F1 2021 Assists and AI Difficulty: Best Settings

F1 2021 gives you two ways to set how hard the game is. The assists decide how much of the driving the game does for you. The AI difficulty decides how fast the other 19 cars are.

Get both right and every race is a fight you can win if you drive well. Here is where I would start, and how to move from there.

Best F1 2021 assists to start with

The defaults in the second column are the ones EA lists for the game. They are made for somebody who has never played. If you have driven any racing game before, the third column is a better place to begin.

At the top of the assists menu there is one more line, Driving Proficiency. It is a preset: Amateur, Experienced, Professional, Elite or Custom. Each one moves the assists below it. Set it to Custom and choose them yourself.

If this is your first racing game, there is no shame in leaving everything on for the first evening. Just do not stay there.

Casual, Standard or Expert

F1 2021 has three race styles. You choose one when you start a career or a Grand Prix.

• Casual is the forgiving one, made for people who are new to racing games.
• Standard is the normal game.
• Expert opens every option, so you can set each detail yourself.

Use Standard or Expert if you can. Casual is fine for a child or for somebody who has never held a pad. For everybody else it hides the things you need to learn: where the track ends, and what happens when you go past it.

What each assist does

Steering assist. The game guides the car around the track. When you turn it on, braking assist and traction control also go to their highest setting. Off. It fights your hands and you never learn the line.

Braking assist. Off, Low, Medium or High. The game brakes for you. It does it early and it does it a lot, so you are slow into every corner. This is the first one to turn off. Braking is the biggest skill in a racing car, and you cannot learn it while the game does it.

Anti lock brakes. Stops the wheels locking when you hit the brake too hard. A real F1 car does not have it. Keep it on at the start. Turn it off when you can brake at the same point lap after lap.

Traction control. Off, Medium or Full. There is no Low setting. Full cuts the power so much that the car is slow out of slow corners. Medium still saves you from most spins and costs less time. Off is the fastest, if your right foot is good.

Dynamic racing line. Off, Corners Only or Full. Full shows the line for the whole lap. Corners Only shows it in the braking zones and the corners. Start on Corners Only. With the full line, you look at the line and not at the track.

Dynamic racing line type. 3D or 2D. The 3D line floats above the track and is easier to see over a crest. This one is taste.

Gearbox. Automatic, Manual, or Manual with a suggested gear. Automatic is fine while you learn the tracks. Suggested gear is a good bridge: you shift, and the game shows the gear it would use for the next corner. Manual is faster in the end, because you choose a higher gear out of slow corners to stop wheelspin.

Pit assist. The game slows the car and sets the pit limiter on the way in, and takes it off on the way out. Low priority. Turn it off when you want the full race, and remember the limiter.

Pit release assist. The car leaves the pit box by itself after the stop. With it off, you do the launch.

ERS assist. The game manages the battery and uses overtake mode for you on the straights. With it off, the overtake button is yours.

DRS assist. Opens the flap for you in the DRS zone. With it off, you press the button yourself. Easy to learn.

The order to turn assists off

One at a time. Give each change a full evening before you judge it.

1. Braking assist. Day one.
2. Racing line from Full to Corners Only.
3. Gearbox to Manual. Do it in time trial on a track you know. Use the suggested gear option for the first days if you need it.
4. Anti lock brakes. Expect lock ups into slow corners for a few days. Brake hard at first, then let the pedal come up as the car slows.
5. Traction control from Medium to Off. The hardest step. Squeeze the throttle. In second and third gear the rear tyres cannot take full power.
6. Racing line Off. Learn one track at a time. Use the distance boards, the kerbs and the marshal posts as braking points.

You will be slower for the first days after each step. That is normal. Drivers who accept a few slow days improve the most. The ones who go back to the old setting after one bad session stay where they are.

On a pad, steps 4 and 5 are harder because a trigger has less travel than a pedal. My F1 2021 controller settings help with that. On a wheel, start from the F1 2021 wheel settings.

F1 2021 AI difficulty levels

AI difficulty is a slider from 0 to 110. It sits in the simulation settings, and the game names the bands like this:

The game starts at 31. That is in the Easy band, and most people outgrow it fast.

What AI difficulty should you use?

These are ranges to start from. Your real number comes from a test.

How to find your AI level

1. Pick a track you know well. Do not use Monaco or Singapore.
2. Run a Grand Prix weekend with full qualifying, or one shot qualifying.
3. Do a clean lap on the same tyre as the AI.
4. Compare your time with your teammate. Same car, so the gap is you against the AI.

Then:

Check it again in a race of 25% or more. Some people are quick over one lap and lose time in the race, or the opposite. If you qualify with your teammate but they drive away in the race, the problem is tyres and consistency, not the AI. Stay and work on that.

Two things to know:

• Your level is not the same on every track. You will be stronger on some circuits than on others, and the AI is too. If you want the AI to match real qualifying pace, I have a separate table with the F1 2021 AI difficulty for every track.
• The setup moves the result. The AI is not slowed down by a bad setup like you are. A proper setup can be worth several AI points. Every track is in my F1 2021 setups hub.

Simulation settings

These are in the same menu as the AI difficulty. They change how much a mistake costs you.

Why these:

• Flashbacks, with a limit. A flashback is a good tool for learning. You get the corner wrong, you go back, you try a different braking point. Unlimited flashbacks make you careless in races. With a limit, you start to drive like the mistake costs something.
• Car damage on Standard. On Reduced you can hit the car in front at the first corner and carry on. Standard teaches you to leave space. Go to Simulation when you race clean.
• Manual race starts. You hold the clutch, bring the revs up and release it when the lights go out. It is one of the nicest parts of a race, and a good start is worth two or three places.
• Surface type Realistic. Grass and gravel should slow you down. That is how you learn where the track ends.
• Tyre temperature on Surface & Carcass. The tyre core heats up and cools down slowly over a stint, like a real tyre. On Surface Only the core is always in the right window, and you learn nothing about looking after tyres.

When the settings do not feel right

Next steps

• Get the hardware right first: F1 2021 wheel settings or F1 2021 controller settings.
• Match the AI to real lap times with the F1 2021 AI difficulty for every track table.
• Driving advice for when the assists are off is in my F1 2021 tips.
• On the game before this one? Here is the F1 2020 assists and AI difficulty guide.

FAQ

What is the best AI difficulty for F1 2021?

There is no single number. Most regular players are between 60 and 85. The right one puts you within about three tenths of your teammate in qualifying.

What is the default AI difficulty in F1 2021?

31, in the Easy band. It is a safe start for a new player, but most people need to raise it after a few races.

What is the highest AI difficulty in F1 2021?

110. The top band, from 101 to 110, is called Ultimate.

Which assists should I turn off first in F1 2021?

Braking assist. After that, take the racing line down to Corners Only, then go to manual gears. Anti lock brakes and traction control come later.

Is it faster to drive without traction control?

Yes, when you can control the throttle. Full traction control cuts a lot of power out of slow corners. Medium is a good middle step, and many pad drivers stay there.

What are the driving proficiency presets?

Amateur, Experienced, Professional, Elite and Custom. Each preset sets the assists for you. Pick Custom to choose every assist yourself.

Should I use manual race starts?

Yes, once the rest feels comfortable. You control the clutch and the revs, and a good launch gains places before the first corner.