How To Overtake in F1 22 – Overtaking Tips

Overtaking in F1 22 is a key technique that you should look to master. As well as being able to drive consistently fast, overtaking is one of the key areas that you should look to master in F1 22.

In this guide, I’ll run through a variety of ways to overtake cars in front in F1 22 to help you move through the pack. Mastering these techniques can make overtaking slightly easier.

DRS and Overtake Mode

Before I take a look at specific overtaking moves and techniques, there are a few tools that you have at your disposal. It is key to familiarise yourself with these tools, as they’ll make overtaking significantly easier.

I’m talking about DRS and ERS. Both of these are functions within the car that can be activated or adjusted to make you faster in a straight line.

DRS

Starting with DRS. DRS is short for Drag Reduction System, and does exactly what it says on the tin. It helps eliminate drag in a straight line to increase top speed. If you’ve watched Formula 1 you should be familiar with DRS, as it’s a key talking point during races.

In a race, DRS is only active through DRS zones which are positioned around the track on the longest straights. These activate if you are within 1 second of the car in front as you pass the detection line.

If you are within 1 second, you can push the DRS button to activate it. This will open a gap in your rear wing which will make you faster in a straight. It is important to note that DRS does reduce your rear downforce, so if you make sudden movements with it open, you could lose rear stability.

When you’re following a car and trying to overtake, you should activate DRS every time you pass through a DRS zone. This will allow you to catch and hopefully pass the car in front much easier.

ERS

ERS, or Energy Recovery System is also a key tool when overtaking in F1 22. The ERS is the part of your powertrain that produces additional electronic power. This works with the normal combustion engine to create additional horsepower.

Formula 1 cars have multiple ERS modes that deploy different amounts of power in different scenarios. During a race, you have access to the overtake mode. This will give you a boost of additional power when you push the overtake button.

If you use the overtake ERS mode when following a car ahead, you should close the gap between you faster. This will assist in making a successful overtake move, especially if used together with DRS.

It’s important to remember that the overtake ERS mode will drain your battery faster than the medium setting. So using overtake mode regularly will require you to spend a few laps without it to regenerate power.

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Keep the pressure up

The next tip, before looking at specific moves, is that maintaining pressure on the car ahead is important in F1 22. If you constantly drive closely to the car ahead, they will be aware of you in their mirrors.

This could cause them to focus more on you than the track ahead, meaning they may make a mistake or start to miss corner apexes. This is a great tactic if you aren’t quite fast enough to perform an overtaking move.

Pressuring the car ahead in single-player racing in F1 22 can cause the AI to start to defend from potential overtakes or drive inconsistently. And applying pressure during online races is an even more powerful tactic.

Often in multiplayer racing, other drivers can be pressured into making silly mistakes. This can open the door for an easy overtake.

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Overtaking on the inside

The traditional overtaking move, and potentially the most effective is to go past the car ahead on the inside of a corner.

Pulling alongside on a straight, and taking the inside line into a corner can force the other driver out wide, or make them concede the position. This is by far one of the most effective ways of overtaking in F1 22, and when done right is very hard to defend against.

To overtake on the inside the first step is to ensure you get a good exit from the previous corner. Focus on taking the correct racing line through the corner, and maximising your corner exit speed.

Then as you close on the car in front using a combination of DRS and overtake mode, pull over to the inside line. Your speed advantage should allow you to at least pull alongside the car ahead.

If you can get the inside line down the straight, you will be extremely well-positioned to complete the overtake through the corner ahead. Start to focus on your braking point to ensure you make the corner.

Remember that if you were following a car and had DRS open, your braking point might be sooner than normal!

If you are alongside the car ahead, but not ahead by a lot, you may need to try and outbreak them into the corner. If they brake later than you, they may be able to regain the position, despite you having the inside line.

The key to our braking another driver is to be confident in your braking point. Knowing that you’re not going to miss the corner when you brake late is important. Then it’s a case of applying full braking force, and smoothly transitioning off the brake pedal as you start to aim for the apex.

If all of this is applied, you should emerge from the corner ahead. But be aware that by taking the inside line, you may be a little slow to get on the power due to the extreme corner angle. Try to ensure you get a good exit and pay attention to the car on the outside trying to re-overtake you.

View the best racing wheels for F1 22

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Overtaking on the outside

It isn’t uncommon for drivers ahead to look to defend the inside line which would force you to take the outside when overtaking.

Overtaking on the outside can sometimes be beneficial as you will normally be able to take a faster line through the corner ahead. This can eliminate the chance of the driver trying to re-overtake you.

When trying to overtake on the outside of a corner, you should look to take a very similar approach to the tips I mentioned above.

• Focus on getting a good exit out of the previous corner.
• Stay in the slipstream of the car ahead, and activate DRS as soon as possible.
• Use overtake ERS mode if you want to gain on the car ahead faster.

These should be your go-to approaches to overtaking no matter your plan of attack.

Once you get to the point of having to commit to a side, you should try to pull towards the outside of the car ahead. They may move over to defend the inside anyway, which will make the outside easier to claim as your own.

As you approach the corner, you will have to ensure that you can brake a little later, or be a little bit ahead into the corner. Overtaking around the outside can be a little trickier than down the inside, so ensure you’re as far in front as you can.

As long as you’re alongside the car ahead as you start to round the corner, you should be able to stop them from forcing you to concede.

As you are taking a wider racing line through the corner, you should be able to start accelerating a little earlier. The inside line is much tighter so you’ll have the advantage on the exit of the turn. You should be able to accelerate away from the corner better, making the overtake stick.

While overtaking around the outside is generally harder, it can prevent the other driver from trying to re-overtake you on the next straight.

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Fake pass

If when you’re approaching a car ahead, they are occupying the side of the track that you want to be on, you can perform a fake move.

For example, if the driver ahead stays to the outside of the track down the straight, but that is your preferred line. You can move over to the inside earlier than you normally would. This gives the driver in front the chance to react, and they might respond by covering the inside line.

If they do cover the inside line, you can move back to the outside to take your preferred racing line.

This technique is extremely good if you think you can predict the driver ahead. If they are constantly defending one side of the track or the other, a fake move can make them commit to defending a move they think you’re about to make.

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Switchback overtake

The switchback overtake is an example of the move that I mentioned when talking about the inside line overtake before. If you overtake on the inside, the driver behind may be able to perform a switchback overtake on you immediately after your pass.

The switchback involves you staying to the outside of the track while the driver in front defends the inside line. As they are defending the inside, they will have to slow much more to make the corner. The inside line is much tighter which will compromise their entry and exit.

Because their exit will be slower than normal, the switchback overtake takes advantage of this. You can stay on the outside line, staying behind the car in front going into the corner.

But as you approach the mid-corner, you can start to aim for the apex and get a very good exit out of the corner. The driver in front will likely proceed to take the outside line on the exit of the corner due to the tight angle.

You can then drive down the inside of the driver ahead on the exit of the corner. You will get much better acceleration out of the corner, allowing you to overtake on the straight that follows.

This style of overtake is often used when a driver lunges down the inside trying to overtake. They will often be punished on the straight that follows due to their slow exit speed.

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Overview

With these moves in your arsenal, overtaking in F1 22 should become much easier. You will be able to react to the driver in front and plan an overtaking move that can catch them off guard.

Using a combination of these overtaking techniques is the key to becoming a fantastic passer in F1 22.