F1 Championship Season 2000 - Strategy Guide (Page 01)
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for F1 Championship Season 2000 - Strategy Guide (Page 01).
F1 CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON 2000 DRIVING GUIDE
By
Jamie Stafford/Wolf Feather
FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM
Initial Version Completed January 25, 2001
Version 2.1
Last Update: may 3, 2001
==============================================
==============================================
UPDATE NOTE
After receiving a number of e-mails on this issue, Version
2.x of the driving guide now includes suggested car set-ups
for each course. However, it must be noted that these set-
ups are designed with my highly-aggressive driving style in
mind. The lone exception is the Grand Prix of Monaco,
because the street course is so incredibly tight that the
best way to win is to simply survive. Also of significant
note, the suggested car set-up for the U.S. Grand Prix is
specifically designed to take advantage of the oval portion
of the circuit. This makes the infield segment, especially
'Mickey' and 'Mouse,' very difficult, especially if playing
with Tire Wear activated. Please see Car Set-ups below for
details on how these set-ups were achieved.
Also, a copy of this driving guide has been sent to EA
Sports, with the hope that some of the many suggested changes
and additions (see Wish List below) will be implemented in
their future F1 games. I have received several e-mails from
EA Sports personnel stating that the guide has been sent on
from person to person and department to department, but no
news otherwise of if they plan to implement any of my
suggestions, if they like it, etc. Hopefully, there will
soon be news on that front.
This driving guide keeps getting longer. I suppose this is a
good thing - and judging by the e-mails I have been
receiving, my efforts are paying off in terms of helping
others with this game - but printing out this file might not
be a good idea. As I finish this version, this driving guide
is now 67 pages long using Courier 12 font in the Macintosh
version of Word 98.
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CONTENTS
Spacing and Length
Permissions
Introduction
Assumptions and Conventions
Car Set-ups
Completely Subjective Section
General Tips
The 2000 Courses
Course Difficulty and Drivability Rankings
Differences and Additions
Training Mode
Scenario Mode
Grand Prix of Australia: Albert Park
Grand Prix of Brazil: Interlagos
Grand Prix of San Marino: Imola
Grand Prix of Great Britain: Silverstone
Grand Prix of Spain: Catalunya
Grand Prix of Europe: Nurburgring
Grand Prix of Monaco: Monte Carlo (Temporary Street Circuit)
Grand Prix of Canada: Gilles Villeneuve
Grand Prix of France: Nevers Magny-Cours
Grand Prix of Austria: A1-Ring
Grand Prix of Germany: Hockenheim
Grand Prix of Hungary: Hungaroring
Grand Prix of Belgium: Spa-Francorchamps
Grand Prix of Italy: Monza
Grand Prix of the United States: Indianapolis
Grand Prix of Japan: Suzuka
Grand Prix of Malaysia: Sepang
Wish List
Wrap-up
Contact Information
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==============================================
SPACING AND LENGTH
For optimum readability, this driving guide should be
viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier.
Check for font setting by making sure the numbers and letters
below line up:
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Note that this driving guide is well over 65 pages long using
Courier 12 font with single-spacing in Microsoft Word.
==============================================
PERMISSIONS
Permission is hereby granted for a user to download and/or
print out a copy of this driving guide for personal use.
This driving guide may only be posted on: FeatherGuides,
GameFAQs.com, f1gamers.com, PSXCodez.com, Cheatcc.com,
Absolute-PlayStation.com, InsidePS2Games.com,
CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru,
cheatingplanet.com, neoseeker.com, and vgstrategies.com.
Please contact me for permission to post elsewhere on the
Internet.
Should anyone wish to translate this driving guide into other
languages (F1 Championship Season 2000 is also optimized for
French and Spanish), please contact me for permission(s) and
provide me with a copy when complete (especially important so
that I can improve my French and Spanish skills).
Remember: Plagiarism is NOT tolerated!!!!!
