There are a lot of Formula-style sim racing steering wheels on the market. But choosing one for your budget can be tricky. This guide will run you through the best Formula-style steering wheels.
A Formula-style sim racing steering wheel is the term given to a steering wheel that replicates the design principles of a wheel that is found in open-wheeled race cars. These steering wheels can be used with a wide range of sim racing wheel bases, and typically feature a rectangular design, with a screen and a wide range of inputs.
With the release of the new F1 22 game imminent, now is the perfect time to ready yourself and ensure you have the best sim racing set up. One of the best ways to experience F1 22, or any sim racing game is with a full sim racing wheel and sim rig.
Read our buyers guide for the best racing wheels for F1 22.
However, there are so many options to choose from when looking at buying a sim racing steering wheel, that it can be hard to narrow your choice. In this buyer’s guide, I’m going to look specifically at Formula-style sim racing steering wheels.
A Formula-style steering wheel is one that closely replicates the style of steering wheel found in open-wheeled race cars. If you watch any form of open-wheeled motorsports such as Formula 2, Formula 1, IndyCar or any others, you will notice how all of the steering wheels look very different to those found in road cars.
Formula-style steering wheels are generally not round, feature a screen for telemetry read-outs and include a whole host of inputs on the wheel. The more rectangular style allows for drivers to better see over the top of the wheel, as well as allowing for better manoeuvrability when rotating the steering wheel.
The screen can vary in size. Sometimes you’ll find a smaller screen that provides simple feedback such as live speed, RPM and other telemetry. With more premium Formula-style steering wheels, you’ll find larger screens capable of displaying a lot of information at once.
Finally, the steering wheel is always designed to be as ergonomic and practical as possible. This includes a wide range of inputs including buttons and dials. These allow for quick changes to the car while travelling at high speeds.
Below I’ll show you the best Formula-style sim racing wheels across a wide range of price ranges. These include simpler and cheaper Formula-style wheels, moving through and up to much more realistic and premium wheels.
I’ll show you the best features of each steering wheel, along with its compatibility with other products and consoles. Hopefully, this buyer’s guide will allow you to quickly narrow down the best Formula-style sim racing wheel for your requirements.
Fanatec first produced the F1 Esports steering wheel a few years ago and worked with Formula 1 to include their branding. It was the official steering wheel for F1 Esports competitions. Now in 2023, Fanatec has re-worked the wheel and released the second version.
Fanatec F1 Esports V2
The F1 Esports V2 is constructed of high-quality aluminium to provide strength and durability. The hand-grips are wrapped in Alcantara giving it a true motorsport aesthetic. While the Alcantara may not be to everybody’s liking, we think it works well to bring the whole look together.
The front of the wheel features a selection of push buttons but it does lack the rotary encoders found on all of the other wheels on this list.
If you are looking for an entry-level Formula-style steering wheel then the Fanatec F1 Esports V2 is possibly your best choice.
Steering Wheel – Fanatec F1 Esports V2
Compatibility – PS5, PS4, PC
Wheel Base Price – €269.95
Where to buy – Buy from Fanatec
If you’re a Formula 1 fan or a Ferrari fan, this steering wheel is perfect. The Thrustmaster SF1000 steering wheel is a replica of the steering wheel used in the Ferrari F1 car during the 2020 Formula 1 season.
Thrustmaster SF1000 Ferrari Wheel
There are so many cool things about the SF1000 for Formula 1 fans. It features a real carbon fibre faceplate for an authentic look and comes with all of the buttons and encoders found on the real Ferrari steering wheel.
There are 25 inputs which include a selection of buttons and 7 encoders that can all be used to control your car mid-race. The crowning glory of this steering wheel is the huge 4.3-inch screen. A screen of this size doesn’t appear on any other steering wheel within this price range.
The screen can be used to showcase real telemetries such as tyre temperatures, lap times and more. And there are also a series of rev LEDs and flag LEDs surrounding the screen.
If you are a Formula 1 fan, this sim racing wheel is a great option. When in use, you can feel the immersion of sitting behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car. And when it isn’t in use, it certainly looks good sitting proudly on display!
Steering Wheel – Thrustmaster Ferrari SF1000 Edition
Compatibility – Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, PC
Price – £329.99
Where to buy – Buy from Amazon
The long-term favourite for many sim racers is the Fanatec Formula series of wheels. All of the Formula wheels that Fanatec has released are catered to an open-wheel style of sim racing. The latest product in this lineup is the Formula V2.5X.
Fanatec Formula V2.5X
This is an evolution of the Formula V2 that has been popular for years. The V2.5 and V2.5X feature upgraded shifter paddles, coming pre-installed with the ClubSport Magnetic Paddle Module. These allow for much crisper shifting thanks to the magnetic functionality.
The Formula V2.5X features a wide range of inputs, much like other steering wheels on this list. There are 11 buttons, multiple encoders and multi-position switches. These are all mounted onto a carbon fibre faceplate.
While this steering wheel doesn’t feature a large screen like some other Formula-style racing wheels, it does include a small OLED display to show various telemetry. There are also a set of rev LEDs above the screen and flag LEDs to either side.
The diameter of just 280mm means this wheel is a little smaller than some others, but that means the wheel is lightweight and dances about in your hands.
The Fanatec Formula V2.5X has great credentials for being one of the best Formula-style steering wheels under £500 / $500. It is also widely compatible with Xbox and PS5 consoles and can be used with any current Fanatec wheel base.
Steering Wheel – Fanatec Formula V2.5X
Compatibility – Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, PC
Price – €399 / $399
Where to buy – Buy from Fanatec
The Moza GS Steering Wheel is one of the most recent additions to hit the sim racing market. It has recently been released to much praise. Find out more about the Moza GS in our guide here.
