F1 22: How to race without ABS

F1 22 is out now for those who pre-ordered the Champions Edition. If you want to be a champion, you'll need to be able to race without ABS activated. Anti-lock brakes prevent locking-up your wheels and losing lap time.

ABS is one of the hardest assists to turn off, but we're to help with our full guide right here!

What is ABS?

ABS is an accronym for the Anti-lock Braking System. This is an electronic aid that's installed in all modern road cars to help prevent accidents. ABS prevents wheels from under-rotating (or locking-up) under braking.

This system is banned in Formula 1 though, as it removes some of the challenge of racing the cars. So, you can lock-up your wheels if you get your braking wrong.

Lock-ups are usually caused by braking too heavily for too long or steering while braking. You can tell if you've locked a wheel if you can see it not rotating and if a squealing noise is audible, accompanied by some white tyre smoke.

How to turn ABS off

Changing your braking settings couldn't be easier in F1 22. From the home menu, select "Game options" then "Settings". From there, you need to go to "Assists" and navigate down to Anti-Lock Brakes.

It should also be noted that there is the option to change your braking assist too. The braking assist is basically a self-braking system that the computer automatically applies. To turn ABS off, you'll need to turn this off too.

If you have braking assist turned all the way up, you won't have to manually brake, the game will do it for you. We recommend you turn this off, as it leads to worse lap times and removes a lot of challenge from the game.

If you're in My Team, or another single player mode, you can turn off ABS before a racing weekend starts by pressing options on PS (Menu in Xbox) in the loading screen. Alternatively, ABS settings can be edited from the pause menu during a race weekend.

How to drive without ABS

Driving without such an important assist isn't easy, but practice makes perfect. If you're used to driving with ABS active, the best way to get used to racing without it is to put the hours in on Time Trial. Choose a circuit with heavy braking zones that are spaced out such as Monza or Spa.

Time trial is perfect for honing your skills as a driver because it's the only mode where tyre wear and tyre temperature are constantly optimal. In other words, this will allow you to fully focus on your braking rather than also managing your tyres.

To avoid lock-ups, you need to brake smoothly into corners. This process begins with the braking point you choose. If you're having trouble finding the correct braking point, you can turn on the racing line assist.

You have to brake hard at first, but then slowly release the brake pedal as you go further into the braking zone. This is all down to grip, as without enough grip, you will lock-up.

There is more downforce and therefore grip on the car when it's travelling faster because the aerodynamics pull the car to the road. However, when you brake, you slow down, and the car has less grip.

This is why you normally see lock-ups occur when the cars are at their slowest in a corner, even if there was no lock-up at first. A small lock-up near the apex of a corner won't cause much damage. However, a lengthy one will cause a flat-spot and lead to more tyre wear.

Locking up is easier than ever in F1 22, as the front wing has been significantly simplied for 2022, despite top speeds being around the same as 2021. This leads to less front-end grip and a higher tendency to lock up the front tyres.

If you're still struggling though, you can turn down the brake pressure in your setup. The higher the brake pressure, the easier it is to lock-up, but beware that your overall stopping power will decrease with it.

Something else you can do is change the brake bias and this is something you can do out on track. If your fronts are consistently locking up into Turn 1, for example, move the brake bias down and therefore towards the rear to try and counteract this.

You must also consider the weather conditions and the state of the tyres before braking too. Lock-ups are more common in wet conditions, as cars are slower and there is less downforce on the cars. It's also easier to lock a wheel up when the tyres are worn too, as there is less mechanical grip available.