==============================================
==============================================
INTRODUCTION
Most likely, if you play F1 Championship Season 2000, then
you are at least a casual fan of Formula 1 racing, and have
at least basic knowledge of many or all of the currently-used
F1 courses. That knowledge does indeed help when first
playing F1 Championship Season 2000, and vice versa -
extensive gameplay helps in determining where the drivers are
on each course when races are televised.
The main part of this driving guide provides information to
help you to cleanly drive each course. Even those who know
the courses fairly well and/or play the game regularly can
always use tips.
Please note that much of this information comes from the
driving guide I wrote for F1 2000 (the predecessor to F1
Championship Season 2000), also by EA Sports. Those who have
read and/or downloaded the driving guide for F1 2000 will
already have the same basic information covered in this
driving guide. This driving guide has been modified and
expanded to reflect the differences between the two games,
and I am periodically adding more details to the circuit
information (especially where there are some minor
differences between the two games) as well as a Wish List in
case anyone from EA Sports is reading this document.
The information within this driving guide is based on the PSX
version of F1 Championship Season 2000. I have not had the
chance (i.e.: funds) to acquire the PS2 version, but I have
been told by a local gaming store employee that the only real
difference between the two versions is a richer overall color
in the PS2 version. Then again, the March 2001 issue of
_PSM_ royally panned the PS2 version for its 'cartoony
graphics' (page 42).
==============================================
ASSUMPTIONS AND CONVENTIONS
Several of the official course and segment names used in F1
racing include the use of characters which are not standard
to the English language, on which the Internet and standard
text-only documents are based. In order to eliminate the
potential for 'strange characters' in a standard, text-only,
Internet-distributed document, these characters have
purposely not been used.
This driving guide is designed with the assumption that you
(the player) are playing with Dry Weather, Fuel Usage, Flags,
Equipment Failures, and Damage all activated. (Weather is
randomized if Realistic Weather is chosen.) Most important
here is Flags; with the Flags option activated, shortcutting
corners, driving too far off-course, passing another car when
the yellow flag is displayed, and reckless driving (including
driving backward during a race) will instigate a ten-second
Stop-Go Penalty; driving backward results in an immediate
Black Flag, ending your race). It is not possible to
'accumulate' multiple outstanding Stop-Go Penalties and then
serve them all at once; if more than one Stop-Go Penalty is
outstanding, you will be shown a Black Flag and be forced to
end the race prematurely.
According to the FIA's rules for F1 competition, a driver may
make no more than three complete laps before serving a Stop-
Go Penalty once one has been assigned, or else the driver is
shown the Black Flag. However, if a Stop-Go Penalty is
issued in the last five laps of a race and is unserved, the
driver is instead penalized by adding twenty seconds to his
or her overall time. F1 Championship Season 2000 also
follows the twenty-second penalty in this case, but only if
the Stop-Go Penalty was assigned with less than three
complete laps remaining in the race.
Most racetracks outside the United States name most corners
and even some straightaways. Where these names are known,
they will be included in parentheses and referenced in the
explanatory text. These names have been gathered from course
maps available on the courses' official Web sites, my memory
of how F1 races have been called by American TV sportscasters
(Fox Sports Net and Speedvision), and/or from the Training
Mode of F1 Championship Season 2000. To the extent possible,
these names have been translated into English.
==============================================
CAR SET-UPS
During the Test Day, Practice, and Qualifying sessions,
sitting in the Pits and pressing the Start button brings up
an options screen. Selecting 'Car Setup' brings up dialogues
to change Front Downforce, Rear Downforce, Gear Ratios,
Steering Lock, and other car settings (press the up, down,
and circle buttons to switch between these dialogues). For
convention, this driving guide will use the following system
to show these settings:
Ground Clearance: -1
These dialogues show seven small boxes. The centermost box
means a neutral setting. The three boxes to the left mean
progressively lower settings (negative), while the three
boxes to the right mean progressively higher settings
(positive). The number indicates how many boxes in each
direction the red square should move; a zero indicates a
neutral setting.
Each course will have suggested settings to help stabilize
the chosen car for that course. These are just suggestions,
largely based upon my rather aggressive driving style, with
the car truly on the hair-thin edge of its limits.
Experiment and find the car set-up which works best for your
driving style for each course.
