came in again for inters, using the voice commands which I think is a fantastic feature. It allows me to concentrate on the racing, and at the same time work out a strategy on the fly.

Came out of the second stop still in second, with Bottas having flown past down the start-finish straight while I was exiting my stall. But again my wet pace was good and I hauled him down, but with the tires wearing, I had to settle to remain about 2 seconds back. I never did get much closer, although the two of us were running away from the trailing pack. Codemasters is Czech I think, but you'd think they were Finns based on how Bottas has performed so far this season. I was happy with second again though and that's how it finished. Perez grabbed a fantastic 4th and Racing Point is now third in the Constructors'. A great team result once again. I don't think we'd be doing as well if not for the weather, but I will take it. I also scored an acclaim bonus for having bested rival Sainz over the weekend and grabbed my second podium which should help me retain my seat.


The race results. I was pushing hard over the last two laps and got within a half second of Bottas as we made our way through the backmarkers, but that's as close as I got (look at the number of cars lapped)








Next up, Catalunya, another circuit I know well. But I don't expect any rain

Great screenshots DBond!

Thanks Panzer.

I ran the Spanish Grand Prix at Catalunya. As mentioned I've experience here, but I was struggling for pace early in practice, but that was due mainly to trying to squeeze as many laps as possible out of my worn parts to preserve the new ones. Once I swapped in the good ones my pace picked up. I was wrong in my no rain prediction, I guess Catalunya is on the Spain plain

I qualified 4th, and the race began dry, but it started raining just about the time the first stops were due. Some AI teams made the mistake of pitting a lap or two too early, taking dry-weather tires, then being forced to come in soon after for wets. Hamilton for example had four stops, while I had two and a few AI drivers only stopped once. Hamilton has been a mess this season, rarely a factor and seemingly always making the wrong strategy calls. In stark contrast, his teammate Bottas has won all five races so far and has a huge lead in the championship.

I ran a good race without really doing much. Just solid and consistent and finished in 4th, where I started, right behind Verstappen, who has struggled so far this season, but a good result here. Red Bull managed second and third, and with my teammate Perez finishing out of the points in Spain, Red Bull moved ahead of Racing Point in to third in the Constructors'.

Next up Monaco! I stand no chance really of scoring. I'm capable of a good lap, but to string together 30+ over the race is going to be beyond me I think. Too many walls, too close to the track, if collision doesn't get me first. Racing Point is ahead of schedule really to this stage, so a lost weekend won't hurt too much and maybe Perez can score.

Monaco was a disaster, then it wasn't. I was unable to establish consistency in practice. I could turn the odd competitive lap, but I hit a wall or barrier more often than I ran clean, and even my best lap was well off the AI's pace. I qualified 20th, dead last. Not keen to spend an hour crashing and running last, I decided to simulate the race, figuring my driver would finish 15th or something,but unfortunately I finished 7th. From last. Not sure how that happens at a track like Monaco and those are some cheap points and I wasn't too happy with this result. I did not deserve to score, but I did and there's no reloading, so I was forced to accept it. Perez finished 8th so a decent team result even if it was fully undeserved.

Then on to Canada, which is like the anti-Monaco. Very high speed, with several challenging turns, especially the final chicane which catches me out constantly under detection during hotlaps. Such an important turn for laptime,and I want to exit as perfectly as possible, which leads to ever-so-slightly cutting the kerb and invalidating the lap. It's much more forgiving in the race however.

Practice went well, completed all of the practice programs and did tire tests for softs and mediums. Race was to be dry throughout, so setting a good strategy prior to the race would be important. Ran a good qualifying lap, fast enough for third on the grid behind the two Mercedes with Bottas on pole. Perez was also in the top ten so another shot at a good team result. Starting third means I am on the inside for the first turn, but outside for turn two, and even though I got a good start, I had to let Hamilton through and I settled in between the two Mercedes and the two Ferraris. Bottas and Hamilton checked out, but I was able to stay ahead of the Ferraris. I set a two-stop strategy, soft-medium-soft and ran a clean race, no real mistakes.

