FAQ Guide - Guide for Formula 1 2001

Formula 1 2001

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FAQ Guide to Formula 1 2001
Console: Playstation 1
Version 1.2
By: Myst (Adam Testaz) E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://misc.8m.com/
Last updated: August 9, 2001
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Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Revision History
3. Introduction and Controls
4. Graphics and Sound
5. Teams and Drivers
6. Tracks
7. Game Modes
8. Race Strategies and Tips
9. Credits
10. E-mail Policy
11. Copyright

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1. Introduction

Hello and welcome to my FAQ on Formula 1 2001 for Playstation 1. This is my FAQ 
ever so
please be patient with me if I break an FAQ code or something, it is a learning 
activity.
I decided to write a FAQ on this game because no one else will! I have been 
searching the
net for a while now, since it was released, on ANYTHING for this game and not one 
thing
came up. The only stuff you will find on it is at its official web site,
http://www.scee.com/f1/ - and that still doesn't give away any great details, 
just a few
average tips I suppose. So basically, I am trying to give the people like me out 
there,
who want something on this game, a little bit of help ;)

Always feel free to e-mail with any small pieces of information about the game. 
You will
be acknowledged!

Anyways, enough with the chit chat, let's get down to business.

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2. Revision History

August 9, 2001
VErsion 1.2
- Started Race Strategies and Tips section.

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August 7, 2001
Version 1.101
- Added in new sites down the bottom so my FAQ can be elsewhere.

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August 3, 2001
Version 1.1
- Wrote the tracks section

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August 2, 2001
Version 1.01
- Wrote in Introduction and controls, graphics and sound, teams and drivers.

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August 2, 2001
Version 1.0
- Started the FAQ.
- Added in all the titles of each section.
- Wrote the Introduction, Copyright, E-mail policy, and credits sections.

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3. Introduction and Controls

No doubt at one stage or the other you have played a formula one game, or maybe 
you are
new to them. Anyway, here is a brief history of formula one games since 1997, 
about when
they started to take off. Formula 1 '97 for the Playstation, some would say, was 
and
still is the best F1 game ever released and in some ways I agree with them. To 
this day,
F1 '97 portraits the most accurate characteristics of an F1 car I have seen. For 
example,
if you clipped your front wing on the rear of the car in front you would surely 
lose it
your handling would become poor. In the more modern games you can sometimes go 
backwards,
have a head on with another car, and occasionally escape unharmed. For me, this 
is too
inaccurate, that is why I like this game. The only weak point it had was poor 
graphics
and sound and that there was no safety car and rules such as a short cut.

Over the next few years F1 games progressed really well except they lost a few 
things.
For starters, the '98 and '99 versions, as always had the updated drivers and the 
new
tyres, etc. but they lost the F1 feel. They were sort of more like an arcade 
version of
F1. Steering the car was much more easy and made for little or no challenge, even 
when on
expert. You could play for two weeks and then play on expert and win easily. 
By '99, the
safety car and more up to date rules had been added in as well as new drivers and 
teams
but the game still had the arcade feel to it. About three F1 games followed in 
2000 and
again, all were similar and still had the arcade feel.

Formula 1 2001 is different though. It has a more F1 feel to it again. It has 
harder
steering, so more effort is required. When crashing, reel suspension will most 
likely
break and a retirement is almost assured, this even counts when clipping the 
barrier a few
too many times. Tyres react well in different situations, such as, after doing a 
few donuts,
they will have
less grip and the car is harder to control. Other good points about the game 
would include,
the option of traction control, something that was only just reintroduced to 
formula one
this season as well as ABS braking, which isn't used in F1; good for beginners 
though.

Aside from all these good things about the game, there are still a lot of 
negative aspects,
but I still rate it as one of the top all time F1 games, after '97. For starters, 
in the
other games, the teams normally finished about in the order that they do in real 
life races,
from strongest to weakest. In the game, we have some of the weaker teams, such as 
Benneton,
always finishing in the points when they should be at the mid to lower end of the 
pack.
Then you have the better teams such as Williams and Jordan at the mid to lower 
end. I think
the programmers made a few small errors in that department; it can be most 
frustrating being
chased by a Benneton in a McLaren.