If this makes any difference, these car set-ups were all
specifically set playing as Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) in
Practice Mode, with dry weather, no damage, no flags, no tire
wear, and no failures. The car set-ups presented here are
essentially the same ones that I use in actual races, just
more fine-tuned with several laps in Practice Mode.
Also related to the suggested set-ups, I recently received an
e-mail from a highly-observant player asking why I use a Gear
Ratio of -3 (fastest acceleration) on every circuit. While I
replied to him directly, I assumed others might also be
wondering about this consistent setting, to which I can only
reply in a two-part answer. First, this is an unconscious
'holdover' from playing other racing games, such as the Gran
Turismo series. Most importantly, however, it fits my
aggressive driving style quite well, providing quicker
acceleration, especially useful for passing in turns, or for
recovering quickly when I brake too deep into a corner. (For
those wondering about this last statement, the driving tips
for each course are for more 'standard' driving styles, not
for highly-aggressive driving styles like mine.) While Gear
Ratio of -3 produces fastest acceleration, using the
suggested car set-up for each course will still allow players
to drive faster than any other car on the track; on long
straightaways (such as at Monza and Indianapolis, and
especially at Hockenheim), speeds of well over 200MPH/320KPH
(even approaching 220MPH/350KPH) are commonŠ and that is
really quite fast enough!!!!!!!!!
==============================================
COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE SECTION
My favorite courses are: Albert Park, Imola, Monaco (to watch
a race, not to actually race), Hockenheim, Spa-Francorchamps,
Monza, and Suzuka.
My least favorite courses are: Interlagos (but NOT because of
falling billboards), Nurburgring, Monaco (to race), A1-Ring,
and Sepang.
My favorite corners: Turns 11 and 12 at Albert Park; Copse
and Stowe (Silverstone); The Tunnel at Monaco; Turns 12 and
13 at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve; Nurburgring at Magny-Cours;
The Stadium and the Ayrton Senna Chicane at Hockenheim; La
Source, Pouhon, and Blanchimont at Spa-Francorchamps; Curva
Parabolica at Monza; Turn 13 (Indy/NASCAR Turn 1) at
Indianapolis; and Degner and 130R at Suzuka.
My least favorite corners are: Everything but The Tunnel and
the entry to the Swimming Pool Chicane at Monaco, and most
hairpins.
My favorite Pit Lanes are at: Imola, Spa-Francorchamps,
Monza, and Indianapolis.
My least favorite Pit Lanes are at: Albert Park, Interlagos,
Monaco, A1-Ring, Hungaroring, and Sepang.
My favorite teams are: Ferrari, Prost, and Jaguar.
My least favorite team is: McLaren.
==============================================
GENERAL TIPS
In general, bumping other cars is a bad thing: You might
damage your own car, and, if it occurs too much, you may also
receive a Stop-Go Penalty. If you ram another car's backside
at full speed, you will almost definitely receive a Stop-Go
Penalty. The best way to avoid Stop-Go Penalties is to keep
at least two wheels on the approved driving surfaces
(pavement and rumble strips) at all times, and to refrain
from colliding with other cars. Remember that you need only
be 'out of bounds' by ONE PIXEL to receive a Stop-Go Penalty.
Normally, the best way to approach a turn is from the
outside. At the apex of the turn, your car should be as
close as possible to the inside of the turn. As you leave
the turn, edge back toward the outside. This is obviously
made more difficult on really tight and/or blind corners,
especially at Monaco. An excellent way to learn about how to
navigate various types of corners is to complete all the
license tests in any game of the Gran Turismo series.
If playing with Fuel Usage activated, it may be a good idea
to set your Pit Stops for late in the race. This way, should
you need to pit early to repair damage, you can also take on
'extra' fuel at that time and eliminate a later-scheduled Pit
Stop. Note that this is not possible when serving a Stop-Go
Penalty, as the Pit Crew is not permitted to touch the
vehicle while the Penalty is being served (although in actual
races, the Pit Crew will often surround the car for a visual
inspection, taking care not to touch the vehicle).
