In F1 Manager 2022 you’ll have to keep a cool head both on and off the asphalt, and always keep an eye on your team’s objectives to achieve them. This isn’t so easy, considering the thrill of the racing series – especially if you don’t actually know Formula 1 very well. However, this shouldn’t prevent you from having a successful career as a team manager – these beginner tips for F1 Manager 2022 will help you get off to a good start. If you haven’t decided on a starting team yet, our team guide for starters should be able to help you.

1 Start development immediately

Before you jump into the first race of the season in Bahrain, you should visit your team’s development department and commission the first designs – start with big parts like the chassis and the underfloor. These parts affect many attributes, so they’re a good place to start development. Allocate generous testing time to projects to improve results. You will get a fresh allotment of wind tunnel time after a certain period – you should never let precious test time go to waste! Also, never start development with a suspension – after the first race, the game will give you an upgraded version for free to introduce you to development.

2 Accept optional sponsor goals

Your sponsors will automatically assign you a number of goals, the fulfillment of which will earn you bonuses. For this purpose, you can accept optional goals before each race, which promise you further bonuses, but incur penalties if you fail to fulfill them. Therefore, you should do it only if you are with one of the stronger teams that have a chance to achieve the set objective. For teams like Alfa Romeo with weak finances and a good car, this is an important source of funding, so make sure to sign up for some objectives before each race.

3 Play at least one practice session

Time for the Grand Prix weekend. In Free Practice, the drivers have to get used to the track and new car parts, as well as find a good set-up for their car. If they succeed, the drivers receive bonus points on their attributes for the upcoming race. Although you can let the AI simulate Free Practice, you should play at least one of the three sessions manually. Send your drivers out for 15 laps with the white or yellow tires and wait for them to give you feedback over the radio. Then bring them in and, using the five sliders, adjust the individual set-up values so that they are within the displayed ranges. Of course, you should leave values that the driver feels are good untouched as far as possible, then send them out again and wait for the next round of feedback.

Normally, you will reach a pretty good level for the set-up during the first session, which the AI can increase in the remaining simulated sessions, but no one is stopping you from playing all the sessions yourself.

4 Aggressive start settings

It is particularly easy to make up places at the start. To do this, you should adjust your drivers’ driving settings to full aggression right before the race start. You do this right before the race when the game asks you to create a strategy. Have them tackle the tires aggressively from the start, use the engine’s push mode and employ the ERS overtaking function. Ideally, this will put your drivers in a good position when DRS is unlocked.

5 Push, push, push!

Don’t let the fuel gauge scare you: at the start of a race, you can easily push so hard that the gauge drops into negative territory. The more fuel you use at the start, the faster you’ll be for the rest of the race because of the lower weight. Once DRS is active and you’re chasing someone, you’ll also save a tremendous amount of fuel. So insofar as your engine can take it, you can stay in push mode for a very long time. Ideally, you won’t have a drop too much in the tank at the end of the race.

6 Safety Car and rain

Some races just don’t go as planned: accidents cause phases with Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car and rain messes up any strategy. The game will tell you in such exceptional situations that this is a good opportunity for a pit stop – and it often is, because a pit stop under Safety Car can save you a lot of time. However, don’t let this put you under pressure. Sometimes gaining track position is more important than fresh tires, or the Safety Car will help you simply extend a stint. In these cases, you don’t need to pit, no matter what the game says.

Rain is a good chance for backmarkers to make up places – if the rain starts and you’re close to the pit lane entrance, it’s worth the risk to go on intermediate tires right away. What do you have to lose?

Also, don’t forget to switch the battery to charging mode during a Safety Car and conserve fuel and tires.

7 Take a look at your rivals

F1 Manager 2022 provides you with all sorts of data and information. You can ignore a lot of it as a beginner, but at least try to keep an eye on your direct rivals’ tires and lap times compared to yours. You have the luxury of being able to closely track your rivals’ tire wear. This gives you clues as to what your opponents’ strategy is – if their wear is very high, for example, they may have to stop more often than you. Comparing lap times can also show you opportunities to optimize your strategy.

8 Keep a cool head

Keeping a cool head is incredibly important in fast-paced racing action, especially when a lot is happening. Don’t be afraid to pause the race to study data or make a decision – real strategy teams would kill for this option. If one of your drivers crashes, for example, but is able to continue, that’s a good time to hit the pause button. Calmly go over your options: Do you continue with the damage? Do you pit? If so, what tires do you put on? How does that change your strategy for the rest of the race? Don’t panic and make rash decisions because of this. Take it easy.

9 Keep your eye on the target

In racing, striving for the next best position is like an addiction – you naturally always want to overtake the next car as well. But this is a tempting trap. Always keep in mind your goal and your limits: Yes, it’s cool to be able to fight the Ferraris and Red Bulls at the front with Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo. It’s definitely a huge advantage to stay in their DRS window.

But is it advisable to wear out the tires in ultimately hopeless battles when the Mercedes lurking behind you are the real opponents? Nope. Your rivals aren’t necessarily the cars directly in front of or behind you – so forgo the odd overtaking move and conserve your resources to secure your points gains. Glory comes later.

10 Check contracts in good time

Are things going well? Do you like your drivers and staff? Then don’t forget to renew your contracts. In F1 Manager 2022, contrary to reality, all drivers start with one-year contracts, which makes it essential that you think about your future team. You should also check with the chief designers, since other teams are not idle when it comes to looking for reinforcements.

Increasing team attractiveness helps in negotiations – you can boost it by investing in your headquarters. Also, don’t panic if your negotiating partner runs out of patience – they’ll be ready to talk again in a few days, so be sure to update your offer when the next round of talks begins.

Written by Marco Wutz on behalf of GLHF.