Formula 1 Games

Formula 1 games put you in an open-wheel car on tracks built for speed. There are about 35, free in your browser, with races, quick laps and even a puzzle or two.

What each type offers

The most direct are the pure single-seaters: Formula Racer, Formula Racing 3, Ultimate Formula Racing, New Formula One, Super Race Game F1 and F1 Racing Champ. These are races with a formula car on a closed track, where the point is to go fast and stay on the road. A single-seater is twitchy: it reacts quickly to the wheel, so smooth steering works better than sharp.

Grand Prix Go and Grand Prix Tycoon round out the Grand Prix group. Judging by the name, the second leans toward management rather than driving, so take a look before you choose.

For smaller formats there are Mini F1, Micro Racing and Slot Car Racing, the last inspired by slot-car tracks. And off the usual path, Formula Drag, about drag starts, and Formula Jigsaw, which is a puzzle.

How to go faster

Corners decide the lap. Brake just before you turn in, take the inside line and get back on the gas on the way out. There's not much to gain on the straights, so put your effort into what you do between them. If you run onto the grass, correct gently and don't stamp on the brake.

• For a simple race: Formula Racer.
• For something more complete: F1 Racing Champ.
• For a different format: Slot Car Racing or Mini F1.

The controls are the usual ones for on-screen driving: arrows or WASD to accelerate, brake and steer, and in some games an extra key for another function that's explained at the start. A single-seater wins and loses races in the corners, so treat the first lap as a recon lap: learn where the tight turns are and don't take risks before you know them. If you're chasing the best time, run the same circuit several times until you know where you brake and where you let off. If it's your first time, Formula Racer lets you play with almost no reading, and then you can move up to F1 Racing Champ to compare. The small-format ones, like Mini F1 or Micro Racing, make a good break when you want something quick.