Braking is of utmost importance, especially when approaching
a tight chicane or a blind corner. If you are not sure of
where a corner is (especially with other cars in front of
you), brake early. For a real-world example of what can
happen by missing a braking zone, refer to the 2000 Grand
Prix of Italy at Monza (Lap 1, Roggia Chicane; this is the
massive accident in which the resultant flying debris struck
and killed a volunteer corner worker).
If you come into a (tight) corner too fast, several things
may happen. First, if you slam hard on the brakes, you may
have brake-lock (the white-gray smoke coming up from one or
more of the wheels) and slide straight ahead into whatever is
there to stop you - hopefully sand or grass, but perhaps a
barrier or (worse) one or more cars. Second, if you keep
your speed up and try to take the corner anyhow, you will
likely spin and/or slide the car. With the new physics
engine of F1 Championship Season 2000, spins and/or slides
are far more likely now than in the preceding version of the
game. This second scenario is also (subjective statement
coming) 'more true' to actual F1 racing, as the line between
maintaining and losing control of the vehicle - especially at
the incredibly high average speeds of most of the circuits -
is not only gray and hazy, but thinner than a strand of Homer
Simpson's hair. This further demonstrates the importance of
early braking (again, refer to the 2000 Grand Prix of Italy).
Activating the Flags option in F1 Championship Season 2000
causes the game to use the same flags and related rules as an
actual F1 race. If shown a Blue Flag, you are to allow the
car(s) behind you to pass. When shown a Yellow Flag, you are
to slow down and not pass anyone until you see a Green Flag
(normal racing conditions); however, when the Yellow Flag is
displayed, you are certainly permitted to pass a vehicle with
obvious problems, such as a car with a blown engine.
Amazingly, in F1 Championship Season 2000, a car can still be
driven even after a wheel has fallen off!!!!! If you do lose
a wheel, it will usually be on the front of the car, due to
bumping another car or smashing against a barrier. Turning
the car toward the missing wheel (i.e., turning left if the
left front wheel is missing) is not very difficult, but
turning away from the missing wheel (turning right in this
example) is nearly impossible at any speed faster than a
snail's crawl. However, once any two wheels have separated
from the car, your race immediately ends.
It is rare that your rear wing will ever be damaged; the most
probable means of damaging the rear wing is spinning and
hitting a barrier or another car with the backside of your
vehicle. However, if you are too aggressive or are not
careful entering the Pit Lane (especially if coming in at
full speed at Monza, with a rather narrow Pit Lane Entry),
you may damage your front wing. If a wing only has 'a slight
knock' and is labeled yellow in the damage indicator, you can
still drive normally, although serious caution must be taken
on downhill turns (such as the first corner at Hungaroring).
One significant change from F1 2000 is that, should you lose
a wing, your car still handles as if the wing was still
intact, which reduces the realism of the game, but does allow
you to stay out of the pits, which is highly important in a
close race.
Also concerning the front and rear wings, it takes
approximately twenty seconds to change a wing. If both wings
are damaged, expect to sit in the Pits for about forty
seconds before you are able to rejoin the race. TAKE CARE OF
THE WINGS!!!!!
If a car is trying to pass, there are several methods to keep
from losing a position (as long as you are not shown a Blue
Flag). If the pass attempt is in or near an upcoming corner,
take away the inside or outside line, depending on where the
opposing vehicle is in relation to yours. If the other car
does get a wheel in front of you, edge TOWARD the opposing
vehicle, and eventually, the other car will be out in the
grass or sand and will fall back. Aggressive drivers may
simply wish to bump wheels, causing the other car to spin
and/or crash, especially if there is a barrier on the
opposite side of the opposing vehicle; however, you may
damage your own car, particularly the wheels and/or the
suspension. While not particularly successful, those driving
with automatic transmissions can quickly switch to Neutral
(Shift Down button) and then back to the previous gear (Shift
Up button), creating a 'smokescreen' cloud; however, this can
cause flat-spotting and undue tire wear on your own car, as
well as potential damage to the engine and/or transmission,
especially when this maneuver is performed in top gear on a
truly quick straightaway.