A few scenes from Montreal. Here, the field heads out for the formation lap, with my Racing Point and Verstappen's Red Bull sandwiched between the Mercedes and the Fezzes, with my teammate Sergio Perez in 7th




A cool shot showing my car blurred by the heat from Hamilton's exhaust as the cars exit turn two. One of the safety crew seems to have lost his head?




Soon after my second stop Bottas retired with a mechanical issue. That brought me back up to third, Leclerc having gotten by during my stop somehow and that's how it finished, with Hamilton winning. He also won at Monaco, so back to back wins for him, and with Bottas' retirement the race at the top of the table has tightened a bit, though Bottas still holds a big lead. His retirement allowed Magnussen to finish 10th, earning Haas their first point of the season, leaving Williams as the only team to fail to score so far.

A shot of the hairpin during the first stint. Here, I hold off Leclerc with Vettel behind. The Mercedes have checked out and you can't even see them up the back straight





The Driver's and Constructor's standings after seven races. It's gone better than I had hoped so far, and Racing Point is solidly in 4th position






I am really having a great time running this Driver Career. There is so much to like. I enjoy the off-track stuff like rivalries, R & D, managing my parts and that sort of thing. The voice communication with the engineer and dynamic weather are awesome, and the entire race event is fun start to finish. Practice programs add so much to what could easily become a mundane slog to get through until the race. A race weekend with my settings consists of three practice sessions of 45 minutes, 45 minutes and 30 minutes. There is an 18 minute qualifying and the races are run at 50% length. And because of the necessity to be mindful of parts wear and tear, there's a bit of a strategical element to the whole affair. There is much to be gained by turning a lot of laps, but that has to be balanced against excessive use.

I have worked out a practice session routine that I follow each weekend. In Practice 1 I conduct the programs for ERS, Fuel, Tire Wear along with the track acclimatisation. In Practice 2 I run the Race Strategy Program, and in Practice 3 I run the Qualifying program. I try to run just enough laps to complete these with no wasted effort and resulting wear on my parts. All of this fosters the sense that my role is important beyond just running a race, and that I am doing my bit as part of the team. Good stuff.

If there was one thing I would single out as a disappointment, it's the fact there is no chaos. I am eight races in, and I've not seen a single incident. No turn-one mishaps, unless I cause it. I don't see AI drivers making mistakes, aside from locking their brakes when I am pressuring them. No one seems to run wide, and no accidents at all. There may be a bump here and there, but nothing race-altering. Formula One is often chaotic in real-life, but there is too much of a perfect computer element to the action in this sim. I'd love to see more variability and random events. At most there may be one retirement per race, due to mechanical issues. Of course I cannot see the entire race and I might be missing some things, but even if so it's minor and rare.

Next up, Austria at the A1 Ring, or Österreichring or whatever it might be called these days. This is a very simple track, but a joy to race, and one of my best. If I am to win a race in this first season, this is probably my best chance. Racing Point have made great strides in the technical department and we have closed the performance gap with the top three to a degree. Hoping for a great result.

Red Bull Ring I guess is what it is called now. Interestingly, the sim does not refer to it as such.

This race event triggers an internal debate. I dominated the weekend, winning pole, setting fastest lap and won the race, for my first victory in F1. But the debate is whether I am just good here, if I need to bump the AI, or perhaps, the AI ability varies from track to track. There are a few threads on the official boards that go in to a lot of details about the latter, to where many players alter the AI strength from race to race to compensate for the AI's up and down performance. Not sure what the right answer is, I want a sim that pushes me and I want even AI performance. It is difficult to separate what could be my strengths and weaknesses from the AI's perhaps fluctuating ability. This is the sort of thing that would take a number of seasons to get a feel for really. On the whole, the setting I have chosen has been good for me, a competitive level that requires consistently fast performance to score. But it's also true I have improved through the season and maybe a little bump for the AI would be good. This is further muddled by the fact that my car has improved, closing the gap and even surpassing Red Bull and Ferrari on the performance chart. Mercedes is still in a class of its own, but how much of this is down to the car, the AI or my ability (or lack thereof) is hard to say.

