The AI straight line speed is absolutely absurd. I can have DRS and dump the entire battery running 0-0 wings and still not overtake or be able to defend. it was the same on launch for either F123 o...
Ideas
Its not making me (or anyone i believe) uncomfortable, dont worry. As long as the discussion is healthy, its fine.
For me personally, lets take some examples i had this week. I run 100 AI, but also gone done to 95 AI in some tracks.
The China straight, i have gained on the AI by exit and pretty much the entire long right hander, they just nab DRS. Myself have DRS and slipstream. WIth upgrades, i maximum drain 60% off the battery from when i go full power at the exit off the corner to the braking point at the end off the straight. i cannot overtake the car ahead as it is just to fast and the car behind me with DRS comes right up my gearbox. Engine temps are okay (in the green) and i have pitted for the undercut so my tyres are fresh while the AI tyres should be retired. Engine wear is not a problem as this is the second race off the season (third with sprint). Battery is recharged in the next 3-4 corners already so i dont need to worry about that. Setups is not from the TT leaderboard, but a custom one with low downforce, lower then the preset setups the AI use, Both wings and suspension has been set to lower drag.
Then Miami and on both straights. I tried running with a low drag suspension and 0-rear wing. I get DRS on the first straight as i can easily switchback on the AI in the long left hander on exit so they dont get it, which also negates the need for good tires. Yet with the battery used and my rear wing open, they come back at me with no DRS, overtake me and are almost half a second ahead off me into the braking point. The next corners are used to saving the battery, just so i can dump it again to follow the AI on the next straight after the snail section, even with DRS and some slipstream. All my time gained is in the corners. This is the race lap after lap. Engine wear and temps are all good.
In Imola, i running a lower drag setup then the AI preset, gain all the time in the world on corner exits, even with older tyres, especially the chicane before the DRS detection point. Gain time on exit before the pit-straight. I have full battery, engine temps and wear is good, DRS is open and i have slipstream and i gain maybe a tenth or two. Cant even get alongisde to the AI so i cant pass, unless it is a risky divebomb. Rest off the battery is used to defend until the next corners and the hairpin.
Canada is pretty much the same, but the AI has always during the last years had much higher straight line speed there. For some reason, it is really hard for the average player to run a low-drag setup here so hard to say here.
Same in Austria and Silverstone. lower drag setups, engine are fine with temps and wear. Gain alot in the corners, have better exits before its like the AI engage the Nitro from Fast & Furious. This goes on for lap after lap.
In Spa, i had some luck because the AI run a more balanced setups with to much drag and are barely calibrated to use ERS. The Kemmel Straight with DRS is still a fight, but on the back straight its okay because the AI actually lift a bit in the little left kink before the bui stop chicane. The also lift up Eau Rouge.
Monza, everybody is on low drag setups, engine are goods, i gain at the exits before each DRS zone. Cant pass, Reach speeds over 360kph and even without DRS the AI match my speed. I overtake easily in the braking point because the AI is so poor all over the cornering phase.
Baku, same story, but i gain almost a second in the castle section, with a low drag setup.
Same goes in Mexico. Low or lower drag setup then preset. Tyres, engine, temps all good. The corners and especially the S-section i gain plenty off time on the AI.
In Vegas, bit off same story. The AI has never been calibrated properly here. so you can attack a bit more, but you have to drain your battery here do to the long straight.
Qatar however. I just crank it up to 110 AI and crushes the AI, just because they are so poor in the corners. Thats also why the AI is so poor in Monaco and Singapore.
Honorable mentions is Suzuka back straight and main straight. They just fly pass, especially on the back straight. Same on the straights at Cota, Spain, Zaandvort.
This is the same thing that almost all the players on different AI is experiencing. I just saw Jarno Opmeer video on MyTeam in Monza yesterday and everybody should see his last lap overtake on Ocon. Where he reaches 353kph with DRS, some battery and slipstream. Ocon does not have DRS, yet he is pretty much just as fast. Yes the AI car Opmeer drives is poor do to his own set challenge, but when a 3x world champion also complains about it in a video, then some alarms should be raised. He easily overtook Ocon in the braking point as Ocon braked 50 meter+ before a braking point most players would use.
I have currently 135,5 hours on the game and its the same story all over season after season. I never let the battery drain to under 10% as the deployment is halfed in Hotlap and it will recharge in medium. I always make sure the engine is good, the only gain i have strategy wise is the undercut.
It cant be ERS management, engine mangement, setup etc. Something is very off with the AI straight line speed vs corner speed and it needs to be balanced out.