If playing the Championship Mode, points are awarded for the
top six cars at the end of the race; these points are given
to the driver (for the Drivers Championship) and the team
(for the Constructors Championship). The points are awarded
as follows, in accordance with FIA regulations:
First Place: 10 points
Second Place: 6 points
Third Place: 4 points
Fourth Place: 3 points
Fifth Place: 2 points
Sixth Place: 1 point
Each team has two cars starting each race; a team could
conceivably receive a maximum of 16 points in a given race.
Thus, if you are concerned about winning the Constructors
Championship, race as a driver for an historically good team,
such as Ferrari or McLaren.
Whichever driver and team you select to represent you in the
race, you will periodically be given radio updates as to your
teammate's status during the race (i.e., if you race as Jean
Alesi, you will be given status updates on Nick Heidfeld's
track position and pitting schedule). It is extremely
important to listen to this information, especially during
the window(s) for pit stops, as each team can only service
one car at a time in Pit Lane. If you come into Pit Lane
while your teammate is being serviced, you cannot pit and
will be forced to drive straight through Pit Lane without
receiving serviceŠ which itself will likely set you back
severely in track position, but you will also be set back
even further when you come around again to make your true pit
stop.
If racing in wet conditions using a chase-view camera,
looking behind you is practically useless due to the 'rooster
tail' of spray kicked up behind your car. To get a clear
view of traffic behind you, first change quickly to driver
view or front-wing view, then use the rear view button. When
finished, release the rear view button and quickly return to
your favorite chase view position. This 'stunt' is best
performed on a straightaway with no cars immediately in front
of you.
Also important for racing in wet conditions, brake earlier
than usual. If you continue to use the same 'dry conditions'
braking, you will likely slide and/or spin the car as you
attempt to navigate (sharp) corners. It may also help to
pump the brakes through tight corners, especially hairpins
such as 'Mickey' and 'Mouse' at Indianapolis.
If you are a visually-oriented person, it may help you to go
to the FIA's official Web site - the
site is available in both English and in French) and go to
the current season's race schedule. From here, the official
Web sites (available in at least English and the host
country's official languages; sometimes other language
options are also available) of most of the race circuits can
be accessed, and course maps can be downloaded and printed
for you to study. Note that some online course maps are in
very high resolution, thus file size is large; this may be a
concern for those using a slow computer and/or modem.
Always use caution when passing, cornering, or even
breathing, as auto racing is an inherently dangerous sport!!!
==============================================
THE 2000 COURSES
F1 Championship Season 2000 presents the courses in the order
in which they were presented for the 2000 Formula 1 season.
This driving guide will follow the same convention, which
will be especially useful for those playing in Championship
Mode or Scenario Mode.
F1 Race Schedule, 2000 Season:
March 12 Australia Albert Park
March 26 Brazil Interlagos
April 9 San Marino Imola
April 23 Great Britain Silverstone
May 7 Spain Catalunya
May 21 Europe Nurburgring
June 4 Monaco Unnamed (Street Circuit)
June 18 Canada Gilles Villeneuve
July 2 France Nevers Magny-Cours*
July 16 Austria A1-Ring
July 30 Germany Hockenheim
August 13 Hungary Hungaroring*
August 27 Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
September 10 Italy Monza*
September 24 USA Indianapolis
October 8 Japan Suzuka
October 22 Malaysia Sepang
*These circuits are not used in Scenario Mode.
NOTE: The 2001 F1 race schedule is available at the official
FIA Web site The race schedule also
has links to the official Web sites of most of the permanent
and temporary street circuits hosting F1 races. Please note
that the 2001 race schedule uses the same courses as the 2000
season (on which F1 Championship Season 2000 is based), but
in a different order. For example, the Grand Prix of
Malaysia was the final race of the 2000 season, but is the
second race of the 2001 season.
==============================================
COURSE DIFFICULTY AND DRIVABILITY RANKINGS
This section is highly subjective - take this information
with several grains of salt. The courses here are listed by
their order in the 2000 F1 racing season.