Another poor point about the game is, there aren't enough mechanical failures. 
The computer
players seem to get quite a few but after playing nearly the whole season, I have 
yet to
get one, which can be a good thing, but being an F1 fan you notice these small 
details.
Another point to note is, no matter how bad your crash is, it is almost 
impossible to get
the safety car out. I haven't managed to get the damn thing to come out yet and 
if anyone
has, can they please contact me about it, because, again, being an F1 fan, you 
like to see
these things. The most annoying feature of all is that it is hard to get a lead. 
No matter
how far in front you get, the computer players will always pull out these 
impossible lap
times that are unachievable and chase you down straight away, even on easy!

Aside from that, game play is pretty good except when it comes to commentary. 
Obviously
the game wasn't tested thoroughly enough because Murray Walker tends to make 
quite a few
errors when commentating. Quite often he will call a driver by the team name or 
visa versa.
Or he will say the wrong name all together. Sometimes he will even leave the name 
or team
out all together! This usually only happens with the lower teams though. The 
programmers
obviously didn't spend too much time here because they thought that no one as 
going to
choose team like Minardi.

Anyway, enough about game play, on to the controls.

Cross - Accelerate
Square - Break
Triangle - Speed limiter
Circle - Reverse
D-Pad Left - Left
D-Pad Right - Right
D-Pad Up - NO USE
D-Pad Down - NO USE
L1 - Look behind (depending on the view you use - otherwise you use your mirrors)
L2 - Shift down (if using manual)
R1 - Change view
R2 - Shift up (If using manual)

The analogue controller can also be used but I find it difficult, you may find it 
easier;
chose what you feel comfortable with.

Left Stick - moving left and right will direct the car.
Right Stick - moving up for accelerate, down from break.

All other controls remain the same.

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4. Graphics and Sound

Well, the graphics on the Playstation are pretty lame compared to the PS2 these 
days so
there is nothing special here. The graphics are pretty much similar to last years 
F1 game
except I'd say they are slightly sleeker and sharper. The car detail and 
surroundings,
such as trees, etc. go into slightly more detail but nothing significant enough 
to throw a
party for.

The sound is also a major disappointment. There a few new commentary lines but 
not enough
to last a while. Once you've played for about 10 hours you've heard them all. And 
as I
mentioned earlier, the commentators tend to make the wrong calls when calling a 
race by
mixing driver's names up etc. There is no music while playing so if you were 
wanted to
listen to music while playing, that's a no go. The sound effects are great 
though. The
engine accelerating and breaking sounds really cool and the sounds are different 
for each
engine, depending on the car you choose. The tyres skidding is also a nice effect 
which
makes it seem real and the vibration sound when riding the curbs makes the 
experience all
the more exciting. On the overall, it is still rather disappointing.

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5. Teams and Drivers

If you know nothing about F1, chances are you will pick Ferrari because they are 
probably
the only team you have heard of. F1 fans, like me, will usually choose their 
favourite team
(mine being McLaren - although sometimes I like to drive with Williams or Sauber -
 I just
hate Ferrari with a passion). Anyway, here is a brief description of each time 
and their
drivers. I apologise in advance if any of these names are spelt wrong and when I 
get around
to it, I will look them up and correct them.

*********

Arrows - One of the back runners. They are probably good for beginners who want 
to start
off with a slower car to get familiar with the game.

Driver 1: Jos Verstappen - An experienced F1 campaigner. In a few years, with a 
better team,
he will win some races.

Driver 2: Enrique Bernoldi - In his debut season of F1 this year. From what I 
have seen of
him so far, I hate him and he won't last long in this business.

*********

BAR - One of the newer teams to F1. They are in their 3rd season and doing 
reasonably well
this year. Suitable for intermediates.

Driver 1: Jacques Villenerve - Former world champion of 1997. Hasn't won much 
recently
because he hasn't had the car but a definite goer.

Driver 2: Oliver Panis - Another experienced F1 driver. Has had a quiet achiever 
but I'm
sure with a better team he'll do wonders.

*********

Benneton - Usually a strong team but having their poorest season to date. In the 
game they
tend to do ok though so give them a go if you are daring.

Driver 1: Gancarllo Fishicella - Another man who has been in F1 cars for a long 
time. With
a better car he will go so much faster. Choose him if you want, he's good.

