How To Best Manage Your Fuel & ERS in F1 2019

Find the best Assetto Corsa Competizione car setups with free future updates & updated weekly for LFM races.
F1 2019 Game Haas Bahrain Gameplay

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. We earn a commission from any sale after clicking an affiliate link. Find out more.

Subscribe to get a 10% discount on your first setup purchase, and the latest sim racing guides in your inbox.

ERS and fuel mode management, when in manual mode, can give you a huge advantage when it comes to attacking and defending other drivers in F1 2019. Learning to manage these two elements together are a must have skill for races and league racing!

The Energy Recovery System (ERS) in F1 2019 is the name given for the electric part of your power train. This is the element which works along side your petrol engine to give you extra power around each track.

It is implemented in F1 2019 as a manageable asset with multiple deployment modes. These deployment modes range from low through to high and even faster modes such as overtaking mode. During any session you can change the deployment mode of your ERS depending on how you are driving on the track.

It is worth noting that your ERS is a depletable asset, meaning you can use it up. If you use up all of your ERS you will be unable to use it until you have recovered some via braking. The recovery part of the ERS refers to you recovering power via braking. Once you recover your ERS you can once again use it.

Where Do I Find ERS On Screen?

ERS is depicted by a yellow bar in the bottom right of your HUD or on your steering wheel. You will notice it going up and down throughout a race. As you use ERS the bar will go down, and as you recover ERS it will go up.

You can select to have ERS management on automatic if you don’t fancy managing it yourself during a race. However this wont give you as much of an advantage as if you managed it manually. When you are manually in control in F1 2019, you will be able to use it to help you overtake and defend against other drivers.

So below are a few tips how to get you manually managing ERS and your Fuel mix during races in F1 2019.

READ MORE – F1 2020 Release Date & What We Know So Far


Learn Your ERS Modes

The rate at which ERS goes down depends on the deployment modes that I mentioned earlier. The higher the mode the quicker it goes down. You should learn which mode does what and when the best scenario to use each ERS mode is during a race.

F1 2019 Beginners Tips To Racing

Low ERS Mode
If you run ERS in low deployment mode it will go down very slowly, and you will recover it quicker than you use it. Great for when you want to harvest energy for later.

Medium ERS Mode
If you run in medium ERS mode it will stay roughly where it is. Depending on the track layout it might slowly decrease or slightly increase depending on how many straights and how many corners there are. More straights and the more you use it. More corners and the more you recover it.

High ERS Mode
High ERS mode will make your ERS bar go down, so you will only be able to use this mode for a short while, normally a couple of laps before it is fully depleted. Save this for when you want to put in a few good lap times. Possibly if you are trying to close a gap to the car in front or open up a gap before a pit stop.

Overtake ERS Mode
Overtake is an ERS mode which gives you more power than high mode. This should be reserved for when you are approaching a car and you want to get past them. Change in to the ERS mode just before the straight where you wish to overtake on. Once you are passed the car in front, you should probably lower your ERS mode back down as it will use up relatively quickly.

Hotlap ERS Mode
Hotlap is the quickest ERS mode you have. This will give you roughly 1 laps worth of full ERS. Your car will be at its fastest for this time but your ERS will be used up very quickly! Save this for crucial moments such as fastest lap attempts during a race, defending against a car or if overtake ERS mode just isn’t enough!


Learn Your Fuel Mix Modes

Your fuel mix works in a similar way to your ERS. The higher the mode, the faster your car, but the quicker you burn fuel. If you burn too much fuel during a race you will run out and wont be able to finish the race. Meaning this is just as important, if not more so than managing your ERS.

F1 2019 Power Deployment Mode

Managing your fuel mode is a balancing act throughout each race. You want to try to run your fuel down to 0 just as you cross the finish line. This will typically be the fastest method as you will have burnt all excess fuel, meaning you ran in faster fuel mix modes during the race, and burnt off all excess fuel weight.

You will find your fuel mix modes in your MFD, just above the ERS, brake bias and differential settings. Here you will see a number either in green or red.

Green & Red Fuel Mode

If the number is in green, it means you have extra fuel left in your car. So for example if the number says, 1.40 laps in green. This means if you carry on driving in the same manner you will finish the race with 1.40 laps of extra fuel in your car.

If the number is in red, for example -0.50 laps. This means you will run out of fuel half a lap before the finish line.

--- Article continues below ---

Subscribe for an exclusive discount!
Subscribe to our newsletter, and get a 10% discount off your first ACC car setup!
Subscribe To Faster Lap Times
  • ★★★★★
    "Great setups to go fast!"
  • ★★★★★
    "Thanks this helped tremendously"
  • ★★★★★
    "Very nice & well balanced setup"

This is where the balancing act comes in. You ideally want the number to be as close to 0 as you cross the finish line as possible without it going in to the red.

Do this by increasing and decreasing your fuel modes as you go through a race. In a similar fashion to ERS, each fuel mix mode will give you more or less power. Below is a brief description of each fuel mix mode in F1 2019.

F1 2019 Different Fuel Modes

Lean Fuel Mix Mode
This is the lowest fuel mix mode, and uses less fuel than normal. It will in turn make your car slightly slower on the straights, but will start to save fuel. If your fuel level is in the red, you should go in to lean mix to recover that fuel back up to 0. Use this fuel mix when you don’t have drivers behind you otherwise you will be at risk of being overtaken.

