F1 2012 best fuel strategy

[Oscar Luebbert]

I wanted to ask this community wich is the best fuel strategy in all the formats ( race percentages)

I just noticed that there is 3 ways to race.. not agressive - balanced - agreesive

since you can controll the fuel consumption in the car, which strategy works better for U? in wich laps do u go lean, normal or rich in fuel consumtion

which option do u preffer at the beggining of the race?

hope this thread work not just for me but for all the race departament F1-2012 people racing out there

 

[Martin Ott]

Fuel Strategy:
Fuel strategy is track dependant.
Some tracks you want to run lower fuel, some you want to run higher.

Abu Dhabi and Silverstone are tracks where you'd run lower amounts of fuel for example.

I've not found low fuel not working really, as you basically need to save fuel for the whole race. And since fuel saving makes you really slow that strategy never worked for me as of yet. Got a 5 sec gap in 3 laps in Abu Dhabi, but that got eaten away really fast when the race progressed.

--------------------------------
When to use different engine power:
Generally you can switch to mix 3 for straights and to mix 1 for slower parts of the track.
E.G. Korea. In Korea I use mix 3 for sector 1, mix 2 for sector 2 and mix 1 for sector 3.
That's what's generally best.

Also you can save fuel if you're stuck behind cars you can't overtake.
You can also use mix 3 for overtaking.

-----------------------------------
Race lengths:
I don't know how starting fuel is affected by the different race lengths.
In ragards to engine setting, you can usually use more mix 3 in lesser-percentage races.
You can try just starting a <25% race with low fuel and run mix 2 for the whole race and see if you make it to the end.

------------------------------------
That's all I know about engine mixes and starting fuel.
Generally with lower starting fuel you'll be faster at the start, but will need to save fuel during the rest of the race.
The other way around with more starting fuel.

 

[Oscar Luebbert]

the only thing i cannot do is swithching between mixes that often.. becauze with the pad on my rigth hand side is difficult to gear up and change the mixes ... i have to wait to the straigth ways 6-7th gear.

if anyone has a suggestion.. i have the g27wheel installed in a seat from playseat.. so the mount of the D pad is on the rigth side of the seat.. if I try to change mixes by sector the whole race im going to loose focus and not being quick.

what i do y use my left arm, cross it and move the mix and thats it.

 

[Igor Filipić]

I play 25% races most and use casual. Most of time im on mix 2 and use mix 3 for overtaking and out-lap so i can grab place/places. In 50% im using mix2 for 2/3 of race and then i go super fast on mix3 and pass somebody. I played 100% race few times. first lap i got up into p02 and hamilton was just pulling away from me. Switched to mix 3 and was on it to my pitstop when it got to optimal fuel. Then my engener told me that hamilton was on mix1 and i pushed hard to pass him. Got to -1 lap. Then i was just focusing on my fuel and gap to hamilton to be +5 sec. Finnished with optimal fuel and setting fastest lap of the race.

 

[Roberto Costa]

the only thing i cannot do is swithching between mixes that often.. becauze with the pad on my rigth hand side is difficult to gear up and change the mixes ... i have to wait to the straigth ways 6-7th gear.

if anyone has a suggestion.. i have the g27wheel installed in a seat from playseat.. so the mount of the D pad is on the rigth side of the seat.. if I try to change mixes by sector the whole race im going to loose focus and not being quick.

what i do y use my left arm, cross it and move the mix and thats it.

Regarding fuel, i think the best way is to use the cautious strategy, it will give you more fuel and make the car heavier but lets say that it will be better at the half of the race until the end. I can't say for sure about 100% lenght races, but i've tried to use all 3 strategies on 25% and 50% races and the best for me was cautious, at least i can have a good fuel to run on mix 3. Just did a race online today, 50% and i tried the agressive fuel strategy, i had some good laps at the start but then most players were running on mix 3 and they started to get better and better lap times, while i was stuck on mix 2.