Moza Racing GS Steering Wheel
Despite not having any form of screen on the front of the wheel, the GS steering wheel is an incredibly well built, premium steering wheel. IT features a high-quality forged carbon fibre construction which flows through to the shifter paddles which are also constructed from forged carbon fibre.
On the front you have a wide range of inputs including backlit RGB buttons that can be fully customised. One of Moza’s party tricks to make this steering wheel stand out is the fully customisable rev bar.
This sits proudly at the top of the steering wheel and can be completely customised. You can change the colours of each individual LED as well as the behaviour and timing of the bar.
The GS Steering Wheel was a surprise hit of 2022. We have one in our studio and think it is fantastic. You have to have a Moza wheel base to be able to use this steering wheel, but if you do, then this wheel is a no brainer for any Formula 1 fan.
Steering Wheel – Moza GS
Compatibility – PC
Wheel Base Price – £449 / $499
Where to buy – Buy from Moza Racing
Cube Controls are known for producing high-quality steering wheels, and the F-Pro is the most premium Formula-style steering wheel Cube Controls currently sells. It may not feature a screen on the front of the wheel but everything about the F-Pro screams premium.
The F-Pro comes in two formats, a wireless Bluetooth model and a wired USB version. This allows you to connect to your chosen wheel base in whichever method works best for you.
The wheel itself features a real carbon-fibre face plate and an aluminium body. This allows for strength and makes for a lightweight model.
The front of the wheel is covered in inputs allowing you to control any part of your car during a race. There are a total of 12 buttons which is the most of any wheel on this list. These are coupled with joysticks and rotary magnetic encoders. All of these inputs work together to form one of the most customisable steering wheels you can purchase.
Cube Controls have equipped the F-Pro with a 70mm PCD allowing it to be mounted to most Formula-style quick releases. This allows it to be compatible with wheel bases from the biggest wheel base manufacturers.
Steering Wheel – Cube Controls F-Pro
Compatibility – PC
Price – €860 / $957
Where to buy – Check Price
With the Formula Steering Wheel Series 2, we are stepping into the territory of extremely high-end sim racing steering wheels that really closely replicate Formula 1 steering wheels.
The Formula Steering Wheel Series 2 features a very similar design to real-world Formula 1 wheels. You’ll find a large 5-inch display capable of showing a lot of real-time telemetry information. You can configure this screen across multiple games such as F1 2021, ACC and iRacing using the included Esportsim Telemetry Gateway software.
The Best F1 23 Racing WheelsThe wheel itself features a carbon fibre faceplate which incorporates a lot of inputs. There are 12 buttons in total and 8 high-torque encoders for you to customise and use in-game. Much like real Formula 1 steering wheels, there are 15 RPM lights across the top of the wheel as well as 6 additional LEDs to show flags.
One of the best parts of this Formula-style steering wheel is that it is widely compatible.
The Formula Steering Wheel Series 2 is compatible with Thrustmaster, Fanatec, Simucube and other wheel bases. And it works across all consoles including PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. This steering wheel utilises a standard 6×70 hub for maximum compatibility and can be used with the Fanatec Podium Advanced Paddle Module.
Steering Wheel – Formula Steering Wheel Series 2
Compatibility – Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, PC
Price – €949 / $1,021
Where to buy – Check Price
The Gomez Formula Pro Elite is an extremely good looking formula-style steering wheel. It is possibly my favourite looking sim racing wheel on this list. It has a very unique design but incorporates every function you could need to sim race comfortably.
This sim racing steering wheel is incredibly well built, being constructed of real carbon fibre and aluminium. These materials are strong and lightweight ensuring there is zero flex in the wheel during use.
Much like the Formula Steering Wheel Series 2, there is a large LCD screen on the front of the wheel itself, although Gomez has gone one further by making it a touch screen.
On the front of the wheel are 10 buttons, 5 rotary encoders and a 7-way funky switch. These are all completely customisable allowing you to easily make changes to your car on the fly. To express your own flair, you can choose between a large number of colour options including the neon yellow “Omega” edition in the image above.
Compatibility with sim racing wheel bases is good. This Gomez steering wheel is fully compatible with wheel bases from Simucube, VRS, Simagic, Accuforce and Fanatec DD Bases when using the Fanatec Podium Hub.
Steering Wheel – Gomez Formula Pro Elite
Compatibility – PC
Price – €1,370 / $1,325
Where to buy – Check Price
The Rexing Mayaris is the most premium steering wheel on this list, and for good reason. It is the sim racing steering wheel that most closely replicates a Formula 1 wheel rim, looking extremely close to the real wheels used by many F1 teams.
It is also extremely well built, being constructed from a full carbon fibre body. The 4.3-inch LCD screen is compatible with a range of software including Simdash and Simhub, allowing you to configure the dash to your own liking.
There are 10 push-buttons on the face of the wheel, along with 6 rotary encoders positioned around your thumb for easy access. Then there is a further selection of multi-switches for additional customisation.
All of the inputs are of the highest quality with all push buttons being illuminated, and all encoders and knobs being constructed from aluminium. The wheel itself has a diameter of 290mm, which is perfect for a formula-style sim racing wheel.
The wheel itself comes with an aluminium hub on the back which can be mounted to any 50.8mm and 70mm quick-release. Each individual model of the Rexing Mayaris is constructed per customer, and hand-assembled to allow for the highest quality.
If you are after the most realistic Formula 1 sim racing experience, you can’t get much better than this steering wheel.
Steering Wheel – Rexing Mayaris
Compatibility – PC
Price – €1,600
Where to buy – Check Price
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