Standard Fuel Mix Mode
Standard is the neutral mode. You will have average power output from your engine and you should use or save any fuel. Of course, this is track dependent in the same way ERS is. If the track you are driving has a lot of straights you will use more fuel than if the track has a lot of corners. So there will be some variance here.

Rich Fuel Mix Mode
Rich fuel mix is the highest mode you can use during a race. This should be reserved for when you have excess fuel, when you are looking to overtake someone or looking to extend a gap to cars behind you. You’ll burn through your excess fuel reasonably quickly if you stay in rich mix too long.


Qualifying Hot Lap

When it comes to qualifying you can really use ERS to optimise your lap time. Now you can simply stick ERS in to hotlap deployment mode on your qualifying laps but on some tracks you may find yourself running out of ERS before the finish line. So learning how to utilise it to its fullest during a qualifying lap is key.

F1 2019 Career Mode Tips

How To Utilise ERS on a Qualifying Lap

We would recommend you use hotlap ERS mode at most places during a lap, however there are a couple of exceptions. When you are on a long straight drop down in to overtake mode for the entirety of the straight. Then back up to hotlap for the next corner.

When you are about to exit from a slow corner or point on the track where you struggle for traction, lower it to high mode. Then once out of the corner and on to the straight back up to Overtake. Lowering this mode to high, wont put as much power in to the rear wheels while you are struggling for traction on the corner exit. Great for managing wheel spin.

This will help you maintain maximum ERS throughout a qualifying lap.

Whilst you are managing your ERS during a qualifying lap you wont need to worry about managing your fuel mix mode. Simply pop this in to its highest mode, which in qualifying is Max, and leave it be. The only note here is to ensure you put enough fuel in the car before leaving the garage to get you round a couple of times.


Race Management

Managing your ERS throughout a race doesn’t have to be a headache. You will quickly get in to a rhythm as you start to lap a track. As a general rule of thumb you can use modes standard and medium to average out your fuel and ERS usage. By doing this you wont be using too much of either.

F1 2020 Game

You should start to think about and learn which parts of the track you can use different ERS modes in. Generally you will want to use higher ERS modes on long straights and lower ERS modes around slow corners.

You can use none or low deployment modes around tricky slow parts of the track as this is a great way to recover energy.

Always try and keep some ERS in reserve in case you need to attack a car ahead or defend from an attack behind. If you are having to defend your position try to use low ERS mode around tighter parts of the track where you know you can’t be overtaken. This will allow you to build up your ERS so you can use it in higher modes when defending on straights. This is a great strategy for defending your position.

Using Fuel Mix During A Race

In terms of fuel mix, we would recommend keeping it at standard for large parts of the race. You can increase it to rich if you are attacking another car. Or even if you have some clean air and want to make a gap between you and the car behind. Other than that keep it on standard.

Remember to take note of the style of circuit you are driving also. Tracks with long straights such as Monza or Spa will cause you to use ERS and fuel at an accelerated rate. You wont be able to run as high a mode as usual and you will have to recover energy where you can.

Alternatively, tracks such as Monaco and Singapore which have few straights and a lot of corners will allow you to recover ERS at an accelerated rate due to braking more. This will mean you can run a higher ERS mode for longer in the race.


Defending & Overtaking

ERS should absolutely be used when trying to defend a position or overtake your opponent. It is the number 1 tool you have to use in these scenarios.

F1 2019 Formula 2 Series

As you approach an opponent you should carry on doing your usual ERS technique. Go through the modes depending where you are on track. Then wait until you are close enough to make a move.

Once you are within range and approaching a DRS zone or long straight, put your ERS in to hotlap mode. This will give you maximum acceleration out of the corner. Use this and DRS to pull alongside the driver in front.

During the straight you should flick down to overtake mode to ensure you don’t use all of your ERS in one go. You may need some for defending the following corners. When you’re ahead, drop down to medium to start recovering ERS again. And then get back in to your normal rhythm.

How To Defend with ERS

If you are being attacked by a faster driver behind you can use the track to your advantage. You will want to ensure you have a good amount of ERS for the straights so you don’t run out. You can do this by lowering your ERS mode to low or none around tight parts of the track. The likelihood of you being overtaking around slow technical sections of track are extremely low which will allow you to run a slow ERS mode.

Then as you pull out of a corner and on to a straight where the driver behind is close, turn up your ERS to hotlap and try to pul away. Rinse and repeat this until you get in to a rhythm to extend the gap.


And they are the ins and outs of manually managing your ERS and fuel mix. As you can see, you can really use the ERS to your advantage when attacking and defending. It is super useful to get in to the habit of manually managing it where you can. In automatic management mode, the computer wont change the ERS deployment for different parts of the track. This leaves you at a huge disadvantage over drivers using manual mode.


Grab Your Sim Racing Gear Here

You can use the links below to shop for your favourite sim racing products, or for any products that we may have recommended. These links are affiliate links, and will earn us a small commission, with no additional cost for you.

Author Profile Picture

Article written by Rich

Founder of SimRacingSetups.com

Rich is the co-founder, and one of the main F1 setup creators and content writers for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. We may earn commission from any sale after clicking a link. Read our affiliate policy.
F1 24 Game Logo

The Best Racing Wheels F1 24

PS5 logo

The Best Racing Wheels For PS5