Following my victory in Austria, where Perez finished fourth, I ran the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The layout seems different than i remember, but it's an exhilarating track. It's not my favorite to watch a race, but it is a blast to drive. It seems like you're constantly on the edge and wide open. It has just one slow speed turn. Dead-flat tracks generally don't light my fire, but I really enjoyed this event, finishing in third, or fourth, I forget lol. As Racing Point's home track it was important for the sponsors and the team to get a good result and we did. Good fun.

At this stage I am debating shelving this season and starting the My Team mode, which is the thing that really interests me. This first season has allowed me to learn the tracks, chassis setup, fuel and tires, pit strategies, research and development, rivalries and all the finer points of the sim. In My Team, you start with the weakest car and corporate setup, so I didn't want to dive straight in before getting some experience under my belt. In My team, I'll add to my responsibilities, signing sponsorship deals, choosing an engine supplier, improving the facilities and many things that you don't need to worry about in Driver Career. Plus I get to paint my own livery and come up with a team name. And one of the most important things is to hire a second driver. All of this is limited by your bank balance, so that if you opt for the best and most expensive engine, there's less money for the second driver and that sort of thing. Opportunity cost is a compelling aspect of gaming, and I always enjoy these sorts of decisions.

So I'll decide over whether I want to make this switch now, or finish out the current season. I'm disappointed a thread like this gets so little attention, aside from Panzer (thanks mate). It's disheartening to make what I feel are quality posts, well-written and full of detail about a great sim, and have no one bothered to comment. I see others lamenting the fact there is little sim content at this site, and a thread about lemons on sandwiches somehow gets 60+ replies, while this gets none. I've written quite a few AARs here at SimHQ over the years and it's not like this should surprise me.

If I do start My Team I think it will be interesting and worthy of continuing with my posts, as even if the members here are uninterested, I can see that some non members are reading it at least.

I think the most difficult part of starting My Team will be deciding on the team name I have in mind Kaliber Racing, but I am open to suggestions, so if you have a cool sounding F1 team name let me know. Setting it all up will take some time as I need to paint my car and that will take forever before I am satisfied, and then piece together the driver suit and all the other small details involved. My Team adds an eleventh team to the grid for 22 cars. I remember the days when the grid had 30+, but adding two, even if we are the backmarkers, will be interesting. But starting at the bottom and struggling to improve to the top is highly appealing and I'm looking forward to it.

Without stepping on any toes, all I can really say is that the posting traffic on this site has probably dropped about 50% compared to what it was about 5 years ago. It's a combination of both the ownership change that occurred and also the decline of forum-based sites in favor of social media.

You may be right, and I don't want to dwell on it. It is what it is. I said my piece about the lack of enthusiasm. Perhaps my posts are not as good as I think they are. Maybe the subject has little appeal. But the general apathy is discouraging. I can see in the post histories of many here that folks only come for PWEC and CH. Simming may have brought many here, but it is no longer what keeps them here. I don't want to turn this thread in to a discussion about this, but at the same time there's an element of why bother about it all. Honestly the best thing about making these AAR-style threads like I do is how much I enjoy reading them again a few years down the line, when the real appeal should be the interest and discussion it generates among the members. I make the type of threads and posts I would want to read myself, and if this had been done by someone else I would engage and join the discussion.

OK, back to Formula One...... Kaliber Racing? It sounds cool, with a ballistic element but the K gives it a Euro flair No?

Coming up with a name is always something I agonize over lol.

The allure of My Team mode proved too strong to resist. This was why I picked this sim up, having commented before about wanting a sim that allowed me to be owner/driver. The F2 and F1 careers were preparation for it, a chance to work out the finer points so that when I did tackle this mode I'd be able to progress smoothly. A racing sim and a management sim in one. The management side is rather simple, it's not Football Manager with a racing simulation. But it's the first of its kind for me and straight up my alley.

