F1 24: How To Drive Without Traction Control

Transitioning from using full traction control assists in F1 24 to no traction control can be one of the toughest challenges in this year’s Formula 1 game.

Using no traction control can initially feel like your car is driving on ice. However, perseverance, a lot of practice and utilising our tips on how to drive without traction control in F1 24 can help you make the transition a lot easier.

In this guide, my goal is to help you switch to not using any traction control in F1 24. I’ll briefly run through how traction control works and what assist settings are fastest. Then I’ll show you my top tips for driving without TC enabled.

Is it faster to use traction control in F1 24?

Let’s start with the big question. Is driving with traction control slower or faster in F1 24? If you are a casual player or new to the series, there is no doubt that you will be faster with traction control enabled. This is purely because driving a Formula 1 car with traction control is much easier.

However, if you are a seasoned or returning player and you’re hunting for those extra tenths of a second. Driving without traction control can allow you to put in potentially faster lap times. You’ll have more control over your car and acceleration, which can help you be faster in F1 24.

Watch our guide on how to drive F1 24 without traction control

How to turn off traction control in F1 24

To disable traction control, go to the “assists” menu within the settings. Scroll down to the traction control assist and set it to off. There is a medium setting if you are struggling to make the jump from on to off.

1. Navigate to the ‘Assists’ menu within the main settings.
2. Scroll to the traction control assist setting.
3. Select either off or medium.

Tips for driving without traction control

Now that traction control has been disabled, let’s discuss my top tips for making your driving experience without TC a little smoother. Your first laps on track after disabling traction control may be a bit hairy, and you’ll probably be putting in slower lap times. However, don’t worry; that will all change over time.

Tip 1: Lower your traction control assist gradually

If you are really struggling without traction control, my first tip is to utilise the medium assist setting. This is included in F1 24 as the developers know that the transition between full and no traction control is pretty big.

The medium traction control assist will reduce the impact of the TC system. However, it is a safety net that will still prevent you from spinning or losing control completely.

I wouldn’t recommend using the medium setting for too long, as it may make it harder to make that final jump to disabling TC completely. Only use it as a short-term option if you are really struggling.

If you are a controller player, using medium traction control may be the best full-time option. Racing without traction control on a controller can be incredibly hard. Our recommended F1 24 controller settings can help you gain more control while accelerating.

Tip 2: Accelerate in a straight line as much as possible

My first real tip to utilise when on track is always to ensure you are accelerating in a straight line. This is the golden rule of F1 24, as it makes it so much easier not to break traction or spin your rear wheels.

When you are travelling straight, your rear wheels are pushing you straight forward. If your car is still rotating, your rear wheels will be pushing the rear of your car at an angle. This is what is responsible for your wheels breaking traction and can result in a complete spin.

It isn’t always possible to wait until your car is in a straight line before accelerating. In these situations, try to utilise the entire track width to straighten your car as much as possible. This can mean opening up your steering so you position your car over an exit kerb or taking a slightly different line into a corner to allow for a straighter exit.

If you have no choice but to start accelerating while you are still turning the car, you can utilise my next tip.

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Tip 3: Modulate your throttle pressure

When accelerating from almost any corner, you should look to modulate your throttle pressure. By that, I mean you gradually start accelerating rather than hammering the throttle pedal immediately.

Gradually increasing your throttle input will result in a slower, more controllable power increase. This is very useful when accelerating mid-corner or at slow speeds.

Your wheels will most likely spin when you accelerate hard in low traction scenarios. Low traction zones include;

• Accelerating from slow speeds like turn 10 at Canada
• Accelerating in wet weather
• Accelerating on a kerb
• Accelerating while not straight

You can see how much throttle you are applying using the on-screen HUD in F1 24. The green bar increases as you apply more throttle. Keeping an eye on this bar while practising at a circuit like Canada, Austria or Singapore, where you’ll be accelerating from slow speeds often is a great way of seeing how well you are modulating your throttle input.

Tip 4: Utilise short shifting

If you find that you are still spinning your rear wheels at a slow speed even while modulating your throttle pressure, you can adjust your shifting technique as well. Short shifting is the term given to changing gear earlier than normal.

This technique lowers the overall engine RPM, which dulls the power that your rear wheels receive. By shifting early, your wheels aren’t being sent quite as much power, meaning they’re less likely to break traction.

It may seem counter intuitive to send less power to your rear wheels intentionally. However, you will lose much more time managing wheelspin than you would lose from the slight decrease in engine power.

Short shifting should be used only at very slow corners where wheel spin is most likely. It should also be used at almost every corner when racing in wet weather.

Tip 5: Optimise your car setup

My final tip on driving without traction control in F1 24 is to optimise your car setup. Your setup has a huge impact on how your car behaves and performs on track.

Adjustments such as more rear downforce, a softer rear suspension and a lower differential setup can all combine to produce a very stable car and less likely to wheel spin.

Most car setup changes must be made before qualifying and a race. However, your on-throttle differential can be adjusted mid-race, and I recommend doing so in certain scenarios.

Lowering your on-throttle differential is one of the biggest changes you can make to prevent wheel spin. Lower settings allow the rear wheels to spin more independently of each other, which reduces the risk of wheel spin.

You can lower the on-throttle differential via your MFD as you approach a slower corner. After the acceleration zone, you can then manually raise it back up again.

You can make other car setup changes to improve your car’s balance and make it easier to drive without traction control. These include;

• Higher rear wing aero: More rear wing aero will produce more downforce at the rear of the car, helping the rear tyres with traction.
• Suspension changes: A softer rear suspension or a stiffer front suspension will help to limit your car’s tendency to oversteer.
• On-throttle differential: Lowering your on-throttle differential is one of the best ways to limit wheelspin when accelerating from a lower speed.
• Rear camber setup: Minimising rear camber will allow more of your rear tyres to be in contact with the track increasing ultimate grip.
• Lower tyre pressures: Lower rear tyre pressures will increase your tyres contact patch with the track, increasing traction.

Read our guide on how to create the perfect car setup in F1 24.

Overview

Hopefully, the tips I’ve talked about in this guide will help you start racing F1 24 without traction control. Don’t be disheartened by a few spins the first time you hit the track without traction control.

Over time, you’ll become more consistent and a better overall driver. Below is a summary of my top tips for preventing wheel spin and embarrassing spins mid-race.

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Article written by Rich

Founder of SimRacingSetups.com

Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer 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

View all articles written by Rich