F1 26 Controller Settings Guide: Best Recommended Settings for PS5, Xbox, and PC

Playing F1 26 with a controller is by far the most popular way of enjoying the new 2026 Season Pack. A controller is often players first experience of F1 26, and controller players can be just as fast as those using a racing wheel.

To achieve maximum control with a controller in F1 26, there are some key settings that should be changed. These small settings changes can make driving the 2026 F1 cars much easier thanks to enhanced precision and overall control.

In this guide, I’ll share the optimal F1 26 controller settings that the fastest drivers are using in the 2026 Season Pack.

Recommended controllers for F1 26

These controller settings can be used with any controller or gamepad, including the standard Xbox and PS5 controllers. Below are my recommendations for the best controllers for F1 26. These have extra inputs which make controlling your car slightly easier.

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Watch our controller settings guide video below

Video coming soon.

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Should you play F1 26 with a controller or racing wheel?

The debate between racing wheels and controllers is one that has been ongoing for a long time. A racing wheel can offer enhanced precision due to the larger input ranges on offer from a wheel and pedal set. However, using a racing wheel doesn’t mean you’ll be faster than someone racing F1 2026 with a controller.

Opting for a controller to play the new 2026 Season Pack is the more casual way to experience the 2026 cars and the new Madrid circuit. Choosing a racing wheel can offer more immersion and realism.

To summarise;

• Controller → best for casual players, newcomers, or those on a budget
• Racing wheel → best for realism, immersion, and competitive racing

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How to set up a controller in F1 26

The first step of optimising your F1 26 controller settings is to set up your controller correctly. This is a simple process, with a few steps and a few settings to change. This set up process applies to F1 2026 Season Pack on Xbox, PS5 and PC.

1. Connect your controller — Plug in your Xbox, PS5, PS4, or PC controller via USB or connect wirelessly. F1 26 should automatically detect it.
2. Calibrate the controller — Go to the Settings menu → Controls, Vibration & Force Feedback → Calibration. Check the calibration using the button test menu to ensure all inputs are working. Adjust your deadzones and input settings if required.
3. Adjust the controller settings — In the same menu, customise your controller settings including:
   Steering sensitivity, Throttle and brake linearity, Vibration strength, Force feedback (if available on your controller)
   • Recommended F1 26 controller settings for beginners typically include slightly reduced steering sensitivity and moderate throttle/brake linearity to avoid sudden inputs. Follow my recommended controller settings below to quickly improve your feel in the 2026 Season Pack.
4. Remap buttons (if needed) — Go to Control Scheme and assign functions like DRS, ERS, pit limiter, and radio to buttons that feel comfortable for you. You can map any input to any button on your controller.
5. Test your new settings — Before jumping into a race, I recommend putting in some laps in the Time Trial game mode to fine-tune your settings and get comfortable with the handling.

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Step 1: Calibration

The first step to configure your controller correctly for the F1 2026 Season Pack is calibration. This will affect how your inputs are measured and registered and can affect how sensitive your thumbsticks and triggers are.

To calibrate your controller, follow these steps;

1. Open the controller settings from the menu
2. Perform a button test
3. Adjust your calibration settings

I’d recommend using our calibration settings below for the best experience. After calibrating, you can perform a button test to check all inputs are working correctly.

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If you can’t reach 100% input with any input, jump back into the calibration settings and adjust the deadzone, linearity or saturation.

Recommended calibration settings for F1 26

Below are the calibration settings that I recommend for F1 26.

Setting	Recommended Value
Steering rate	140%
Steering deadzone	0 (increase if your steering input test doesn’t stay at 0)
Steering linearity	40
Steering saturation	10
Throttle deadzone	0
Throttle linearity	50
Throttle saturation	0
Brake deadzone	5
Brake linearity	35
Brake saturation	0

The important of steering rate

By far the most important controller setting to maximise your control in F1 26 is the steering rate. This setting directly affects how fast the in-game steering reacts to your inputs.

• Lowering the steering rate will make the in-game steering wheel turn at a slower maximum speed. Therefor quick inputs and steering changes will take a split second to be reflected in game.
• Increasing the steering rate will do the opposite and make the in-game steering react to your inputs much faster. This is ideal for more aggressive steering, but can cause some instability.

Why should you increase the steering rate?

If you set the steering rate too late, your in-game steering can feel sluggish. This can be a problem going through fast corners, or making quick direction changes when in a battle with another driver.

Increasing the steering rate fixes this, and makes the overall driving experience a little more aggressive. A high steering rate such as 130-150% will let you make quick direction changes, letting you dive into corners.

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Deadzone, linearity and saturation explained

The deadzone, saturation and linearity settings affect the true calibration of your inputs. Changing them affects how easy it is to hit 100% input, and with the deadzones. It can ensure you don’t have any stick drift of input when not touching your controller.

• Deadzone affects the start of your input travel. Increasing the deadzone will require you to apply more input before an input in game is registered.
• Saturation controls how much input is needed to reach 100% in-game. Raise saturation slightly if your controller can’t hit full input, but don’t overdo it.
• Linearity adjusts the input curve. Increasing linearity softens input at the start, giving you more control over throttle, brake, and steering — especially useful if you race without traction control.
• Throttle linearity: Raising this setting improves control over light throttle inputs, making it easier to drive without traction control.
• Steering linearity: Boosting this setting helps you manage small steering inputs at high speeds, reducing twitchiness and improving lap time consistency.
• Steering deadzone: Slightly increasing the deadzone helps prevent stick drift on straights, which can cause your car to wander even when you’re holding the controller steady.

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Step 2: Controller settings

The controller settings themselves affect the vibration you feel through your controller. This is not as important as the calibration, and you can even lower a lot of these settings to zero if you don’t like to race with vibration.

Recommended controller settings for F1 26

My recommendation is to lower a lot of the vibration settings as effects such as kerbs and off track effects can distract more than they help. Below are my recommended F1 2026 Season Pack controller settings.

Setting	Recommended Value
Vibration & force feedback strength	150
On track effects	70
Rumble strip effects	40
Off track effects	40
Wheel damper	50
Maximum wheel rotation	330°

Lowering the maximum wheel rotation will help you increase the speed of the steering. This works alongside the saturation setting to improve the overall steering sensations in F1 26.

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Step 3: Button mapping

Finally, changing your button mapping can make accessing some in-game actions easier. One set of adjustments I always make is to change the right analogue stick inputs to control your brake bias and differential.

Setting these to your analogue stick means you no longer need to go through the MFD menu to manually adjust the settings in between corners.

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Pair these settings with optimal F1 26 setups

Pairing the controller settings above with professional F1 26 car setups, will give you the perfect combination. Our Pro F1 2026 Season Pack setups are created by Esports drivers and engineers, and designed to give the perfect setup at every track.

View our pro F1 26 setups

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FAQ

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• Written by Rich Article updated on June 3, 2026 Tags: Tips & Tricks, EA Sports F1

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