The first thing I needed to do was set my team up. And for that I needed a name. I had invented Kaliber Racing, which sounds cool to me, but I discovered there were no good images in the sim to use as a badge. No 'KR' or even 'K' or other things I would feel appropriate. But there is a 'R'. So Riccochet Racing (with two Cs, actually three but you know what I mean) was born.Then the livery needed to be created. You don't get a free hand, but can choose from a number of templates and then paint the primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Next, an engine supplier needs to be selected. The engine power and durability must be weighed against the cost, and I chose Honda, the cheapest of the four (Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari). I reasoned my first season we wouldn't be too competitive, and by saving money on the motor package more would be left to sign a teammate and for improving facilities. I can always choose another engine supplier next season, when we have more money, presumably. For second driver I plucked the Italian Luca Ghiotto out of F2 and signed him for 1.5m. He's pretty bad as far as F1 drivers go, about Giovinazzi's level, but again, the economics were the main factor in this choice. These moves left 1.1m in the bank and that would be turned in to an upgrade to the Aero department in a few weeks. Then a main sponsor is chosen, which gives the team cash up front, a weekly income and a team goal, which if met nets a bonus. I chose a fictional company called Shark, whose requirements were an easily reachable 'Score 5 championship points'. Lastly, our driver suits and helmets were done, with colors to match the team scheme.

The number 9 Riccochet Racing Formula One car





Between races there is much more to do in My Team mode. Daily activities are assigned, things like promotional tours, merchandise sales, simulator time and so on. All of these add some boost like acclaim, cash or improved stats for the teammate. You can set the schedule or have the sim auto-fill it. As the coffers fill you can also upgrade the facilities, the aero, powertrain, chassis and durability and corporate departments. These are expensive upgrades, in the millions. But they are vital for the R&D side, affecting things like build time, failure chance and so on.

With my team set up I was ready for the season. I opted for the shorter 16-race season, and this allows me some leeway with the schedule. I removed all street circuits like Hanoi and Monaco and replaced them with others I will have more fun racing on. I set the AI strength to 90, faster than my driver career. I want to be challenged and feel we are truly starting at the bottom. Race length was set to 50%.

First event was Bahrain under the lights. I worked on my setup, making it a little stiffer than my first race here, more responsive to quick changes in direction, and it paid off with a great lap, good enough for 14th on the grid. That's a bit higher than I wanted to be for the first race as a new team. Ghiotto was well off the pace and I suspect that will be a season-long refrain. I can attempt to sign a better driver next season if the funds allow it. I need the second driver to score resource points for R&D so his performances matter. The race was under the lights and dry throughout. I ran a good race, and using a one-stop strategy outfoxed most of the AI teams to finish 6th! That's eight points and I hit the sponsor goal in the first race lol. Verstappen won and Ghiotto finished next to last. The only reason he wasn't dead last is Hamilton retired with a mechanical issue. Ghiotto also ran one-stop and still finished at the back.

The view before the formation lap from the TV Pod camera





The number 9 Riccochet in the early stages of the race





After the post-race interview it's back to HQ, starting more R&D projects with the points gained over the race weekend, setting the daily schedule and other management activities. At this point we were able to sign a second sponsor for a small boost in weekly income. With our facilities at the lowest level our R&D failure chance is high and several of the projects have already failed, setbacks all. But we got in to Formula One for the long haul and this first season I am not too concerned with results, just with building a good base to push on down the line.

A cool shot showing the cockpit under the Bahrain lights




Second race was at China. Another dry race but some rain during practice. As always I followed my practice program routines to generate resource points. Managed to qualify in 11th, but had to run a two-stop strategy and finished 10th. Another championship point and Ghiotto finished next to last, because Bottas retired, with Hamilton winning. Nine points is a great haul at this stage.

The first season of the My Team career is in the books. It was run with AI set to 90, 50% race length, with short qualifying (18 minutes). As it turned out, AI at 90 is probably a little low. As a new team on the grid, I'd expect to be much further down the table, and not challenging for podiums. But going in I couldn't be sure what to set it to, and anyway it's fun to not be running at the back all the time. Our development of the car went well, and that contributed to the results, as we were mid-pack on the performance charts.

At the start of the season I signed Luca Ghiotto from F2 as my second driver. He was poor, not even a sniff of a point and I replaced him half-way through the season with Mick Schumacher, Michael's son. But not for results, as he was no better really, but for economic reasons as despite Ghiotto's poor results, his acclaim went up and so did his value, meaning he cost more, and Schumacher was cheaper. He scored zero points too.

