F1 2020 has a field of view slider for every camera. It does not show degrees. It goes from -1.00 to 1.00, and the default sits in the middle. Lower numbers zoom in. Higher numbers show more of what is around you.
My advice is short: go lower than the default, and go as low as your screen allows.
How to change FOV in F1 2020
- Open Settings from the main menu, or pause on track.
- Go to Camera Customisation.
- On the first line, Edit Camera, pick the camera you drive with. Each camera keeps its own values.
- Move Field of View.
- Go back on track and do three laps before you judge it.
The menu has eight sliders under the camera name:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Field of View | How wide the picture is. Lower zooms in |
| Offset: Lateral | Moves the camera left or right |
| Offset: Horizontal | Moves the camera forward or back |
| Offset: Vertical | Moves the camera up or down |
| Angle | Tilts the camera up or down |
| Near Clip Plane | Hides bodywork that is very close to the lens |
| Mirror Angle | Tilts what the mirrors show |
| Camera Shake | Vibration on bumps and kerbs, in percent |
Best FOV for your screen
The right field of view depends on how big the screen is and how far you sit from it. The closer and bigger the screen, the lower you can go.
| Your screen | Field of view to start from |
|---|---|
| TV across the room, on a pad | 0.00 |
| Monitor on a desk | -0.30 |
| Rig with the screen close to the wheel base | -0.60 |
| Big screen right behind the wheel | -0.80 |
I would not go above 0.20 on any screen. A wide field of view looks fast, but everything ahead of you gets small. The braking board is tiny, the apex is tiny, and you judge distance worse.
Why a lower FOV is better
In a real car you do not think about field of view. Your eyes see the corner at its real size, and your brain knows how far away it is. That is how you brake at the same point every lap.
On a screen, a wide field of view squeezes a lot of world into a small rectangle. The corner looks further away than it is. You brake by the board and not by feel, and your speed into the corner is a guess.
Zoom in, and three things happen:
- Distances look right. The corner grows on the screen at a rate that makes sense. You can brake later with more confidence.
- The apex is bigger. You place the car to the centimetre and not to the half metre.
- The car feels slower. That is normal. The sense of speed drops because you see less at the sides. Your lap time does not.
What you pay is side vision. With a low field of view you see less of the car next to you. In wheel to wheel racing, use the mirrors and the proximity arrows more.
Starting values: TV Pod Offset
This is the camera most people race with. It sits above the driver and a little to the left, like the broadcast camera.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Field of View | -0.30 |
| Offset: Lateral | -0.15 |
| Offset: Horizontal | 0.00 |
| Offset: Vertical | 0.50 |
| Angle | -0.60 |
| Near Clip Plane | 0.00 |
| Mirror Angle | 0.00 |
| Camera Shake | 0% |
The idea is a camera that sits higher and points down more than the default. You see the track right in front of the front wheels, and the horizon moves up the screen.
Do not go all the way to -1.00 on the angle. The horizon ends up near the top of the screen, and some of the HUD graphics, like the practice programme panels, sit in the middle of your view of the track. Sim Racing Setup makes the same point in their F1 2020 camera guide and stops at -0.60.
For the plain TV Pod camera, use the same values with Offset: Lateral at 0.00.
Starting values: cockpit
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Field of View | -0.50 |
| Offset: Lateral | 0.00 |
| Offset: Horizontal | 0.00 |
| Offset: Vertical | 0.20 |
| Angle | 0.00 |
| Near Clip Plane | 0.00 |
| Mirror Angle | 0.00 |
| Camera Shake | 0% |
The cockpit camera is the one I would pick on a rig with a wheel. It is the closest to what you see from a real single seater: you sit low, the halo is in front of you, and you do not see the front wing.
By default the camera feels far back, and you see a lot of cockpit and not much track. A lower field of view fixes that. Raise the camera a little with Offset: Vertical if the top of the steering wheel covers the track.
If your real wheel is in front of the screen, you can zoom in until the wheel in the game is about the same size as the one in your hands. That is a good check that you are close.
