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Codemasters published a new video in their F1 2020 Guide series, explaining how to use the racing line, and how to learn to find the optimal path around a racing circuit without it.
The racing line is a useful assist to help guide drivers around the track in F1 2020 . If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to drive without it, Codemasters is here to help you with this guide.
What is the racing line?
The racing line is an assist that shows you where to position your car by drawing a line on the road. It also changes color, advising you on when to brake (Red) and accelerate ( Green). When you are leaning a new circuit, the racing line is a usefully tool and many players leave it on.
Why would you want to turn it off?
For some, racing without any assists is an enjoyable challenge. The racing line’s goal is to safely guide you around the track, and doesn’t always suggest the fastest line. As you gain more experience, you may find that you can brake much later then when the line turns red.
In some conditions, the line can be very hard to see, like in the rain or when battling other cars. It can be easy to focus on the line to much, and not pay attention to the cars around you. To drive without the racing line, we first have to learn a few things about corners.
The ideal racing line
F1 Cars are at their fastest when going straight. You’ll want to maintain that high speed when cornering.
In order to turn, you’ll need to slow down. Your goal is to spend as little time possible doing this. The inside line takes you around a turn in the shortest distance. However, you will have to slow down a lot as the turn is tighter. The outside line lets you carry more speed, at the cost of traveling a longer distance.
The ideal line combines the short distance of a inside line with the speed of an outside line. To put it simply: Start on the outside of a turn, head toward the inside, then exit on the outside. The easiest way to identify this is to look for the rumble strip lining each corner.
The alternative line
The traditional line will be your approach for almost every turn on a circuit, but not all. For some turns, its not the corner itself which is important, but rather the straight afterwards.
If you exit a turn at a higher speed, you’ll carry that speed advantage all the way down the straight. You’ll want to take an alternative line through some turns to maximise this advantage.
To start, brake later than you normally would. Run a little wide initially, then turn in tighter. Your goal is to take the second half of the turn, as straight as possible, maximising your exit speed.
You may be slower trough the turn, but you’ll more than make up for this on the following straight.
Hitting your marks
When you play with the racing line disabled, its important to have reference points for each turn.
Most turns will have a series of marker boards. These should be the first things you look out for. You’ll normally be braking for a turn when you reach the 100 metre board, and in some cases the 50.
Sometimes you may not be able to see the boards, so you’ll need to look out for other references too. Look out for unique objects like trackside banners, rumble strips, grandstands, and other landmarks.
You should avoid using shadows as reference points. These move depending on the time of day.
Driving without the racing line assist is a challenge, but one that is worth exploring.
The F1 2020 Seventy Edition game by Codemasters is available for the PlayStation4, Xbox One & Xbox One X, Windows PC (DVD and Steam), and Google Stadia.
The digital download PC versions of F1 2020 are available via Steam. The F1 2020 Seventy Edition can be purchased for 54,99€, while the F1 2020 Deluxe Schumacher Edition has a 69,99€ price tag.
Official Website – www.formula1-game.com