About the G27, look for xpadder on google. Also theres a thread here in the forums about the G27. With xpadder you can map the settings and it will help you.
I use a G27 too, i have Kers, DRS, Brakes Front/Neutral/Read, car status, push to talk, all on the wheel, and i use the H shifter for fuel mixes, so Gear 1 = mix 2, gear 2 = mix 2 and gear 3 = mix 3. It works pretty well.

 

[Chris]

It depends on the track you're at and your grid position.

I was just at monaco for my career, and I was P10, and started the race with the Aggressive fuel strategy, because i was trying to be conservative with my tyres so that i could make a 2-stopper work, and i started with -3 Laps in the tank, so i chose to turn the fuel mix to lean as soon as the race started, so that my tyres would last for the duration of that stint (25 laps on used options, not easy). It helps to run an Aggressive fuel strategy if you want to save tyres, because;
1) You'll have a lighter car, so the tyres wont be under so much pressure.
2) You'll have to save fuel in Lean mode, which also saves your tyres because it's less likely to have wheel slip with less power.

 

[Oscar Luebbert]

Regarding fuel, i think the best way is to use the cautious strategy, it will give you more fuel and make the car heavier but lets say that it will be better at the half of the race until the end. I can't say for sure about 100% lenght races, but i've tried to use all 3 strategies on 25% and 50% races and the best for me was cautious, at least i can have a good fuel to run on mix 3. Just did a race online today, 50% and i tried the agressive fuel strategy, i had some good laps at the start but then most players were running on mix 3 and they started to get better and better lap times, while i was stuck on mix 2.

About the G27, look for xpadder on google. Also theres a thread here in the forums about the G27. With xpadder you can map the settings and it will help you.
I use a G27 too, i have Kers, DRS, Brakes Front/Neutral/Read, car status, push to talk, all on the wheel, and i use the H shifter for fuel mixes, so Gear 1 = mix 2, gear 2 = mix 2 and gear 3 = mix 3. It works pretty well.

GREAT TIP ROBERTO thanks for that!!!

 

[Tomás Lagos]

Hey,

I'm also using a G27 wheel. I can recommend my own button setup for G27

Top Left - DRS
Middle Left - Up Arrow
Down Left - Down Arrow

Top Right - KERS
Middle Right - Car Status
Down Right - Right Arrow

With this setup you can easily access both fuel, tyre or brake balance easily.
Hope this is useful.

PsySpy-PT

the only thing i cannot do is swithching between mixes that often.. becauze with the pad on my rigth hand side is difficult to gear up and change the mixes ... i have to wait to the straigth ways 6-7th gear.

if anyone has a suggestion.. i have the g27wheel installed in a seat from playseat.. so the mount of the D pad is on the rigth side of the seat.. if I try to change mixes by sector the whole race im going to loose focus and not being quick.

what i do y use my left arm, cross it and move the mix and thats it.

 

[Oscar Luebbert]

tomas lagos i just put the buttons the way you suggest and i think thats the way to roll THANKS FOR THE HELP!!

 

[Camacho]

Since a time ago, for me the three strategies are the same. I mean, this is a bug because I always start with the same fuel. No matter what strategy I choose: there is always the same quantity of fuel... and it seems to be the not agressive strategy because I always start with 3-4 laps of fuel above the optimal amount.

 

[Peter Hooper]

Fuel seems to be fine for me on the console.. since the patch I get +4 laps with normal strategy, +6 with conservative. Haven't tried aggressive yet but guess it will be +1 or 0.