Driver 2: Jensen Button - In his second year of F1 and he hasn't really done much 
to
impress this season. But, the game tends to favour Benneton so give him a go too.

*********

Ferrari - Currently the top team in F1. This year they look set to win their 3rd 
straight
constructors championship and Michael Schumacher looks set to take his fourth 
drivers.
They are always at the front of the pack so when you are good, give them a drive.

Driver 1: Michael Schumacher - Is considered the best F1 driver at the current 
time and
is already up their with the likes of Senna, Prost, etc. He is a very fast 
driver. If you
have experience, go with him.

Driver 2: Rubens Barrichello - Another man who has been in racing cars for a very 
long
time. He is behind the wheel of a Ferrari, which is very fast so he is worth a 
punt too.

*********

Jaguar - The leaping cat started off in F1 last year and they continue to improve 
with
their first podium this season. They are getting stronger all the time and are 
always
worth a run.

Driver 1: Eddie Irvine - The former Ferrari driver has come close to winning the
championship in '99 so he knows what F1 is all about. A very experienced driver.

Driver 2: Lucianio Burti - Starting the season with Jaguar, he is currently 
driving for
Prost. He is new to F1 and hasn't really done much to impress this season. I'd 
avoid him
if possible.

*********

Jordan - Not having one of their better seasons this year and tend to hang around 
the back
of the pack in the game. I recommend them for intermediate players.

Driver 1: Heinz-Harald Frentzen - Was sacked from the Jordan team just recently 
so he is
no longer an F1 driver! But, he has great speed and is the number one man for 
Jordan in
the game.

Driver 2: Jarno Trulli - The young Italian has been racing cars for a long time 
and he
continues to impress this season. If Jordan weren't programmed to go so bad in 
the game,
I'd give him a drive as well.

*********

McLaren - The current number two team in F1, after Ferrari. They have double 
world champ
Mika Hakkinen as well as the constructor's champs from '98. Their other driver 
Coulthard
is chasing his first driver's crown this year also.

Driver 1: Mika Hakkinen - Having a woeful season this year but in the game he 
always runs
good. He is really good and you should never underestimate the flying Finn.

Driver 2: David Coulthard - He is starting to show some maturity this year and is 
winning
more races. He is a great F1 driver and I believe will be champion one day. Don't 
leave him
of your list.

*********

Minardi - Minardi are constantly the bottom of the pile and I'd only recommend 
you chose
them if you are a die-hard Minardi fan.

Driver 1: Fernando Alonso - In his debut season, the young Spaniard tries his 
hardest in
a poor car. One day, in a good car, he will do really well.

Driver 2: Tarso Marques - A little more experience than Alonso but he has failed 
to have
a good season, even by Minardi's standards this year. As I said, I'd really try 
to avoid
this team.

*********

Prost - Managed by former world champ, Alain Prost, this team is starting to come 
good
this year by gathering some world championship points. Another good team for 
intermediates.

Driver 1: Jean Alesi - The most experienced driver on the F1 grid. He is a 
valuable asset
to the team and if he were in the right car, he would be world champ. If you are 
an
intermediate, give him a drive.

Driver 2: Mazzacane - I can't even remember his first name because he was sacked 
early in
the season and replaced by Burti. If he was sacked it means he mustn't of been 
performing
so I'd suggest steer clear.

*********

Sauber - Sauber are having their best season to date and continue to impress. 
They are 4th
in the constructors this year and are the 'best of the rest'. In a few years, 
this team
will be winning races too.

Driver 1: Nick Heidfeld - In his second of F1, he is having a much better run. He 
is very
fast and should never be underestimated. Always leave him on your list.

Driver 2: Kimmi Raikkenon - His debut season of F1 and he continues to break 
records. He
is very quick and I'm sure he's a future world champion. A DEFINATE drive.

*********

Williams - The rejuvenated Williams team are back this season and are hot on the 
heels of
McLaren and Ferrari. They are always improving and will continue to do well into 
the future.

Driver 1: Ralph Schumacher - The brother of current world, Michael, has won his 
first few
races this year and is surely a future world champ. Too bad Williams are poor in 
the game
but I still recommend them.

