iRacing’s recent change to their licence structure opened up a whole new ladder as they introduced the Formula licence to the platform. From the entry-level Formula Vee and FF1600 to the monstrous made-for-game Dallara iR-01 with its screeching naturally-aspirated V10. With ever-popular series in the most cutting-edge racing cars and cult classic series featuring dedicated communities, there really is something for everyone climbing up the ladder.
Here at Coach Dave Academy, we know all things Formula car. And that’s why we’re here to give you our recommendations for the 5 best Formula cars to buy on the iRacing platform, based on criteria including the licence level to race them, how competitive their series are, and how they will help you to realise your dreams of being a top iRacer!
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Gain seconds in lap time with our incredible iRacing setups that include professionally developed setups and referance laps for every car available in the official weekly racing series that you can find on iRacing.
FIA Formula 4
The FIA F4 is arguably the Formula car to have. With 5 different series running the car, 4 fixed-setup series and 1 open-setup series, there’s a different race every half an hour with up to 4 different tracks in use at any given time.
The FIA F4 is an amalgamation of the various F4 cars on offer around the world. Designed to be badgeless so that national clubs can use it without causing any kind of branding conflict, the F4 is the top entry-level car featuring front and rear wings to have as it teaches you about the limits of aerodynamic grip, introduces you to slick tyres, and starts you on a journey of tweaking your setup to perfection. For example, as we covered in our guide to the F4, it is a car that allows the driver to drive with a bit of slip angle without spinning. Throw in that it is a rain-enabled car, and it can also teach you the basics of wet-weather driving as well!
Outside of the FIA Formula 4 Challenge, which features open-setup and fixed-setup series, the 3 other series are the FIA F4 Esports Regional Tours for the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and European regions. There is also often a good blend of free and paid tracks, with some paid tracks going on to be featured in a Regional Tour and the FIA Formula 4 Challenge in the same season.
Dallara Formula 3
The Dallara F3 is the next step up from the FIA F4. Before the F4 was released, this was the Formula car to have. It’s still a popular car to drive today, with a healthy field of drivers come day or night around tracks that are either popular for single-seaters or fan-favourite tracks such as Bathurst.
With 220hp of power, and 550kg of weight, the F3 is both lighter and more powerful than the F4. It also has more downforce than the F4, meaning that you can push it further and faster around the circuit. Around Okayama, a free track that both series use, the F3 is around 5 seconds faster than the F4. Around Spa-Francorchamps the gap goes up, being around 10 seconds. As we explained in our guide to the F3, the high downforce makes this car the perfect gateway from the F4 that we start our list with to the top-level Formula cars that follow.
The Formula C Championship, which features the Dallara F3, runs every hour and alternates between the fixed-setup Thrustmaster Dallara F3 Series and the open-setup DOF Reality Dallara F3 Series. Whilst there are some free tracks in the schedule, these are less common than in the various F4 series on the platform.
Dallara IR18
One of two licenced cars that unlocks its regular timeslot at B-licence, the Dallara IR18 features in iRacing’s INDYCAR series. With the INDYCAR licence returning to iRacing in 2024, a fan-favourite car was reunited with its popular tracks and, of course, the world-famous Indy 500.
The IR18 comes in as a Formula car, but it also counts as an Oval car due to carrying the Oval trim that you would use at tracks such as the namesake Brickyard. Whilst driving the IR18 on an oval circuit comes with its own challenges, namely the weight jacker which moves the balance of the car to the left or to the right so that you can get the most consistent grip and performance over a stint, the Formula variant isn’t a doddle either. You have your anti-roll bars to play with, which can help by generating more or less understeer as the track and your tyres evolve, and you have the push-to-pass feature which you need to make sure that you’ve timed correctly so that you don’t waste a good overtaking opportunity.
The Dallara IR18 is used in three series: the 2 INDYCAR Series that run on alternate hours for the open-setup series and alternate 15s for the shorter fixed-setup variant, and the C-licence INDYCAR iRacing Series which mimics the real-world schedule with select slots over the course of the race week.
Super Formula SF23
Our fourth car on this list also unlocks at B-licence, is also a fan favourite, and is also made by Dallara! The Super Formula SF23 was only added a year ago, but it very quickly became one of the most popular cars on the platform. Perhaps that’s because it’s been a long-requested addition to the service by the fans, but perhaps it’s also because there’s more beneath the surface than meets the eye.
As we covered in our guide to the SF23, the key areas to maximise in the SF23 are diffuser efficiency, which helps keep the car stuck to the surface in high-speed corners, aerodynamic balance, which allows you to delicately balance cornering speed and cornering stability, and mechanical balance, which ensures that the car behaves as expected in both the fastest and the slowest of corners. However, add in the fact that this is a rain-enabled car which allows it to feature wet races, and the setup parameters can get even more complex!
The Super Formula SF23 features in two series in iRacing, the Super Formula IMSIM Series’ open-setup and fixed-setup variants. These run on alternating :30s, with the fixed-setup series running to roughly half the distance of the open-setup series.
Mercedes-AMG W13 E Performance
This one’s the top dog. The big cheese. The crème de la crème of iRacing’s Formula licence. With its regular series unlocking at A-licence, the Mercedes-AMG W13 E Performance has been at the top of the iRacing ladder since it arrived on the service fresh from its run in the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship.
As you might expect for a present-day F1 car, there are so many switches and dials on the car that you may wish to take a short view back to the past. From how the brakes operate and the brake balance can migrate to how to manage hybrid deployment and hybrid charging, which are all unique systems in themselves, there are so many parameters that you can change on-the-go in the W13 E Performance. Outside of that, there are a plethora of other delicate setup elements that can drastically transform the behaviour of the car. From the angles of the front and rear wings to the ride height, where you need to keep close to the ground to maximise the ground effect whilst not inducing the porpoising problems that plagued the car in the real world, the key to maximising the performance of the car is to make incremental changes to see how profound each minute change is.
The Mercedes-AMG W13 E Performance features in the two Formula A Grand Prix Series, which run on alternating hours. The fixed-setup series runs to about 25% of a Grand Prix’s distance, whilst the open-setup series runs to 50%. In addition to this, at C-licence you can really test your mettle by taking part in the Grand Prix Tour. As with the INDYCAR iRacing Series, the fixed-setup and open-setup series are only run at select points during a real-world race week and runs for the full race distance.
Gain seconds in lap time with our incredible iRacing setups that include professionally developed setups and referance laps for every car available in the official weekly racing series that you can find on iRacing.