Australia Easy Extreme fun, extreme SPEED
Brazil Medium Lower course frustrating
Imola Medium Fun and FAST
Silverstone Medium Good
Catalunya Easy Fun
Nurburgring Medium Somewhat frustrating
Monaco Difficult Highly annoying (tightness)
Gilles Villeneuve Medium Fun
Nevers Magny-Cours Easy Quite fun, quite fast
A1-Ring Medium Very challenging
Hockenheim Easy Fun and EXTREMELY FAST
Hungaroring Medium Upper course challenging,
but fun overall
Spa-Francorchamps Medium Enjoyably challenging
Monza Easy Fun and FAST
Indianapolis Medium Depends on set-up
Suzuka Medium Fun challenge
Sepang Medium Not too bad, but not my
favorite
==============================================
DIFFERENCES AND ADDITIONS
There are some notable differences from F1 2000, as well as
significant additions.
The first major difference is the sleeker design of the
game's menus. I have been playing F1 Championship Season
2000 (PSX version) on a PlayStation 2, and the colors are
also much more vivid; whether this is due to the game itself
and/or the PS2 I do not know. The video footage of actual F1
races is also much better on the eyes than in the original
game.
Along the same lines, the opening video of actual F1 races is
much nicer than the opening of F1 2000, although the original
game's initial focus on a particular driver in its opening
video certainly helped to position the player within the F1
environment.
The music is also different, as one would probably expect.
The music is good overall, but I personally do prefer the
music from F1 2000.
The physics model has been modified for this newer game.
This is especially good for racing on the streets of Monaco,
as the newer physics model makes simple survival at Monaco
MUCH easier!!!!!!!!!
Speaking of Monaco, the chicane after leaving The Tunnel now
has only rumble strips marking the official course; the
barrier used in F1 2000 has thankfully been removed. Even
better, the CPU does not assign a Stop-Go Penalty for driving
in a straight line over the rumble strips and bypassing the
chicane, so this is a new passing zone. However, if you
blast through here at top speed, the angle of the rumble
strips will almost certainly force your car into a spinŠ and
an inevitable collision with the barrier(s) and/or other
cars.
The car set-up options have been expanded. However, it is
unrealistically possible to drive at top speed with a missing
wing.
The most significant additions for F1 Championship Season
2000 are Training Mode and Scenario Mode. Training Mode
allows you to learn each course's intricacies by using
colored cones to mark braking, turning, apex, and exit for
each corner, and by providing interactive commentary.
Scenario Mode presents realistic racing situations which
range from fairly easy to expert. Training Mode and Scenario
Mode are both discussed further below.
Another set of additions to this newer game is the new
potential problems you can face. The original game's
problems of a blown engine and lost and damaged wing(s) and
tire(s) are still available, but new problems have been
added: brake failure, suspension failure, engine misfire,
missing gears, punctured tire(s), etc. Some of these
problems can be fixed in a Pit Stop, but each fixable problem
takes approximately twenty seconds to repair or replace. For
example, if you have damaged both wings and the engine has a
minor misfire, expect to spend a full minute sitting in your
pit stall. These problems are most significant in Scenario
Mode.
As you progress through Championship Mode, you may be given
the option to change the difficulty setting of Championship
Mode based upon your performance. You are also given the
opportunity to view the race analysis (lap-by-lap positions
of each car/driver, with crashes and pit stops marked) after
each race.
Finally, the engines sound a bit closer to realistic than
they did in F1 2000. The sounds are more piercing, and carry
very well through the air - to the point that if you are
driving all alone in one section of the course, you are far
more likely to hear the competitors driving on the opposite
side of the course. This can also make it difficult in some
instances to determine exactly where the next batch of
traffic is on the course, especially at a circuit as small as
A1-Ring, or at Suzuka due to its figure-eight formation.
==============================================
TRAINING MODE
Risking to make this driving guide obsolete is the Training
Mode, which was not available in F1 2000. Even expert-level
drivers from F1 2000 should begin here, as the physics engine
of F1 Championship Season 2000 is somewhat different, thus
the overall handling of the cars is also a little different.
The biggest driving change between F1 2000 and F1
Championship Season 2000 is that this newer game requires
more use of the brakes, especially for aggressive drivers.