 

[Roberto Costa]

Hey,

I'm also using a G27 wheel. I can recommend my own button setup for G27

Top Left - DRS
Middle Left - Up Arrow
Down Left - Down Arrow

Top Right - KERS
Middle Right - Car Status
Down Right - Right Arrow


PsySpy-PT

I was using like this last year.
But with xpadder and using a different way, its better for me.
The H shifter changes the gears, so its very easy and the brakes are changed by just pressing 1 button, so saves time. Also the tyres are easier, they are on the d-pad now, so up = options down = primes left = inters right = wets
I got confused using the wheel buttons for up-down-left-right. At least when im too focused on the track

 

[f1mn]

I do 100% races. I usually set the fuel strategy to normal. I usually run mix 2 for majority of the race, mix 3 if I am pushing after a pit stop to prevent someone overtaking me, and mix 1 to look after my tyres before pit stop (or in really wet conditions or SC)

 

[Flavio Morado]

the only thing i cannot do is swithching between mixes that often.. becauze with the pad on my rigth hand side is difficult to gear up and change the mixes ... i have to wait to the straigth ways 6-7th gear.

if anyone has a suggestion.. i have the g27wheel installed in a seat from playseat.. so the mount of the D pad is on the rigth side of the seat.. if I try to change mixes by sector the whole race im going to loose focus and not being quick.

what i do y use my left arm, cross it and move the mix and thats it.

Hey mate, ive a G27 wheel and only i can suggest to you is.....practice practice practice!!! And you go make it!! You are in F1

 

[Xavier Merle]

I might be the only one, but i start almost 80% of my races (50%) in agressive.

If everything goes well, the plan is simple :

First ten laps in mix 2 : i got a lighter car, i can overtake easily and keep a good pace
Then pitstops: mix 1 one or two laps before pit, gives me a +2laps, then mix 3 to protect my position. I'm back to optimal.
Last 10 laps : mix 2 pretty much all the time or mix 3 (one fast/two laps for overtaking or defend position).

This strategy permits you to have a light car, easy to drive at the beginning of the race where almost all drivers need 3/4 laps to get used to their heavier car.
So, it is really important to overtake quickly as much cars as you can because your advantage comes to an end quickly too.
Then it's all about defend your position and be able to keep a regular pace.

 

[Karl Fuss]

I'm partial to the Aggressive fuel load as well, but for different reasons.
I'm still trying to get a good handle on how to drive this game and i find when i use Mix3 fuel map i'm more likely to lose the back end and spin. Since the patch(es) the fuel has been pretty easy to manage, so starting on aggressive will likely see you to the end of the race without a problem in Mix 2. thus the car is light at the start, the pace is consistent, and the errors are fewer (for me).
I find starting on a higher fuel load forces me to use Mix3 simply to get rid of the fuel before the end of the race. The car is heavier thus harder on the tyres, and using Mix3 can lead to me losing the back end and spinning.

 

[Chicane500]

I do 50% and 100% races and nearly always I take the cautios fuel route. In a typical race it's just mix3 from the start and stay mix3 until reaching optimal. Engineer usually makes a comment when you reach optimal. Then 1 more lap and then mix2. Of course when pitting mix1.
Theory behind this is that I don't want to carry unnecessairy fuel so the added fuel must be burned in an early stage. I find mix1 quite a bit slower than mix2 though, so I try not to run into -1 lap fuel.

But F1 is strategy and being flexible with it. In the rain, lean mix doesn't hurt that much. At least I think that. So if rain is late in race I burn some extra fuel in mix3 and do the rain part in mix1 and a bit mix2. If rain is at the start, I think I would go agressive and save up the fuel in the early stages or use mix2 to build a gap.

Seriously stuck behind someone without decent chances to overtake? Mix1 of course or else mix2. In that case don't do the pitstop at the same time and use the extra fuel around the stops (unless you know the car in front of you has a damaged front wing, then you should pit at the same time).

If you know that SC is enabled, and you drive in a position that you can't follow the pace of people in front of you, but you're still faster than people behind you, you may consider going mix1, and hope for a SC and have a lot of fuel for after SC so you can use mix3 at that moment. However SC's are pretty rare so it seems, in both SP and MP.

You could decide to use mix3 for certain parts of track and mix2 for other parts. I usually avoid it, since it takes away focus, even though I have the mixes both on the H-shifter of G27 and with a quick voice command. I gain more by attacking corners in a more perfect way than switching fuel all the time. Gotta admit though that in the final lap of a race and when in a battle, it's usually trying to hit the optimal/-1lap border at the finish.

