Method 1, also called F1, is a scorching subject as of late and one of many world’s hottest sports activities. Whether or not it is topping the field workplace with a movie starring Brad Pitt, or actually constructing a monitor smack in the course of Las Vegas and internet hosting a race there, there’s a surging curiosity within the extremely well-liked worldwide motorsport. Whereas on the floor, Method 1 appears to be one other Grand Prix sport by which drivers check their mettle on the monitor, diving deeper into the game reveals a extremely aggressive battle of technical prowess on and off the monitor. In some ways, Method 1 is like enjoying a online game, by which your gear and construct issues proper all the way down to the final element, making it really feel in contrast to every other sport on the market. Actually, I might argue Method 1 is the sport to take a look at when you’re into gaming.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals, specifically: what’s Method 1 and the way precisely does it differ from different Grand Prix racing leagues which can be pretty frequent however far much less well-liked? In most different leagues, drivers and groups are required to make use of the identical chassis and automobile specs. For instance, in NASCAR, each driver makes use of the identical kind of car, and the racing benefit comes all the way down to pure talent within the moment-to-moment racing. That’s not the case in Method 1.
Every F1 workforce is as a substitute given a collection of broad pointers, specs, and a finances: a “Method” for them to observe. Utilizing these pointers, the groups actually construct their race autos from scratch, utilizing a fleet of engineers and mechanics. As a result of each workforce is ready to construct their very own automobile, the groups search for each benefit they’ll within the design and construct, proper all the way down to the smallest element. This ends in autos which have extra in frequent with jets and spacecraft than they do the typical automotive you’d see on the road.
To make issues extra fascinating, every workforce has to truly construct their automobile twice, as a result of within the guidelines of Method 1, every workforce is required to have two drivers and two autos. And whereas these drivers can not talk with each other, having two racers makes it important that they’re in fixed communication with their workforce boss and engineers. Via radio contact, groups can swap up methods and make adjustments to gameplans conditions on the fly within the warmth of a race, very similar to how teammate communication would work in a first-person shooter or MOBA online game.
As soon as the automobiles are constructed, it is lastly time to hit the monitor. Grand Prix occasions, a collection of races in a championship collection, in Method 1 are sometimes break up up into 4 completely different races: two apply rounds, one qualifier, and the Grand Prix race itself. Within the apply rounds, drivers do precisely what’s implied: they apply. In racing leagues corresponding to NASCAR, the tracks are sometimes a spherical oval-like form, offering a constant driving expertise all through the race. Method 1 shakes issues up by that includes tracks which can be stuffed with sharp turns and straightaways all through. Due to this–and the truth that extremely experimental autos are being used–drivers have to acquaint themselves with the monitor. Utilizing these apply rounds, groups can even make changes to their autos and issue variables corresponding to climate and monitor temperature into their remaining modifications and tire choice. Think about it like enjoying a very tough monitor in a racing recreation to be taught it earlier than hopping into a web-based match.
Really, let’s discuss a bit extra about video games right here. Most racing video games satisfaction themselves on being correct simulations of their respective motorsports. From Gran Turismo to EA’s yearly F1 franchise, recreating the motorsport expertise is a precedence for these video games. Simulations are additionally important to Method 1 as nicely, as drivers use superior simulators to recreate their automobiles and tracks with out ever having to step on the pavement. With cutting-edge applied sciences and a sensible use of screens and driving rigs, drivers are in a position to run near-exact replicas of conditions they’ll face within the race.
After apply is the place it actually begins to rely. With all of the information the drivers and groups have gained throughout the apply rounds, they race in a qualifier to compete for beginning place within the race. The coveted pole place also called “P1,” the frontmost beginning place, is what the groups attempt for, and each additional place is taken into account a drawback that might actually add seconds to lap time.
After beginning positions are established comes the real-deal race, by which the groups earn factors for the season rating based mostly on ending place. It’s no-holds-barred, and groups are anticipated to function at peak efficiency proper all the way down to the smallest element.
Through the race, when drivers are compelled to make pit stops for tire swaps and repairs, the pit crew is predicted to have the drivers again out on the course in two seconds or less–and usually do. Even selecting when to have these pit stops is taken into account a tactical choice that’s given a substantial amount of thought and consideration. That’s why groups not solely earn factors for driving, but additionally for pit and engineering groups. The Grand Prix occasion repeats a number of occasions all through the season, and on the finish, the profitable workforce is topped for his or her technical and bodily abilities, on and off the monitor. The result impacts budgets for groups within the following 12 months’ the profitable workforce receives much less finances to work with than runner-up groups, which means that different groups can have an opportunity to catch up from a tech standpoint.
In some ways, Method 1 appears like gaming–even for somebody who is just not actively taking part. In most sports activities, gear and builds don’t issue into efficiency, however Method 1 replicates the sensation of perfecting a construct to beat an impediment, and having to repeat the method many times.
Take, for instance, Nico Hulkenberg’s third-place podium win from a P19 beginning place, making it his first podium win in 239 races, a feat not thought potential from a “weaker” workforce. As somebody who’s closely into Diablo, I can’t assist however see parallels between streamlining and tinkering with a personality construct of mine for the best harm output and placing it to the check in countless repeatable dungeons, and seeing a Method 1 workforce made changes and modifications to shave seconds off of their quickest lap time. When all the things clicks in, gaming and Method 1 actions can run like clockwork and supply a grand sense of accomplishment particularly when crucial pondering is utilized.