3 race AI test 75 & 65 + picture data

Spain Strategy

Spain incidents

Off to Belgium, my TT time was 1.45.599 which came out at level 90. I'm thinking I could win them both.

Qualifying 75 was 1.47.927 in 6th and 65 was 1.47.964 in pole within 0.043 of each other but only level 72

Best AI was only 0.3 slower from 75 to 65 while my TM was 0.8 slower from 75 to 65

Belgium race results 75 started 6th finished 6th, overtaking is so hard to do even though IRL it's easier. My total race time was 20.46

65 started 1st and finished 1st. But only because max DNF before the pit stops. Charles was only 9 seconds behind me even though I'd dropped the level and went 12 seconds faster myself, If I had done the same time as 75 I wouldn't have won???

My times in Belgium.

Best AI times in Belgium

TM times in Belgium.

Belgium Strategy

Belgium incidents

Somebody make it make sense

Thinking of doing more testing, not sure if I should do 3 different tracks, or knock the AI to 55 for Bahrain and Spain. open to suggestions

Some of the results are clearly affected by variation which is perfectly fine. If times wouldn't vary the same race run over and over again would give the same exact results. So if the pole time changes by 1.2 and teammate is faster by 0.7 it's fine (on average there is an improvement of around 1 second). The game has to simulate somehow a driver having a good day and a driver having a bad day.

In my opinion even the pole time has to vary a bit as it does. Even in real life there are sessions where a perfect lap is required for pole and others where a solid lap is more than enough to get P1.

Overall time is weird though but I wouldn't pay to much attention to it. There are so many factors that can affect overall time. I don't know if the grip stays the same. DRS trains and ERS management can affect it too.

I've been testing the AI since forever in 100% distance and what I'm seeing in terms of race pace usually makes sense. In short distances the results can be close. In a full distance race a 5/10 increment can be the difference between winning and not even fighting for the podium. In 25% cars never reach the clean air phase where you can truly judge pace.

Over the years I've seen content creators that put up the AI by 10 points and still get the same results. If I do the same I go from winning to getting 20/25 seconds...

The AI is very weird this year in terms of pace. Inconsistent difficulty from track to track has been a thing since forever and it's very annoying but this year they seem inconsistent on the same track as well. I'm in season 3 in My Team and I haven't changed difficulty yet and I feel like I have improved since my first season a lot, in fact, I know I did by Time Trial times. But the thing is, I'm actually getting worse compared to AI. The car improved a lot since then and it's supposed to be a championship contender performance wise and proved by my 92 rated teammate Jacques Villeneuve who is getting top 3 finishes. Me on the other hand, I can't even get out of Q1. Race pace is good though or at least a lot better but still.

Example from the most recent quali I did, I posted a Time Trial time in Imola that by some research and data like done here is supposed to be on difficulty level of 99. I have My Team difficulty set on 69, season 3 championship contender car that is faster and easier to drive than the one in TT, same setup and the lap I did felt pretty much like the one I did in TT. I qualified last. I don't get it.

@sirio42994Thanks for your reply. I know every race won't be the same and love the way the drivers are making mistakes and locking up, going wide....etc. In fact, the first time I saw it happen was when Ocon lost his car on lap 1 right in front of me and took my front wing. But I smiled because it happened. I know EA Codemasters are looking into AI straight line speed, but I just think it's more than that. And thought these might help in some way @EA_Kent @EA_Barry . Just Bahrain qualifying how my TM got closer to me even though I'd reduced the level by 10. I'm just trying to find a level to play my team at that's going to be enjoyable but not impossible to do. I remember back in 2020/21 game Codemasters released a video to show you how to get close racing. It involved a short qualifying where you do as many flying laps as you could in that session and be within 0.2 of your TM, so I've tried that on this year's game. I started at level 80 as Alonso. Using the default set up, which is preset 4. I have done a 1.31.252 while Ocon was 1.32.982. So according to that I need to knock the level up to 97!

Short qualifying AI 80 results. Even some AI times don't look right, I.E not in the right positions compared to car performance.

So I tried level 97 and got spanked. Again, look at some AI placements.

So I tried level 90. And got it close enough for a match. So Codemasters/ EA think I should be playing it at level 90, but as you can see by my 75 trail I'd probably be running last like @Zv1k0 And for a little more context I have done this week's weekly event on level 85.

This year the difficulty is completely broken. I'm just in my first season on myteam,

The  firsts races was ok at 91 difficulty level (previous years I was between 95 and 100) 

1 Top 10 in Barhein , 1P9 on Australia and Imola, P12 on Miami, but since Monaco I have improved my car and the team is on the top of the midfield.

My team mate improved a lot his pace compared to me. If I want to have the same pace I need to reduce difficulty under 80. 

A 1.42.500 in Baku qualified me in P20.  (In the real life, a 1,42,500 would have qualified me in P5 just behind the top 4 and in front of Russel.)

Other thing I've noticed is you can have a completely different set up on the same track , the handling is the same, just the top speed change.

No difference between suspensions set on 0 or 10

The same for the Ride height, you can run with a setting value on 1, you will never hear the cars touchng the floor.

I play with Fanatec Wheel and in the past changing the set up changed the handling...

This game is a big deception for me.

@Juju_59320Thanks for the reply. It's stories like yours and @Zv1k0 and my experience on Grand Prix 75 why I haven't started a my team. That's some difference at Baku and very strange about the set-ups. I'll have to try that. I've just been using the same set-up to keep it consistent. But it's anything but!

Baku is the hardest track thus year by far. I don't know if it's straight line speed related or ers related. Even the handling feels weird at Baku. 

The AI seems to be faster in Q1. I had a couple of poles after struggling to get through Q1. I thought it was me being cold and not in rhythm but the more I play the more I feel it's connected to the AI or the track evolution

So after doing the weekly at level 90 and the short qualifying test at Bahrain also being close to my teammate at level 90. I've decided to do more testing at 75. Bahrain has my head hurting. This is not just AI having more straight line speed. Everyone started on softs apart from me Danni Ric and Lando who took mediums. So after the pit stop, I came out in front of Alonso, but he got past me because of cold tyres. But not by much and for 4 and a half laps I had fresher softer tyres, DRS, slipstream and ERS and couldn't get near him even though when I watched the reply he barely used his ERS to stay in front, until the last 2 laps where he pulled away using it.

Mine and Alonso's times and the videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzLKXoEBjXE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lGSnCD8Ewg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfDi_tDszIo