Training Mode uses the following colored cones to help you
see how to handle each corner of a given course:
Blue Cone Begin braking here
Orange Cone Begin cornering here
Yellow Cone This is the apex; begin acceleration
White Cone This is the exit; accelerate hard
Note that after a quick combination of corners or a chicane,
there will not be a white exit cone for each corner.
Instead, the white cone will follow that segment of the
course.
==============================================
SCENARIO MODE
One of the more interesting aspects of the 'upgrade' to F1
Championship Season 2000 is the new Scenario Mode. There are
fourteen total scenario races, each progressing in the level
of difficulty. Each scenario race takes place at a different
course, so it would be wise to become quite familiar with ALL
the courses before attempting Scenario Mode. Note that the
initial scenarios are set at the same level of difficulty as
Championship Mode.
Each scenario presents a realistic F1 situation, ranging from
simply finishing at or above a certain position, to simple
survival. As you progress through Scenario Mode, you will
also be presented with different types of weather, thus
affecting your driving and your overall strategy. Further,
for each Scenario race, you race as a different driver from
the 2000 F1 season (some drivers are 'repeated;' see below).
Many of these Scenario races are 'simple,' in that you need
to just drive and finish at or above a certain position.
However, some of the later Scenario races require quite a bit
of strategy, especially to receive a Gold Award; here, it
might be best to read the scenario, then wait and consider
the potential strategies for several hours first.
The initial Scenario races are fairly short, and can be
completed well within thirty minutes. The later Scenario
races will likely take longer. The fourteenth and final
Scenario race is a FULL race, so do not even attempt the
final scenario unless you have about two hours during which
you will not be interrupted by siblings, telephones, bathroom
breaks, hyperactive pets, etc.
Without giving away the challenges presented in Scenario
Mode, this is where the Scenario races are held, and the
driver you will be playing as:
Grand Prix of Australia Villeneuve
Grand Prix of Brazil Gene
Grand Prix of San Marino Coulthard
Grand Prix of Great Britain Button
Grand Prix of Spain Trulli
Grand Prix of Europe Coulthard
Grand Prix of Monaco Hakkinen
Grand Prix of Canada Wurtz
Grand Prix of Austria Verstappen
Grand Prix of Germany Alesi
Grand Prix of Belgium M. Schumacher
Grand Prix of the United States Irvine
Grand Prix of Japan Salo
Grand Prix of Malaysia M. Schumacher
In most of the Scenario races, obtaining the Gold Award is
fairly easy, so long as you keep the car on the track and in
good condition. However, a few races present significant
challenges, as you will start having already been lapped once
by the race leader. In order to win these races and obtain
their Gold Awards, two tactics come into play:
1.) Hope (pray to every deity you know, wish upon a star
before beginning the Scenario, etc.) for the race
leader to retire early.
2.) Drive aggressively and get into position to unlap
yourself, then purposely try to knock the leading car
off the track and into a barrier, hoping that a major
mechanical failure will cause him to retire early.
Of course, the latter option also presents a serious risk of
eliminating YOU from the race, or with the race stewards
(i.e., the CPU) assigning you a Stop-Go Penalty for
unsportsmanlike driving. Note that you will likely need
multiple tries to obtain a Gold Award when you start a
Scenario race one lap behind, so prepare to be highly
frustrated, and try not to throw the controller/wheel through
the television screen!!!!!!!!!
==============================================
==============================================
GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA: ALBERT PARK
The 2000 F1 racing season begins with a set of 'flyaway'
(non-European) races. This fast, attractive circuit is built
around Melbourne's beautiful Albert Park Lake, using actual
city streets which generally receive little traffic. There
are usually plenty of trees on both sides of the track, with
a nice view of Melbourne's buildings as you come through
Turns 12 and 13. The Albert Park circuit features many long,
gentle, no-braking corners, allowing for incredible top-end
speed all around this completely-flat circuit. However,
these are tempered with several moderate- and hard-braking
corners, and long, dark shadows (especially in wet
conditions) obscuring long stretches of the pavement.
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