Driver 2: Juan Pablo Montoya - In his debut season of F1 he has been most 
impressive and
the only thing stopping him from winning has been back luck and unreliability. He 
is worth
a definite drive.

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6. Tracks

The tracks will be listed in order that they appear through the FIA 2001 Formula 
1 season.
I will list each track and brief description of each one.

Australia - This track is a medium speed track. It has a fast pit straight and is 
a series
of tight corners and fast corners that circle Albert Park Lake. It is a good 
track for
beginners to learn on because it has a mixture of everything from speed to slow 
corners.
A good lap time is about 1:28:000 or less.

Malaysia - This track is rather fast. It has two very long straights around the 
stadium
section, which are separated by a hairpin. The track is very wide and has some 
fast corners
as well as sharp corners. It is a good track to overtake on and very enjoyable to 
drive.

Brazil - Another medium speed circuit. This circuit is rather short compared to 
some of
the others but is still very enjoyable to drive. It is one of the few tracks that 
go in
an anti-clockwise direction so the pits are sometimes are hard to spot. The 
stadium section
is very fast and the rest of the track is full of tight corners.

San Marino - A great high-speed circuit that requires reasonably low downforce. 
It is
basically a series of fast corners and straights that are separated by chicanes 
and the
odd corner. Not the best circuit to over take on because it is rather narrow and 
if you
brake too late you will most likely skid off into the gravel.

Spain - Spain is another fast track with a VERY long home straight that seems to 
never end.
There are quite a few high-speed corners as well as some very sharp ones, which 
are
separated by quick straights. A good run out of the final turn will set up for a 
quick lap
of this circuit.

Austria - One of the more difficult tracks because the first two corners are over 
hills and
are very sharp; which is hard to see on the TV screen. One of the slower circuits 
with a
few quick straights as well as fast corners.

Monoco - The slowest circuit of the Grand Prix year right in the heart of Monoco. 
This
famous street circuit is very tough because you are surrounded by barriers and 
there are
few run off areas. The quickest part is through the tunnel where you may reach 
about 180MPH.
On the rest of the circuit you will be lucky to get more than 130 for a majority 
of the
time. A circuit only for the skilled.

Canada - A very tough circuit on brakes and a tough circuit to overtake on due to 
the narrow
track. Canada incorporates a mixture of high-speed straights as well as hairpins 
and
chicanes. A low downforce is needed for optimum top speed.

Europe - Another great all round track with lots of tight corners as well as 
quick corners
and the odd straight. With a hairpin as well as some chicanes this is another 
good track
for beginners as it gives them some of everything. The track is very wide which 
makes over
taking easy.

France - France is extremely tough on tyres but also a very quick and short track 
with
about 1:12:00 or quicker being a decent lap. There are many fast corners and 
straights as
well some a hairpin and a few chicanes. With some very tough corners, this track 
is one that
you should save until you have some miles under your belt.

Great Britain - Silverstone is another reasonably quick track. It has some fast 
straights
as well as fast corners. There are two very sharp chicanes in the middle section 
of the lap
and a lot of small bendy corners at the end. This is more of an intermediate 
track.

Germany - Hockenheim is the fastest track of the season. It is basically one long 
big
straight, with slight corners in it, which make basically no difference, which is 
separated
by a few chicanes. The stadium section, at the end is very twisty. It is like two 
tracks in
one. I find this high-speed circuit rather boring and overtaking, unless in a 
quick car can
be hard.

Hungary - The Hungarian Grand Prix is good for beginners because it has lots of 
corners to
help you adapt to the game. With some long 180-degree corners and a lot of small 
twisty
corners, the gas/ brake combination gets a good work out here. Another great 
track to learn
the game on.

Belgium - The Spa circuit is another high-speed circuit with very fast straights 
and long
fast corners. The circuit also has a number of small chicanes and hairpins to 
break up the
high speediness of the circuit and also have some standard corners in it. A 
Williams car
is one of the better performers here.

Italy - Yet again, Monza is a high-speed track. Similar to Hockenhiem, it is like 
one long
straight, with some long fast corners that are separated by chicanes. Again, I 
find this
circuit boring because there aren't enough corners. The Williams team will suit 
this track
also.

