F1 2025 controlled with keyboard

Introduction

EA Sports' F1 game is basically a racing game for which players usually recommend using a controller or, even more so, a steering wheel. Even so, it can also be played with a keyboard, and the question often comes up whether it is possible to achieve good results that way as well.

This is an interesting question because using a keyboard is very different from using a controller or a steering wheel. With a wheel or the analog stick on a controller, you can finely control how much the car’s wheels turn, whereas with a keyboard, a key press results in an immediate and sudden change of direction. The situation is similar with both braking and acceleration, so with a keyboard the car is much more unstable both under braking and when accelerating out of corners. Under braking, it helps a little if you briefly release the brake for a moment and then press it again.

Overall, the movement with keyboard is much more angular, jerky, and less precise.

Keyboard Controls

On this page, I would like to show the keyboard controls I used and the results I was able to achieve with them:

  • Acceleration: Up Arrow
  • Steering: Left Arrow / Right Arrow
  • Brake: Space
  • Gear Up: Alt
  • Gear Down: F

Practice Method

I practiced deliberately: about thirty laps every two days for roughly three to four months. I did 30 to 40 laps in each practice session. During that time, I tried different configuration settings and focused specifically on a single track, the Austrian circuit, in Time Trial mode. The goal was to understand the possibilities and limitations of keyboard control as thoroughly as possible on the same track and in the same game mode.

Results

After several months of practice and testing different settings, I managed to set lap times of around 1:05.8 on the Austrian track. I feel there was still some room left in that time, meaning that with more practice I could probably have achieved even better results.

This counts as a good result because players using a controller or a steering wheel usually manage high 1:04s or low 1:05s on this track. In my opinion, if I had devoted even more time to it, a lap close to 1:05.5 would also have been achievable for me with a keyboard.

Video Example

On this page I also share a YouTube video that shows one of my best laps completed with a keyboard. It illustrates well that with proper practice and persistence, it is possible to achieve serious results even with keyboard controls.

Telemetry and Driving Analysis

One thing that added a lot to my experience was using a telemetry application that can be downloaded separately for the F1 game. To use it, data output has to be enabled in the game, allowing the program to continuously record driving data.

The telemetry showed very clearly how angular the steering inputs are with a keyboard, while with a controller they are much smoother and more rounded. With a real steering wheel, this difference would probably be even more striking.

Braking was similar as well. However, it could be improved slightly by releasing and then reapplying the brake while cornering. Otherwise, under heavy braking the car was more prone to losing grip and sliding uncontrollably.

Controller Comparison

I also tried to improve with a controller. At first, controlling the car was very difficult, but after one or two weeks of practice I reached lap times of around 1:07. For the time being, I was not able to make better use of the advantages in corners that require fine steering control, but I could clearly feel that this control method has serious potential.

With longer practice, it would probably also be possible with a controller to reach the level I had already achieved with a keyboard.

Austrian Track: Turn 1

The first corner at the Austrian track is very tricky and can easily force the player into making a mistake. It is a sharp corner that, ideally, should be approached by placing the car halfway onto the kerb before turn-in, then using a smoother line from there to rotate the car into the corner. The goal is to touch the inside kerb only partially as well, and then begin accelerating out of the corner as early as possible.

What makes this corner difficult is that it is very easy to slip off the kerb at corner entry, which can make the car unstable. On the other hand, if you take too much of the inside kerb, the car can easily be thrown out of the corner, and the lap may also be invalidated. The same can happen if you drift too wide off the track at corner exit.

The braking zone for this corner is of medium intensity: it is worth braking at around 100 meters before the corner, then slightly releasing the brake before turning in. This helps guide the car into the corner on a smoother line and makes it easier to accelerate out of the exit more stably.

Race Pace in F1 2025 and F1 2026

By the way, already in the 2025 game, and also in the 2026 one, race lap times were much worse, around 1:06 at best. The reason for this was tire wear, and on top of that, because of energy recovery, you could really only push on about every second lap. With the 2026 cars, this became even worse due to the energy recovery system.

Conclusion

Overall, this experience showed me that it is possible to achieve good results in the F1 game with a keyboard, even if it is more difficult than with a controller or a steering wheel. The limitations of the keyboard are clear, especially when it comes to fine control, but with persistent practice, proper settings, and deliberate track familiarity, it is possible to get close to controller times, and perhaps even steering-wheel times as well.

I hope this summary was useful and perhaps also answers the question of what someone can achieve with a keyboard in EA’s F1 game.