I haven't thought about the connection between tyres and fuel load yet (that Karl Fuss mentioned). I don't know if there's a connection between these factors in the game, and if there is, if it's a serious difference (more than 1 lap in terms of your first pitstop). I'd guess it would affect the rear tyres, so on tracks where rear tyres degrade faster than the front tyres, it may be smart to go with agressive fuel instead of cautious. I'm not yet sure about that one.

 

[Kristian Nenov]

I do 50% and 100% races and nearly always I take the cautios fuel route. In a typical race it's just mix3 from the start and stay mix3 until reaching optimal. Engineer usually makes a comment when you reach optimal. Then 1 more lap and then mix2. Of course when pitting mix1.
Theory behind this is that I don't want to carry unnecessairy fuel so the added fuel must be burned in an early stage. I find mix1 quite a bit slower than mix2 though, so I try not to run into -1 lap fuel.

But F1 is strategy and being flexible with it. In the rain, lean mix doesn't hurt that much. At least I think that. So if rain is late in race I burn some extra fuel in mix3 and do the rain part in mix1 and a bit mix2. If rain is at the start, I think I would go agressive and save up the fuel in the early stages or use mix2 to build a gap.

Seriously stuck behind someone without decent chances to overtake? Mix1 of course or else mix2. In that case don't do the pitstop at the same time and use the extra fuel around the stops (unless you know the car in front of you has a damaged front wing, then you should pit at the same time).

If you know that SC is enabled, and you drive in a position that you can't follow the pace of people in front of you, but you're still faster than people behind you, you may consider going mix1, and hope for a SC and have a lot of fuel for after SC so you can use mix3 at that moment. However SC's are pretty rare so it seems, in both SP and MP.

You could decide to use mix3 for certain parts of track and mix2 for other parts. I usually avoid it, since it takes away focus, even though I have the mixes both on the H-shifter of G27 and with a quick voice command. I gain more by attacking corners in a more perfect way than switching fuel all the time. Gotta admit though that in the final lap of a race and when in a battle, it's usually trying to hit the optimal/-1lap border at the finish.

I haven't thought about the connection between tyres and fuel load yet (that Karl Fuss mentioned). I don't know if there's a connection between these factors in the game, and if there is, if it's a serious difference (more than 1 lap in terms of your first pitstop). I'd guess it would affect the rear tyres, so on tracks where rear tyres degrade faster than the front tyres, it may be smart to go with agressive fuel instead of cautious. I'm not yet sure about that one.

No, it's just that the car is heavier and it's harder for the tyres. Slower speeds, lower downforce due to the lower speeds and more work for the tyres. It had a massive effect in F1 2011, haven't tested in 2012. But in real life - it's the same. Heavier car = more tyre wear.

 

[Mike Partington]

No, it's just that the car is heavier and it's harder for the tyres. Slower speeds, lower downforce due to the lower speeds and more work for the tyres. It had a massive effect in F1 2011, haven't tested in 2012. But in real life - it's the same. Heavier car = more tyre wear.

Yes exactly which is why one might assume that rich burns out the tyres more since that is when you use it the most. Which comes another point, in that if you are trying a certain strategy or tyre wear is really high then going aggressive might help on getting that extra lap or 2 out of the tyres.

 

[Norman Novaes]

I always use normal, run mix 2 for the majority of the race. I found mix 3 to be quite aggressive on tires and mix 1 the other way around, so here are the situations where i change fuel mix:
- before pitting: some laps with mix 3
- last sector before pit: mix 1
- out of pit (till tires are warm): mix 3
- overtake: mix 3
- safety car: mix 1
- then i use mix 1 in particular situations when I have a quicker car behind me and i know mix 2 or mix 3 aren't going to help. then i switch to mix 1 and take a defensive line (you have to take extra care on straights as mix 1 + no drs will make you really slow). same situation if i'm trying to save tires in front of a car with new tyres. the assumption here is that you can compensate on mix 3 when you have better tyres/race conditions.