United States - The American Gran Prix is a medium speed track with a very long 
fast corner
at the end, which leads on to a fast straight. It is broken down into small, 
tight corners
all around the track. Very suitable for beginners to intermediates.

Japan - The final circuit of the 2001 Grand Prix Calender. Suzuka is a fast 
circuit, which
is spilt up by small tight bends as well as chicanes. Be early on the brakes 
because
sometimes you will need to go from 200MPH to just 30MPH in 100 meters. Good 
brakes and grip
are essential for you to be competitive here.

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7. Game Modes

Coming soon...

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8. Race Strategies and Tips

These stategies are based on what I find best so far from playing the game. You 
may find some
other ways better than the following so it is entirely up to you. Just remember, 
this is
advice.

Ok, I tend to play a 20 lap race most of the time because anything less is too 
short for
strategy to come into play and anything longer can get boring (but when I am 
feeling very
eager, I play a full race). I usually play with all the rules turned on (tyre 
wear, feul
comsumption, flags, etc.) because it makes the race feel more real and more 
exciting. Usually
on a 20 lap race, lap 10-11 is about the best time to pit (providing you haven't 
pitted earlier
from a crash) because this is when the AI's pit so you can get a good idea of how 
much time you
make up during the pit stop. Be warned, the AI's tend to slow down A LOT when 
entering the pits
so make sure not to go into the back of them otherwise your front wing and 
suspension will get
damaged. If you can get arount this and use the automatic speed pit limiter, you 
should make up
lots of time.

Another good way to make up time is to "nip" the grass on the straights when you 
have the pedal
to the metal. You should do the following, slowly go over to the grass, touch it 
with your left
or right wheels, then go back on to the track. You should find you gain an extra 
mile or two.
Those of you who have played Challenge mode will know that the top speed is 
196MPH. If you nip
the grass correctly, it is possible to go to 220+MPH (my personal best being 
230MPH). That is
how I was able to achieve the 1:33:537 lap time :) Anyway, make sure you practise 
this because
it does a take a while to get the hang of.

When racing make sure you slip stream. What I mean by this is, when going down a 
straight, tuck
yourself under the rear wing of the car in front. When you find yourself catching 
up, just
before the corner comes, dash out to the side of the track (whichever side is the 
inside
depending on the corner) and go late under brakes. You should be able to over 
take quiet easily.
Make sure not to lock-up your tyres, for several reasons. One, you will flat spot 
them which,
will make the grip deteriorate and two, you don't stop as fast whilst skidding. 
If you do lock
up, release the brakes and quickly jump back on them. In fact, I sometimes find 
it quicker to
stop by tapping the brake button VERY quickly.

Don't take shot cuts. The game knows almost all the shot cuts (almost - you will 
see a major
one I found soon :) ) and if you take too many, a stop and go penalty is a 
certainty, which will
cost you time. Also, try not crash into other cars if possible and keep off the 
barrier - it
damages your car and another pit stop will be needed.

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9. Credits

No credits at this stage but if you send in information that is used on this 
site, your name
will be listed here, with what you sent in! Providing, of course, it is your own! 
Your
details won't be released unless you wish.

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10. E-mail Policy

I have been looking at a lot of the other guides on the site, seeing as this is 
my first
one, to see what they have. It has come to my attention that an e-mail policy 
looks important
so people don't send you crap e-mail that is useless. Here is a list of what you 
can and
can't send at this stage (it will change as the FAQ grows).

CAN SEND:
- Any information about the game, of any sort, that doesn't appear here. It must 
be your own
otherwise source it from where you got it!
- Any cheats, codes, hints, etc. that don't appear here.
- Anything that you have which is slightly more updated than what I have here 
would be useful.

CAN'T SEND:
- Anything that isn't your own.
- Anything that already appears here that is exactly the same.

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11. Copyright

This document is copyright by Adam Testaz, 2001. Please do not copy all or any 
part of
this guide and claim it as your own without my written consent. Do not copy this 
guide,
then alter it and claim it as you own. This guide is not to be used to make any 
money. If
you wish to use my guides, please e-mail and we can come to a compromise. My 
guides should
only be found at:
- http://www.gamefaqs.com
- http://psxcodez.com
- http://www.cheatcc.com
- if you find my guide elsewhere, please contact me.
Adios!

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Copyright 2001, Adam Testaz