Racing sims feature just about every car imaginable, but everyone has their favourites. What's good for some isn't always good for others. These are our Top 5 cars across the various racing sims we play.
iRacing Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance
This is the 2021 Mercedes F1 car that was introduced to iRacing last year. The car was built as a collaboration between iRacing and the Mercedes-AMG F1 team engineers.
We love this car because of its fantastic handling, speed, realistic tire model, ERS modes, DRS etc. Basically, we like it because it's the most realistic F1 car in sim racing. That combined with the three major categories it's raced in on iRacing means that there's a race distance that should be suitable for everyone.
The car can be punishing if you overdrive it, but once you start to learn how to extract the best out of it over a race distance, it then becomes an absolute joy to drive.
iRacing Audi R18 LMP1
This is our second favourite car on iRacing. It's very different from the F1 Mercedes with completely different handling that requires a change in driving style. You need to manage energy recovery very carefully to give you an overall faster lap time. Since energy gets generated under braking, it's essential for this car to learn how to trail brake to generate maximum energy without losing too much time. You then need to deploy this energy according to a boost map that you need to work out for yourself to ensure that you utilise it effectively.
The car includes ABS and Traction Control as standard which helps with tire management but can hold back the car if you overdrive it. We've driven it to victory in the European Endurance Series after spending lots of time testing and learning. Sadly, this car isn't very popular on iRacing and may be replaced soon by one or more Le Mans Hypercars. We're hoping that iRacing introduces a range of Hypercars instead of just one which should make endurance far more exciting.
Assetto Corsa Compeitzione Mclaren 720S GT3
This is one of those cars that looks like it's going fast even when standing still! It not only looks impressive but handles even better. The car has a powerful V8 turbocharged engine that's mid-mounted for balanced handling. It produces substantial amounts of downforce, giving it outstanding cornering speed while still being relatively quick on the straights.
We enjoy the high downforce driving style this car requires, and its predictable and generally stable handling. It may not be for everyone, but it's our number GT car in sim racing.
Race Room Racing Experience BMW M4 DTM
Raceroom Racing Experience (R3E) has a car pack for the 2016 DTM series that we really, really enjoyed. It contained all the official cars and tracks of the real DTM series with cars that had terrific speed and handling. Our favourite car was the BMW M4 which we played over a career mode that eventually resulted in us winning the championship.
Sadly, those types of DTM cars are no more and have been replaced in recent years with GT3 spec cars.
Currently, R3E have the 2021 DTM car pack, but it's nowhere as fun to drive as the older but much faster custom-built DTM cars.
iRacing Dallara F3
The Dallara F3 is a single-seater aimed more at beginner drivers working their way up the motorsport ladder. However, this doesn't mean that experienced drivers shouldn't drive it.
The car has impressive speed with impeccable handling. You need to be precise due to its high downforce, but it tends to be relatively forgiving when overdriven.
The damage model is very realistic with wing damage occurring after only a minor bump. Hitting something quite hard can be catastrophic, so it's best to drive the car as cleanly as possible. We enjoy it because of the handling and the short races that don't require tire management or pit stops. We recommend this car as one of the first cars you should drive in iRacing.
Honourable mentions
We enjoy driving a relatively wide range of cars with the following list representing some really good cars that didn't make the Top 5 list:
- iRacing Williams FW31 F1
- Project Cars McLaren 650S
- rFactor 2 Renault Megane Trophy
- MMG F1 2007 McLaren
- iRacing Star Mazda
Final thoughts
We listed cars that are currently available to drive across multiple racing sims. Unfortunately, some of them are not available to race officially anymore like the Williams FW 31 or the Star Mazda. We're sure you'll find that some of your favourites may have been excluded. Feel free to comment below on what you consider to be your Top 5 cars are in sim racing.
