F1 Fanatic

You guys need to turn the AI difficulty up! It’s way more rewarding to struggle to 15th than win nearly every race for one of the new teams.

Just finished my first season with HRT. I’m on Xbox, gamepad and play with med traction control, 50% races and legendary AI.

Started pretty slowly, but after 3 or 4 races I was on the pace and had found my preferred set up (I only really varied the aero and gear ratios after that, except for the extreme tracks and wet sessions). Managed to qualify in front of the other slow cars except on a few tracks, but was quite far back from the next team (Williams, who I’ve signed for next season!).

Races are usually a different story as I’ve found it really hard to keep my pace consistent. I try not to banzai the first lap, tempting though it is, and usually I find myself racing with the rest of the slow cars throughout the race. There’s only been a couple of races which I’ve found myself racing by myself, most of them I found myself under pressure for some or even all the race.

I have to admit I almost threw my controller out of the window a few times – the first in China, where I was on my way to (at the time) my personal best finish of 18th but managed to harpoon Heidfeld, who’d just lapped me, and got a 20 second time penalty to put me last.

The other two involved tyre strategies. One, at Monza, was just me getting greedy and trying to do one less stop than everyone else and falling off the cliff on the last couple of laps (again managing to go from 18th to last, this time thanks to a spin in between the Lesmos). The other was unfortunately because of one the numerous bugs in the game – I had to make an extra stop after the team fitted me with an already destroyed set at Singapore, which cost me a 14th place after a huge first lap tangle between most of the midfield cars :( I’ve tended to stick with the recommended pit stop strategies after these incidents and haven’t had any problems.

My best finish was 13th at South Korea, after a lot of retirements. I’ll take it though, as I gave me 18th place in the championship and otherwise I think I would have finished the season in 21st!

Really enjoyed the season overall, looking forward to getting started on the next one might hunt down a steering wheel in the January sales too.

Haven’t played my career since mid way through my 2nd season (which I achieved within a month of the game being out)….. This is mainly because the AI is too slow, even on Legend AI in a Williams I can comfortably win every race, some by a ridiculous margin. I did a 100% distance at Catalunya in a Mclaren recently, I lapped the entire field TWICE! (the tail enders 8-9 times). So boring!

So – I started to play online. I get FAR more enjoyment out of the game by racing wheel to wheel with other real racers. Really wish the AI was stronger, as it would be nice to continue the career ….

@Steph Three lap races? No wonder you’re finding it easy! You want more of a challenge, bump it up to 20% minimum.

I seriously just don’t have the attention span for it. 20% races I could just about handle but I’d get bored after that

If it was an online race I’d probably look forward to it but when it’s just career I can’t help but think it feels a bit hollow :P I do want to see what the SC is like though…

started at force india, got some stick from my mates about it because i didnt choose williams, but champion in first season, job offer at sauber, replacing perez, world champion in second season, currently at renault lotus, replacing Heidfeld

Current Xbox Gamertag – xMzV
Racing Wheel – Fanatec inc wheel, stand and pedals

Favourite Circuit – spa – 1.43.254

Surprisingly, F1 2011 couldn’t read my save files, so I had to restart my career. I completed the first three races (just 3 laps) to qualify and finish in the same position as I had already done the first time, to keep most statistics the same. Alonso won all of these races.

Turkey
I reverted back to 20% length, and 3/4 AI strength. My objective was 12th place in qualifying, but I was slower. I myself was suprised to reach Q3 with a great lap: there I was 4th for most of the session, but completed 3 more laps to try and improve. I didn’t but the others did, and I was 7th.
My aim was to finish in the points. I earned one position on the outside of turn 1, and I was second by turn 5. Hamilton led and pulled away astonishingly fast. Webber found a way past me a few laps later and soon was out of sight. My tyres had already lost 20% of their life before the race even started, but I made them last until my planned stop on lap 5. Alonso had passed me the lap before, but as I exited I was ahead.
Alonso repassed mebriefly after, and I was in 4th position. Vettel reached me and many times passed me after turn 8, so I had the DRS and he did not. Sometimes I stayed behind and passed him at turn 11, sometimes at turn 9, but he couldn’t pass. Then he spun and with three laps to go Schumacher was 5th, 9 seconds behind. He destroyed the gap and reached me on the final lap but I kept him behind and equalled my season-best result.
Hamilton won, Alonso was 3rd and Liuzzi a great 14th.

Season 1 – HRT #22 (AI strength: 3/4)
Poles: 0 – Wins: 0 – Doubles: 0 – Grand Slams: 0

Australia – 15th + 4th
Malaysia – 11th + 5th
China – 10th + 5th
Turkey – 7th + 4th