TV style camera, team by team
If you want the view you see on television, the values change from car to car, because the airbox is a different shape on each one. Vettel24 published a full set in a Steam guide for F1 2020. These are their numbers for the TV Pod Offset camera, not mine.
| Team | Field of View | Offset: Horizontal | Offset: Vertical | Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | -0.20 | 0.25 | 0.25 | -0.90 |
| Ferrari | -0.35 | -0.10 | 0.35 | -1.00 |
| Red Bull | -0.65 | -0.70 | 0.80 | -1.00 |
| McLaren | -0.85 | -1.00 | 0.75 | -0.90 |
| Renault | -0.50 | -0.90 | 0.90 | -1.00 |
| AlphaTauri | -0.65 | -0.70 | 1.00 | -1.00 |
| Racing Point | -0.95 | -1.00 | 0.70 | -1.00 |
| Alfa Romeo | -0.75 | -0.85 | 1.00 | -1.00 |
| Haas | -0.70 | -1.00 | 0.95 | -1.00 |
| Williams | -0.80 | -1.00 | 0.90 | -1.00 |
On every car the guide uses Offset: Lateral -0.15, Mirror Angle 0.00 and Camera Shake 0%. Near Clip Plane is 1.00, except on the Mercedes (0.00) and the Ferrari (-0.10).
Look at the field of view column. It goes from -0.20 to -0.95. Not one team is above zero. That tells you which way to move the slider.
What to change when it does not look right
| Problem | Change | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You brake too early everywhere | Field of View down by 0.10 | Distances look more real |
| You cannot see cars next to you | Field of View up by 0.10 | More side vision |
| The halo or airbox covers the track | Offset: Vertical up by 0.10 | The camera moves above it |
| You see too much sky | Angle down by 0.10 | The camera tilts to the track |
| The HUD covers the track ahead | Angle up by 0.10 | The horizon moves down the screen |
| Bodywork cuts into the picture | Near Clip Plane up | Close objects are hidden |
| The picture shakes on kerbs | Camera Shake to 0% | A still picture is easier to read |
| You cannot see behind you | Mirror Angle, small steps | Aims the mirrors at the track |
Change one slider at a time. A new camera always feels wrong for the first few laps, because all your references move on the screen. Give it ten laps in time trial before you decide.
Next steps
- The camera is one part. The picture itself is in my F1 2020 graphics settings.
- Wheel users: sort the force feedback with my F1 2020 wheel settings. On a pad, here are the F1 2020 controller settings.
- Then the car. All 22 tracks are in my F1 2020 setups hub.
- For sims that use real degrees, like iRacing and ACC, use the sim racing FOV calculator.
- On the newest game, the menu has grown. See my F1 25 camera settings.
FAQ
How do you change FOV in F1 2020?
Go to Settings, then Camera Customisation. Choose your camera on the Edit Camera line and move the Field of View slider. Each camera saves its own value.
What is the best FOV for F1 2020?
Lower than the default. I would start at 0.00 on a TV across the room, -0.30 on a desk monitor and -0.60 on a rig with the screen close. For the cockpit camera on a rig, try -0.50 and go lower if you can.
What do the FOV numbers mean in F1 2020?
They are not degrees. The slider is a scale from -1.00 to 1.00. Negative values narrow the view and zoom in. Positive values widen it.
Can I use a FOV calculator for F1 2020?
Not directly, because the game does not show degrees. A calculator still tells you the direction: if it gives you a narrow angle for your screen, move the slider down. Then check that the steering wheel in the game looks about the same size as your own.
Does FOV change the lap time?
The car is not faster. You are more consistent, because you judge braking points and apexes better. Over a race distance that adds up.
Which camera is fastest in F1 2020?
Most fast drivers use TV Pod or TV Pod Offset, because you see both front tyres and the kerbs. The cockpit camera is harder to learn, but it is the closest to a real car.
Should camera shake be on?
No. Set it to 0%. Shake moves the picture without giving you any information you can drive on.