I sim-raced an F1 season and dethroned Verstappen — thanks to the ultimate sim seat

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve shown you how you can have a good sim racing experience for $500 (or £500 for my fellow Brits), but let’s be honest — this will only get you so far. What if you’ve been behind the wheel for a while and you’re ready to take things to the next level?

Well, it starts with a pro wheel and pedals. I personally rather like the Logitech G Pro and the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race to fill this gap. And then, you need to upgrade your sim seat. No matter how good that Playseat Challenge chair was with your beginner wheel, the sheer force of a direct drive wheel will probably make it fall apart!

And that’s where I introduce you to the PlaySeat Formula Instinct — F1 Edition. Perfectly timed for the start of the 2025 season (my money’s on Ferrari taking the title, by the way), this is purpose-built to give you the best track-racing position and experience you can get.

At least that’s what they say, so to put it to the test, I raced an entire full-length F1 season in F1 24 to establish just how good it is (spoiler alert: it’s amazing).

PlaySeat Formula Instinct — F1 Edition: Specs

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Dimensions	34.3 x 59.1 x 23.6 inches
Weight	50.7 pounds
Racing seat position	Single-seater (F1)
Customizability	Adjustable pedal plate and steering wheel height
Gear stick support	No
Materials	Aluminum frame with fabric cushioning

Comfort, lap after lap

So fair warning, this will take a little patience to set up. The instructions are clear enough, but the weight of it and propping it altogether to screw it all in place takes a little perseverance. I got my rig together in just over an hour.

But once you’re all set up and on the track, everything comes together. Whether it’s 78 laps around the thin, complicated Monaco circuit or a 24-hour race with the Turtle Beach VelocityOne race wheel, this seat brings it altogether beautifully with a premium level of comfort.

You may be surprised about that — especially given how you have to attach these seat cushions to the aluminum bucket by velcro. But honestly, no matter how much of a marathon the race is, the cushioning is in all the right places to not affect you getting into your flow of hitting consistent lap times over a long period of time.

That’s because in my years of sitting in race seats, you either get some memory foam throne that you just sink too far too much, or a rock-hard bucket that you’ll find yourself shuffling around in every few minutes.

Meanwhile, in true Goldilocks fashion, the Formula Instinct is just right. The Modufoam provides the right amount of cushion to be comfortable for long stings, while having enough rigidity to maintain the optimal racing posture.

And this is further amplified by being able to adjust the height of the wheel and the angle of the pedals to fit you and your whole setup like a glove.

Prime for track racing and nothing else

The only real problem here is that you need to keep in mind what kind of sim racer you are. If you are dedicated to the track with paddle shifters, this is easily one of the best I’ve used. But if you want to vary up your sim racing (I like to dabble between both track racing and the occasional blast in a rally car), then the gear shifter support is non-existent.

I tried to clamp the VelocityOne multi-shift on here in any way I could and it’s simply not possible. Of course, this is by design as it is built specifically for track racing. But it’s worth noting for those who don’t want to be narrowly focused on one type of sim racing.

Trip hazard warning

Another issue I did notice (and one that you’ll have to watch out for) are the rails you slide the seat back and forward on. If you’re on the taller side, this won’t be a problem. But if you need to sit yourself closer to the pedals, the rails can become a bit of a trip hazard sticking out the back.

It’s something I had to warn any visitors to my home about, and you should too. The last thing you need (or they need) is an injury at the hands of these prongs.

Heading to pole position

At $599/£519, this isn’t a cheap buy, but that’s all by intent. The PlaySeat Formula Instinct is the next step in leveling up your sim racing rig alongside your skill level, and it absolutely delivers.

Limitations on sim racing versatility outside of track racing aside, this is purpose-built and near-perfect for it. The seat guarantees comfort for hours and hours on end, the rigidity of the frame means you won’t feel any of that direct drive judder throughout it whatsoever, and while there aren't any cable management holes drilled into it, the included cable ties do mean you can keep it pretty tidy!

And then you see the sky high prices of similar options, and this starts to make sense. For the intermediates and experts, this is going to be a great purchase for years to come.

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Jason brings a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He has previously written for Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza if he isn't already.