Here you see the season results. Purple square shows fastest lap. Bottas won the WDC and I finished 6th, level on points with Vettel and Riccochet Racing finished 5th in the Constructors, behind Racing Point and the big three. I won two races, at France and Brazil. The win in France was a result of the AI caught in two minds over tires during shifting weather. It rained, with varying intensity, light, then heavy, then light again. I stuck to my inters during the heaviest rain, but the AI kept coming in to fit appropriate tires. So most AI drivers ended up pitting five times, while I just pitted twice, and as a result cruised to victory for my first win. At Brazil though I was fast, earning pole. Verstappen should have won, he was leading the race with just a few to go with me in second, but he blew up on the start-finish straight with five to go and I won the race, setting fastest lap as well. Interlagos is my favorite track in F1 2020 and a great result. Just three podiums for the season, but two wins, with one being very lucky. It's quite possible I would have finished out of the points if it had been a dry race in France. Brazil though was a good performance and the points were legit. Sainz has just been signed, more on this in a bit, and scored those 26 points for McLaren. This table reflects drivers changing teams and not necessarily season one teams. Perez for example drove for Racing Point and not Alpha Tauri.




I've mentioned the weather a couple times already and I want to praise it again. I love the way it's done in this sim, the unpredictability of it all and the profound effect it has on the racing. Not only that, but the way it is graphically, with gathering storm clouds, or the sun peeking through as it promises to improve. The spray in traffic and the effect it has on grip. The way it throws strategies in to chaos. Easily the best weather system I've seen in racing sims in all my years. It adds so much to sim racing and I love it.

A couple shots of the sim in wet weather at Silverstone. Screenshots don't really do it justice, but it gives a sense of how the rain affects your visibility, which at these speeds is no small matter!







Throughout the season in My Team the player must deal with a variety of off-track stuff, like signing sponsors, R&D, conducting interviews and running the daily activities of the team. As cash and resource points are gathered, it's spent on variety of things. The main things are technical development and facilities. It's important to try and keep pace here so that you don't fall behind. For the first season I wasn't too concerned with results on the track, but I was keen to do a good job with infrastructure and car development. I expect it all to snowball through the seasons leading to what is hopefully a WDC and Constructor's title down the line. Toward the end of the season the game threw a curveball at me as 'regulation changes' were announced for the following season. What this means in effect is that one or more of your development departments (powertrain, aero, durability, chassis) will see all of your technical improvements nullified, essentially forcing you to start over. You do have a couple of weeks to make those parts 'conform' by spending resource points, but you're unlikely to have enough saved up to cover it all. In my season, this affected both aero and durability, and I was able to save some, but not all and as a result we head in to season two a little worse off than we finished season one.

That will be countered by our improving facilities which generate more resource points, and hopefully by better results as well. As this was my first attempt at a My Team career, I didn't know quite what to expect at season's end, but I did begin to stockpile points and cash as the season wound down. The points helped to save some technical progress as mentioned, and the cash would be used to sign a better driver and a new engine supplier. The Honda did fine, but I wanted whichever engine screamed the most, which by testing them in Time Trial mode, I decided was Ferrari.

When the season was over we went straight to the driver negotiation phase. I had hoped this would come after prize money and sponsor goals were paid out, but for whatever reason it happens before that. So it was that I had 12m saved up. The game requires you to identify drivers you may want to sign during the season and set them to 'watched'. Not sure what this does, but I chose three, one top driver (Leclerc), one mid-pack (Sainz) and one near the bottom (Russell). It's done as a fast-paced bidding process, where you and any other team interested in that driver bid a contract, and then attempt to continue to out-bid these rivals until one emerges the winner. I started with Leclerc who I really wanted, but I was quickly out-priced by Ferrari and he resigned with them. I moved on to Sainz and managed to outbid two teams for his services, and he is now Riccochet Racing's second driver. He is a massive upgrade over the F2-level drivers I had in season one. Hopefully this will pay dividends and he will score points. I expect that he will if I can give him a good car. His addition will also improve our resource point generation to speed up our technical development. My acclaim could suffer, as I stand to now be outdriven by my teammate, but I will gladly trade that for better team results.

