Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 is a stunning premium option for sim racers
To celebrate the 2024 Formula 1 season finally getting underway, Fanatec has announced a new ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 bundle; a high-end F1-focused, direct drive package for serious sim racers.
The Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 bundle includes the ClubSport DD+ wheel base, compatible with PC, PS4 and PS5, alongside a new officially licensed Formula 1-style steering wheel, which will only be available with this specific bundle and can't be purchased separately. You can also use it with Xbox consoles when an Xbox-licensed wheel is fitted to the wheel base. It also happens to be the new official hardware of the F1 Sim Racing Pro Series, so you'll see it in future F1 Sim Racing events.
Whether you're a sim racer looking for a new F1-inspired setup – either for F1 23 or ahead of the F1 24 release at the end of May – the ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 bundle is a stunning option, albeit a premium one.
Priced at £1,299.95 / $1,299.95 / AU$2,139.90, there's no getting away from the fact that the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 is aimed at hardcore sim racers who want the best gear, no matter the cost. But, when you consider the other similar spec options that are available, it's looking like a standout option.
Yes, it has a higher price point than some other F1-style direct drive options, including the Thrustmaster T818 and Logitech G Pro racing wheels, but these offer 10Nm of peak torque and 11Nm of peak torque respectively, compared Fanatec's 15Nm, despite both coming in at a couple of hundred dollars / pounds less.
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The closest competitive product to the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 package in terms of specs and pricing (when looking specifically at high-profile brands) is the Moza Racing R16 wheel base. Priced at £799 / $799 / AUS$1,699.00, and boasting 16Nm of peak torque output, it's comparative spec-wise, but given that you absolutely need to buy the Moza Racing GS V2P GT Wheel add-on to be able to use the wheel base, you're looking at an extra £439 / $439.00 / AUS$849.00 on top of that. There's also the fact that it's not an officially licensed F1 product, and – more importantly – is only compatible with PC.
But enough of numbers and figures: you want to know how the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 bundle performs when put through its paces, right? So, let's get racing.
Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1: design
I've reviewed a ton of Fanatec products in my time, including the 'baby' version of the ClubSport DD+ wheel base – the more affordably priced Fanatec CSL DD – and a consistent feature in the company's product lines is the superb build quality and design. Unsurprisingly, it's the same story with the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 package.
The F1-style racing wheel is a work of art: featuring a gorgeous 5mm-thick blue carbon fibre front plate, each wheel has a unique finish due to how it's manufactured. Incorporating genuine perforated leather grips, 3mm-thick black anodised aluminium paddle plates surrounded by a CNC machined paddle module cage, as well as neodymium magnets, that's just the start of this incredibly impressive, premium offering.
On the wheel itself, there are 11 buttons in total, with the four standard PlayStation face buttons, L2, L3, R2, R3, home button, menu button and LED button, plus four paddles, with two 2-way toggle switches, two 12-way multi-position switches, one 7-way FunkySwitch, an analogue joystick and two thumb encoders. You can custom-program inputs for a setup that suits you, letting you change brake balance, differential, open DRS or talk to your engineer on the fly. The only thing you'll need to worry about is remembering which buttons do what, once you've done your tinkering.
Nine multi-coloured LEDs show live RPM and optimal shifting point at the top of the wheel, with two additional sets of three multi-colour LEDs on either side that indicate tyre slip, flag warnings, pit limiter or, indeed, almost anything you like. There's also a tiny, cute 128x64 OLED display that shows telemetry data, that can also be used in real-time to adjust wheel settings independent from individual game settings.
As for the ClubSport DD+ wheel base, the fact that it weighs a huge 12.64kg is a clue as to its serious nature; despite having dimensions of just 46.5cm x 39.5cm x 25.5cm (L x W x H), there's an awful lot of technology included in this dense package. Made of diecast aluminium with a CNC-machined finish, the wheel base has a passive (fanless) cooling solution and also features a motorsport-derived quick release system, which allows you to swap out wheels quickly and easily.
Due to the amount of torque that the custom-designed direct drive motor can generate, the only suitable mounting option is hard mounting to a dedicated sim racing frame or cockpit, with the T-nut rail system on the side and bottom of the wheel base allowing you to do just that with a minimum amount of fuss. The ClubSport DD+ is compatible with the entire Fanatec ecosystem, with clearly labelled ports on the back of the wheel base for specific products (pedals, handbrake etc).
Curiously, there are also front-mounted threaded inserts, which Fanatec says are for "future Fanatec accessories", and not for front-mounting the wheel base. Could we the company debut its own sim racing steel frame make its debut soon? I guess we'll have to wait and see what Fanatec has planned for these, but that's my (wild) guess.
Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1: features
The headline act in the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 package is the direct drive servo motor featured in the wheel base, which can generate 15Nm of consistent torque, rather than peak torque. This is an important distinction, because while other direct drive wheel bases often advertise an impressive peak torque figure, Fanatec says that the ClubSport DD+ can hold a genuine and consistent 15Nm torque output, even in the most extreme conditions. It also adds that the wheel base has the highest slew rate (a measure of motor responsiveness) in its class, but I don't have the necessary equipment to verify this.
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Most high-end sim racing wheel bases feature direct drive motors because they deliver far more torque and high-fidelity feedback than belt-driven wheels, which are considerably cheaper. If you're comparing direct-drive vs belt-driven racing wheels, you're essentially comparing 4K Blu-Ray's to 720p DVDs, such is the difference in the feedback you can experience through the wheel; though this is reflected in the often significant price difference between the two technologies.
One of the new Fanatec features that's exclusive to the ClubSport DD and ClubSport DD+ is FullForce, a new force feedback protocol that's tailored for the products' direct drive motors. It generates high-frequency vibrations (calculated at 16,000Hz) at low latency that details more feedback through the wheel. This all sounds great, but I haven't yet been able to experience FullForce because, at the moment, there are no games that support the feature.
Fanatec did tell me that multiple studios are working on bringing the feature to their games, and is working closely with developers to implement the feature in both upcoming and current sim and racing games. But, as of right now, FullForce isn't something I've been able to test for myself.
Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1: performance
As a sim racer, the thing that matters above all is consistency, whether that's in your driving performance, or in the equipment that you're using. The more consistency and continuity you have with your equipment, the less you need to worry about – and that's crucial in order to focus on the thing that matters most: the driving.
If you're not convinced, try attempting a hot lap with your pedals unattached and moving beneath your feet. We've all been there (particularly with cheaper, ad-hoc setups) and it's horrible, because all you can think about is worrying about your pedals moving, and as soon as your focus goes away from driving, your performance suffers.
'Consistent' is the key word I'd use to describe the performance of the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1. The way the ClubSport DD+ wheel base delivers its torque gives you a lot of confidence; you can lean on it as much as you like, and the sensations remain consistent lap after lap, allowing you to find the limits of grip, with the confidence that those limits won't suddenly change, even after hours of use.
With other direct drive wheel bases I've used, I've often had to turn the torque output up as close to maximum as possible in the settings, to cater for those drops in torque performance when the peak torque can't be delivered. It's the only way to achieve that consistency in my driving, even if I find it difficult to actually turn the wheel at times! But with the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1, I found having the torque between 9Nm and 11Nm was the sweet spot, and gave me the consistent output I wanted in games like F1 23, Forza Motorsport and Assetto Corsa, without being too physically challenging.
That being said, in terms of the fidelity and quality of the force feedback, it doesn't offer anything particularly special compared with other high-end direct drive options. It's great, don't get me wrong, but I'm not feeling anything that I wouldn't feel when using other high-end Fanatec products. Of course, the FullForce feature may well change things, and I'm excited to give it a try, as and when games begin to support it.
The new F1-licensed wheel was an absolute joy to use, particularly for a big F1 fan like me, with the LEDs, OLED screen and even the glorious sound of the high-quality paddles when changing gears. The entire package offers a fantastic level of immersion for sim racers and F1 fans alike. There's a tremendous amount of force coming through the wheel, but it handles that with ease, and that's a testament to its superb build quality.
If my glowing review has you eyeing up this racing wheel, thinking it'll make you faster, all I'll say is, don't be surprised if you aren't. At least at first. What this level of high-end sim racing equipment offers you is the ability to be more consistent, and with time and practice, that's when you'll see your lap times tumble. The Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 will provide the platform, but ultimately, the lap times will be up to you.
Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1: overall thoughts
The Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 bundle is a stunning premium option for hardcore sim racers who want a dedicated F1-style setup. Yes, it's sitting at a relatively high price point, but this is a high-end product that offers beefy specs, is officially F1-licensed, and is compatible not only with different platforms, but an entire ecosystem of Fanatec products. There's very little else – if anything – on the market right now that offers this suite of features and compatibility at this price point.
However, it's also important to mention some of the recent issues Fanatec has had regarding the fulfilment of orders and shipping delays, specifically related to Black Friday 2023. Taking a look at Reddit, there are some customers whose Black Friday orders were delivered in February, and some customers who are still waiting. Fanatec has offered the option of cancelling orders and handing out a 25% off voucher for a future purchase, but in these instances, the customers (understandably) want what they've paid for.
Although Fanatec has been addressing the community regularly via blog posts, YouTube content creator Kireth also posted a video with Fanatec CEO Thomas Jackermeier, who goes into detail about some of the logistical issues the company faced last year, while apologising for delays. After reaching out to Fanatec for clarification around the launch of the Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1, a representative confirmed that there are no concerns about the stock of the ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 at launch, although it does expect high demand. They also confirmed that further production batches should be shipping to its warehouses regularly.
Fanatec ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 bundle review score: 5/5
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