F1 2021 is the first title for Codemasters as an EA Studio, and the game adds some huge new features, revolutionises the HUD, and makes some incredible physics and graphics improvements.
So, with some people now getting their hands on the new game, here's how you can race with manual gears!
What are manual gears?
Manual gears are a way for players to control the gears of the car themselves, as opposed to allowing the game to change gears for you automatically.
This adds an element of a skill gap, as you will now be able to downshift into certain corners, and short-shift when coming out of corners for some extra traction.
Effectively, manual gears will be a good way for you to take your racing to the next level and take some serious time off of those lap times.
How to change to manual gears
It's very simple to change your gears to manual, and there are a number of options also when switching over to manual.
Your game will likely be set to automatic as default, but you can head to the assists page in the settings to change this. Scroll down to gears, and change to your desired setting.
There will be a manual gear with a suggested gear (the game will warn you as to which gear you should be in), and there is also a 'normal' manual setting, where you decide the gears completely.
Manual with suggested can be useful when learning a new game, F1 2021, and also when switching from automatic, so see how you get on with that first!
Driving with manual gears
One of the best ways to improve your driving when switching to manual gears is to short shift. We briefly mentioned this earlier, and it is a way of removing excess stress from the gearbox and leaves virtually no difference in speed.
Simply shift before the HUD illuminates, moving up a gear before the game suggests doing so. This will also help with traction and is especially useful in wet conditions.
Likewise, when braking into corners, make sure you are doing so smoothly (both braking and downshifting that is). This will also avoid unnecessary wear on the box, and help keep the car stable on corner entry.
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