F1 25 came out less than a month ago, and with the recent release of F1 The Movie, the game is hotter than ever. Player count is surging as we speak, with all fans and non-fans alike wanting to dive into the action. This is all due to one major reason: Sonny Hayes.
See, while I’ve always been a huge fan of F1 games, not many people feel the same way. However, after watching the movie and witnessing Sonny Hayes’s (Brad Pitt) insane race strategies, everyone wants to try these tactics out themselves. Since not all of us can get the real track experience, the F1 game is the next best option.
So, all hyped up with adrenaline, people are downloading F1 25 left and right to try out the infamous Plan C. While this strategy will 100% earn you a black flag if performed in an actual Grand Prix, let’s see if Sonny’s insane tactics can work in F1 25.
Note: Brief spoilers for F1 The Movie appear below!
Sonny Hayes’s Plan C
Plan Combat, Chaos, or Cheating — call it whatever you want, it’s definitely effective. If you’ve watched the movie, you know exactly what I’m talking about. However, for the people who are still waiting to get a ticket, let me break down the devious Plan C.
The movie starts with Sonny’s team, APXGP, being dead last in the constructors’ championship with zero points. After implementing Plan C, they go from he bottom of the barrel to winning a Grand Prix. Now, how does this happen? Well, here’s what the Plan C entails:
- Deliberately causing crashes to bring in safety cars.
- Holding track position during a blue flag.
- Being extremely fast.
While the last point is true for any racing strategy, it’s essential if you want to win after a Plan C, because you’ll be stopping quite a lot. In the movie, Sonny goes for a 3-stop strategy, causing deliberate collisions with stars like Kevin Magnussen. When the safety car comes out, he goes into the pit lane to change tires.
He does so for all three of his stops, exponentially reducing the time lost in the pit lanes, while getting fresh rubber each time. During all this pandemonium, the second driver, JP, stays out during every safety car and ends up gaining valuable points at the checkered flag.
Now, it’s obvious that you can’t cause deliberate crashes in a race without being disqualified. So, how do you implement this strategy? To do that, we first need to talk about the game mode. The best game mode to use this strategy in is MyTeam 2.0. Since it’s primarily a team strategy, where you’re helping your teammate gain points while sacrificing your own race, the best time to use it is when the team is out of contention and could use some extra points. That said, let’s talk about how to use it.
How To Use Plan C In MyTeam 2.0
To effectively use Plan C in MyTeam 2.0, you’ll need to test the limitations of the game, see what rules you can bend. However, with MyTeam 2.0 giving you full control over your two drivers and race strat, it’s the perfect sandbox to perform this insane shenanigan. Remember, the goal here isn’t to win every race (especially not your own), it’s to squeeze in those extra points that can put you ahead in the constructors. Let’s break down how to do that exactly.
Engineering Safety Cars
The most important part of this strategy is engineering safety cars, so all the race leaders go into the pits for free stops, while your second driver stays out to gain track position. To do this, you’ll need to expertly cause collisions that look like racing incidents. Look for chicanes, tight hairpins, or fast corners where cars are close, and subtly nudge one of the drivers. This should be enough to make them spin and cause a normal or virtual safety car.
Once the safety car is deployed, take control of the second driver to fully take advantage of your maneuver. This means staying out and gaining track positions while other drivers pit. Repeat this until you gain the lead. Since the AI of the game is a little inconsistent, you should be able to get away without a penalty.
Using Blue Flags To Your Advantage
In F1, a blue flag is more of a command than a suggestion: you’ve been lapped, and you must immediately make way for the faster car. However, Sonny Hayes seems to disagree. When lapped by a faster car, he refuses to give way to the driver until after two turns, slowing down their pace. Ultimately, this helps his secondary driver gain even more positions.
To do this in F1 25, you need to be extremely careful. The F1 stewards are really picky about the blue flag rule, and you’re supposed to give way at the earliest opportunity. If you try to deliberately block the pace of the faster car, the AI will penalize you. However, if the blue flag is given at a tight chicane or a hairpin, you can use that to your advantage to slow down the opponent’s car, and then yield on the longer straight. This way, you’ll help your teammate without getting a harsh penalty.
The Three-Stop Gamble
Finally, let’s talk about the three-stop gamble. We mentioned earlier that Sonny uses a three-stop strategy in the race. While three stops are not that popular anymore, you can still set up for them, since you’ll be causing a lot of deliberate safety cars. Simply customize your strategy on the strategy screen before the race and up the number of stops from 2 to 3.
Keep in mind that these pit stops are for you, not your secondary driver. Their job is to stay out and gain track positions, while you install the fresh rubber to keep fighting other drivers.
This would work well in tracks like Jeddah, Singapore, Spa, and Monza due to their frequent racing incidents. However, feel free to try it on other tracks as well. Once you cause the Safety Car, instantly go into the pits to install the fresh new Pirellis.
If you follow all these instructions, you’ll perfectly mimic Sonny Hayes’ F1 movie strategy and hopefully catch those extra points. It won’t be clean, but it most certainly will be fun!
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