F1 23: How to use flashbacks

Mistakes happen in racing. No, we’re not talking about yet another bad tyre strategy from Ferrari but rather crashing out in F1 23. If you spin out and hit the barriers, how do you use flashback to continue racing?

Some players might see flashbacks as an unrealistic means of eliminating mistakes. But for those who need it, let’s find out how to enable and use this vital feature in F1 23.

How to enable flashback in F1 23

Before you can hit the track, you have to first enable flashbacks in the settings. The flashback settings can be found under the ‘Simulation’ tab. First, you have to enable flashbacks in the ‘Recovery Mode’ setting if it’s not already selected.

Once this is done, you can choose how many flashbacks you get per race. By default, this is set to unlimited, but you can set it to low, medium, or high. The amount of flashbacks these provide varies according to the type and length of the session.

Once you have flashbacks set just how you want them, it’s time to hit the track.

How to use flashbacks

Once again you find yourself facing the barriers at the castle in Baku, so how do you use flashback to pretend this didn’t happen? There are two ways to do this:

• Press the flashback button on your controller/wheel
• Use the ‘Instant Replay’ feature in the pause menu

On an Xbox controller, the flashback button is X, whereas, on PlayStation controllers, it’s the Square. For racing wheels, the equivalent button by default is the flashback button, however, some wheels don’t have a flashback button mapped. If this is the case, you’ll need to use the pause menu instead.

Pause the game, then select the ‘Instant Replay’ option to load up the last 10 seconds of gameplay. Then it’s just a case of finding the point you want to flashback to and pressing the required button. Again, this is X on Xbox controllers, Square on PlayStation controllers, and the equivalent on wheels.

Have an opinion on this article? We'd love to hear it!

Join the conversation

When to use flashbacks

Always be wary when using flashbacks, as the game will return you to the action at the same speed and trajectory the car was travelling at that moment. It’s advised to use flashbacks on straight sections of the track, preferably on corner exits once the car is up to speed. This will give you the best chance of avoiding making the same mistake again.

Also, remember how many flashbacks you have remaining. If you have flashbacks set to unlimited, this won’t be an issue, but if you have limits set you want to make sure you don’t run out when it matters most.

It’s also a good idea to not rely on flashbacks too much. If you miss the apex at Parabolica you don’t need to flashback. Instead, reserve them for moments where you can’t continue, such as spinning or crashing out of races.

Other F1 23 guides

If you’re looking for more F1 23 tips and tricks, check out our other guides:

• How to change difficulty in F1 23
• How to use change race length in F1 23
• How to play Time Trial in F1 23

Have an opinion on this article? We'd love to hear it!

Join the conversation