I've just done a Quick Race in China (dry), with equal performance, 110 AI, please especially pay close attention on how the ERS was managed on the back straight of lap 2 & 4, and main straight of lap 3, and the changes in gaps (not by visual, but by seconds) between me and AI on those places under the certain ERS modes I used:
https://youtu.be/MjrYPzLHHiQ?si=3DhVeGusYPK1CB1t
One thing I don't really like about ERS is the naming of the Overtake mode, because in most cases it's not being used as a push-to-pass, but a set up tool. Simply calling it Overtake makes it a bit misleading if I'm honest.
ERS is more like the Overboost in Cyber Formula to me lol
Also one thing, never ever run 0-0 wing in any circumstances, you lose too much corner exit speed, and, even if you're doing low downforce setup, or whether you're draining the battery or not, the max speed plateau at around 320-340kph (due to drag and the gear ratio setup), you don't really get any straights long enough to give you any advantage even if you manage to be 10kph faster than AI, since you've already lost out a ton on the long, early phrase of acceleration.
You should focus on how to reached those maximum speed as soon as possible and then cut off any excess use of battery afterward, because AI has those ceiling just as you do, trying to break those speed by draining the battery is the wrong approach, a fatal mistake almost every new player suffered, included myself.
Here's another Quick Race of Canada (110Ai):
https://youtu.be/tD6wsA1lZFI?si=hyNByaioNQEDWBVs
The back straight on lap 4 against Hadjar is imo the perfect demonstration of how the player could do the exact same thing against AI, how powerless they would become just like the player when they're not being toll by DRS, and I was even running default wing setup, and without draining the battery.
Watched a little bit off the China and Canda clips to know that i wouldnt recommend you as my engineer. That wasnt exactly managed battery and one could see that once you came on the verge off losing DRS, they pulled away from you by tenths. Then came the corners where you gained ca two tenths just on entry.
And also, the management that goes on is different between a longer race then doing a five lap sprint. One cant compare them together, it makes no sence.
And also, who said i run 0-0 wings? I might use a low downforce setups and run a 0 rear wing, but not front as that defects turn in at corners. And if i want do run a 0-0 setup, i know how to manage that quite good. And if you read what i said before, i even had the battery enabled as soon as i could plant the throttle down in the long right hander at China. Which is around 170-180kph and i gain on the AI there and yet the catch me. Many others describe the same thing.
Even in the clip you had from Canada, at the Pit straight, Hadjar came back at you and if the straight was 100-150 meters longer, he would have the opportunity to fight you side by side into the corner if he goes on your left. Thats not normal and didnt even happen in previous titles where some are also reporting the problem.
I am starting to wonder if you are here just to argue and troll. Does not look like you see the whole picture pretty much everybody else is painting here. Many people writing here as seasoned players with multiple hours and F1 games under their belt. While some are new, most off them are not. Many off us know how and where to brake and how to accelerate out off corners. And if you read some off the coments, the solution many is using is lower downforce setups because the AI is so slow in the corners that for the players, thats the closest to a balance one can create by themself. Your answer higly neglects a lot off what people has said before. Like when we have higher exit speed, activate ERS immediately upon exit during low speed for acceleration and use DRS, how can a non DRS AI catch us? That has nothing to do with corner exit speed, ERS activation or such.
I advice you to read the comments here and on other forums from other players to make yourself more acquainted with the situation.
I wonder if you've noticed I was running None ERS setting at the later half of almost every long straights (even during overtaking other AI), and the gap barely changes as long as I've already reached certain speed (320-330kph), it's a demonstration of how to effectively use ERS, not just rush in and drain-it-all regardless of situations, you have to wait or create opportunities, starts recharging as soon as you know the move can't be done or is already executed, it's a patient game whenever you're part of the DRS train.
Regarding the Hadjar battle on Lap 5 of Canada, I didn't have DRS, so of course he was gonna gain at me because that's the intended mechanics of DRS, and even that it wasn't enough for him to do so whilst I managed to overtook him on lap 4 where he was in my exact same situation on lap 5, it was all done by having better exit and usage of ERS.
Also, the 0-0 wing setup is actually responding to some other comments here, I didn't want to make so many replies in fear of them looking like spam.
Edit:
I see what you meant by him coming back at me at the end of lap 4, but that was a bad exit, he was already right up my gearbox to take full advantage of the slipstream, and I even disabled the ERS because I know even then he wouldn't be able to make a move as long as I stay on the racing line (just like Oscar irl this year against Lando).
At the end of lap 5, where the gap was about the same as before, but he even had DRS this time, and still wasn't able to get ahead before the finish line, because I actually use my battery this time.