F1 24 ERS Guide: How To Best Use The System

F1 24's ERS system has been changed and plays a more important role now. However, it is key to quick lap times - here's our F1 24 ERS guide.

To start with, ERS stands for Energy Recovery System. In short, wasted energy from the turbocharger and kinetic energy from the braking system combine to give the car a range of options. These can be deployed through different ERS modes and the 'Overtake' button. Think of the latter as a nitrous boost from The Fast and the Furious franchise, only with electric power.

When you first load up F1 24, your ERS mode will be set to automatic. This means you do not have any control over your battery modes or the overtake button, much like in F1 23. You must change this to manual control if you want to start unlocking the system's potential.


Wet or dry, night or day... ERS is vital to your race plan.

F1 24 ERS Modes​

When you first load up a session with your ERS deployment set to manual, you will notice you have three options: None, Medium and Hotlap. Each mode has its ideal environment that it will operate in.

None​

'None' will be used to simply recharge your ERS. You should only use this when you have used too much of your battery and the car is at a power loss. This typically happens if that battery percentage drops to lower than 10%. This could be from using your Overtake button twice in one lap for extended periods, or simply from not recovering enough energy to charge your battery.

Medium​

'Medium' will give you the best balance without sacrificing lap time whilst keeping you competitive. It will still recharge your battery while keeping the car at full pace, just at a slower rate.

Medium is especially useful if the track is wet and you want to do two out laps on pace in a qualifying session to learn how the track responds to the conditions but do not want to sacrifice your battery for your push lap.

Hotlap​

The 'Hotlap' setting is one that you can use surprisingly consistently in F1 24. In theory, it should only last for one or two qualifying laps, but even at Spa or other tracks with long straights, you can run it for longer than you would think - at least as of the release version of the game.

This mode is great for attacking and defending your positions on track for short periods, too. Going Into big braking zones and key passing places is where you should be mostly using this, alongside the Ovetake button. Hotlap, given the name, is also great for qualifying runs.

Be aware, though. Hotlap will decrease your energy level at a steady rate, leaving you potentially having to recuperate more battery energy later on in the lap with either the 'None' mode or 'Medium'. This could leave you open for attack from behind or drop you off the tail of the train of cars in front of you.


At the bottom right of your screen is where you can change the ERS deployment - or you can map buttons to do so.

Overtake​

Although it may seem like it at first, we unfortunately do not have our own button in F1 24. Still, it is extremely useful for you on track. The 'Overtake' mode does exactly as it says: It is the peak ERS mode that can be deployed when trying to overtake another car down a long straight or defend from a hard-charging car behind. In a similar way to the 'Hotlap' mode, however, the 'Overtake' button could drop your battery from a manageable percentage to dangerously low levels in the course of one straight, especially at tracks like Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia.


Make sure you have a button assigned to activate your Overtake mode.

One other aspect you will have to watch out for when using the 'Overtake' button is the adjustment of your braking point. This is crucial as it could potentially end your race or someone else's if you do not adjust your markers accordingly to your newfound speed.

To use the Overtake button efficently, make sure to change the setting so that you have to hold the button down. If you leave it so that you have to manually turn it off, you will undoubtedly forget at some point and ruin your race. Check out our 5 tips for getting started in your F1 24 career mode for more information!

F1 24 ERS Guide: Manage Your Bars​

The green bar on the right-hand side of your HUD is your deployment level. This shows how much ERS deployment you can utilise over the course of a lap. F1 cars are only allowed to use limited amounts of energy each lap - this shows how much of this limit you still have left.

Your red bar (or clear if you have not started the race yet) on the left is the battery regeneration. This is the element that is recharged through braking and engine braking. Making sure this does not hit 100% too early is essential. It can effect the car's handling as well as responsiveness to braking input.

Similarly to the deploy, there is only a certain amount of energy that F1 cars are allowed to recover per lap - at least from one of the two electric motors used for the hybrid system, namely the MGU-K, which harvests braking energy. The MGU-H, which harvests energy from the exhaust gases, is unrestricted, but not as effective.

To improve your regeneration, lower the brake pressure percentage or increase the Engine Braking. You will come to find that the ERS system in F1 24 is all about compromise.


At the start of the race, you will have 100% battery. Make sure you keep recharging it.

Striking The Right Balance​

Balancing your 'Overtake' button usage with your battery regen is critical to ensure you always have enough battery to stay on pace and propel yourself up the order.

The yellow bar is your battery percentage. Deplete this, and you will be at a significant power loss compared to other cars, especially on the straights as you will have to recover significantly more than you can deploy, which can take multiple laps. The remaining battery percentage can additionally be found within the battery icon in the middle of the HUD.

Overall, the ERS system can be daunting for newcomers - even for seasoned sim racers, it can seem very complex at first. Leaving it on automatic could be tempting, but it is worth learning. Your lap times will likely improve and you will feel like you are in much more control of your race.

Have you tried to master F1 24's ERS system? Let us know how you did on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!