After this I was looking to run the rule over a better main sponsor, and change engine suppliers. But I completely missed it. There is no prompt and as it turns out I needed to click the team details button which is shown in the shot below. I didn't realize this and thought team details was just a way to change my team name or whatever. But that was my only shot at making these changes and now it will need to wait until next year, and we will be Honda-powered for a second season. It's the worst engine, though a little cheaper too, but I have plenty of money now and would have wanted to improve here as well as get the screamingest engine on the grid At least I know now how to do it so can make these changes for next season. Since I missed main sponsor too I am also missing out on money. Not the end of the world and I suspect in the long term it will actually be a good thing, as it serves to retard our progress to a degree, and make it so it takes a little longer to reach the top.

Riccochet Racing. the number 9 car, along with me on the left and new signing Carlos Sainz. Now on to the second season and hopefully become the best of the rest and moving past Racing Point in the table.

I have not posted, but I have been following this thread.

I've got F1 2018, but have yet to make a commitment on starting a season. And this thread is really making me want to give it a try. I've got a new controller pad this week, and am again seriously considering a play. Part of the indecision seems to be related to the scalable difficulty options. With me using a controller, where do I want to put the difficulty? Racing games make me pretty tense (something I don't need right now), so am I happy to play this more in the "arcade style" settings to just enjoy a season experience?

I'm about to look at this again today, after some time away.

I have several racing sims in my Steam account, gotten through sales etc., that I've never installed but will some day when I have a wheel. I just can't play racing sims without a wheel. But I do have an interest!

Thanks to both of you for the replies.




I've always used a wheel but for this I decided to see if I could get on with a controller. I didn't think I'd like it but in the end it's been great, far better than I thought it would be. That said I am using a number of aids, and you see in the wet weather shots the racing line too. But ya know, I've paid my dues over the years, and anyone who reads the GPL thread can't accuse me of avoiding full-real

I don't have F1 2018, but I'm sure it's nearly identical, and I'm sure you can set a level you are comfortable with. Camera view, racing aids, AI level and so forth is highly customizable so I'm sure you can get it where you want it. It just takes some testing to find where that is. I ran a Formula 2 season and another in Driver Career which gave me a good base to set up the My Team career, even if I maybe went a bit soft on the AI level in the end. All of this can be adjusted between races or throughout the race weekend though so you can alter it on the fly. The one thing it cannot account for though is the AI's uneven performance from track to track. What F1 2018 does not have is My Team, but other than that I reckon it's nearly the same.




I hope you give one a go. I'd certainly recommend F1 2020, but there are a lot of really good racing sims out there. Before this sim I would have agreed with you about not being able to play without a wheel, but I'm proof the transition can be made, even for old dudes

I think a lot more people than you think read your threads DBond. I have been reading from the start, but just didn't have the time to comment. Of course though, I tried this game on the free weekend on Steam last week because of this thread and of course ended up buying it. We will see if I even have time to play...lol

Hey Wolverine, how's things? Thanks for the comment. Reading that someone gets the game because of my posts is great. Well, hopefully you can work out some seat time and turn some laps.

I started season 2, and the regulation changes seems to have shaken the field a bit, and narrowed it too. Pretty interesting results so far with the top of the expected order mixed up to a degree. With a few driver changes and some shake up in running order it gives the sim that sense of variability that makes it compelling. With how robot-like the AI runs the races, and the lack of chaos I talked about earlier, this shake up is great. It may settle out moving forward, but the early results are interesting.

It's a huge shift too, to have a teammate that is capable of getting the most out of the car. With the crap drivers I employed in season one I could never be sure of my car's real capability. But with Sainz behind the wheel it shows we are in good shape. He had a poor result in Bahrain, finishing 15th, while I crossed 8th. but I could see by his pace over the weekend that we will both be scoring points this season. It's a lot of fun rooting for the AI teammate to come good. He also is able to complete more of the practice programs than the season one drivers, and generates more resource points as a result. Combined with the improvement to our facilities I've bought, our technical progress in season 2 should be much better. The tightening of the field due to the regulation changes and our improved R&D capability should see us moving up the performance charts as the season progresses.