There was a brief, glorious moment in Formula One when cars were brutally fast, dangerously fragile, and driven by men who looked like they’d wandered in from a pub rather than a training camp.
No power steering. No traction control. No radio chatter. Just raw mechanical grip, manual gearboxes, and bravery.

The 1970s remain the most romantic era of Grand Prix racing — and remarkably, today’s simulation technology now makes it possible to experience something very close to that world at home.

Not as a video game.
Not as esports.
But as a proper driving experience.

This is our guide to doing it the right way.

Why historic Formula One is different

Modern Formula One, both in reality and in simulation, is all about downforce, data, and automation.
Cars are incredibly fast, but also heavily filtered by electronics and aerodynamics.

1970s Formula One was the opposite.

The cars had:

• No power steering

• No driver aids

• Manual gearboxes

• Thin tyres

• Minimal downforce

• Tremendous mechanical grip and oversteer

They demanded:

• Heel-and-toe braking

• Clutch work on upshifts and downshifts

• Steering corrections mid-corner

• Constant balance and restraint

That difference matters enormously in simulation.

Most modern sim racing setups are built for GT3 cars or current-era F1 — with tiny flat steering wheels, paddle shifters, and buttons everywhere.
That hardware is completely wrong for historic cars.

If you want to experience 1970s Formula One properly, both the software and the hardware need to be chosen differently.