F1 2021 FPS drops usually come from a graphics setting that exceeds your GPU, a CPU or thermal limit, inconsistent frame pacing, a driver conflict, or a damaged graphics configuration. The reliable fix is to measure the drop, identify the bottleneck, then change one variable at a time. Update the game, Windows and graphics driver; verify the Steam files; select the dedicated GPU; cap frame rate; reduce the expensive settings; and use the DirectX and configuration-reset steps when the symptom is stutter or the game will not launch.
Start by describing the drop precisely
Do not begin by buying hardware or switching every option at once. First record the conditions under which F1 2021 slows down:
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- Display resolution and refresh rate.
- Whether the frame rate is capped or uncapped, and the cap value if one is set.
- GPU model, CPU model, installed RAM and graphics-driver version.
- Whether the drop appears in menus, the built-in benchmark, or only during a race.
- Average FPS and frame-time consistency. A high average can still feel bad when frame times spike; note the 1% lows or other frame-time readings if your monitor provides them.
Reproduce the same scene after each change. This gives you a before-and-after comparison instead of relying on memory and helps separate low average FPS from brief stutter.
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Confirm the game, operating system and files are current
Check the supported PC installation
F1 2021 is a Codemasters-developed, Electronic Arts-published racing simulation released on Steam on July 15, 2021. Steam lists a 64-bit Windows installation, DirectX 12 and 80 GB of storage. Install the latest game update available for your copy and bring Windows up to date before deeper troubleshooting.
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Verify the Steam installation
- Open Steam and select Library.
- Right-click F1 2021, choose Properties, then open Installed Files.
- Select Verify integrity of game files and wait for Steam to finish.
- Launch the game and repeat the same benchmark or race test.
EA places file validation, current drivers and a current operating system at the start of its F1 2021 troubleshooting checklist. Patch 1.05 notes mention DLSS implementation improvements, an added PC ray-tracing quality option and general stability improvements. Those notes document the changes; they do not promise that every FPS-drop pattern is resolved.
Compare your hardware with the published requirements
Requirements are a compatibility floor, not a guarantee of high settings or perfectly smooth frame pacing. The published tiers are:
| Tier | CPU | RAM | GPU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum (EA troubleshooting list) | Intel Core i3-2130 or AMD FX 4300 | 8 GB | NVIDIA GTX 950 or AMD R9 280 |
| Recommended (Steam) | Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16 GB | NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti or AMD RX 590 |
| Ray tracing minimum | NVIDIA RTX 2060 or AMD RX 6700 XT | ||
| Ray tracing recommended | NVIDIA RTX 3070 or AMD RX 6800 | ||
If your system is below the minimum tier, large drops at demanding scenes are expected until resolution and quality are reduced. If it meets only the non-ray-tracing recommendation, turn ray tracing off before judging the rest of the settings. A hardware purchase is justified only after monitoring shows that the existing component is the sustained bottleneck and temperatures and drivers are normal.
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Use a repeatable monitor or benchmark
Run the game benchmark or a repeatable section of a race while watching GPU utilization, CPU utilization by thread, VRAM, system RAM, temperatures, clock speeds and frame time. This is a diagnostic process, not a promise of a particular FPS value; the official pages do not publish a controlled F1 2021 benchmark table.
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When the GPU is saturated
GPU utilization near its limit, high VRAM use or frame-time spikes that track visually complex scenes indicate a graphics bottleneck. Lower resolution first, then test ray-traced shadows and reflections, lighting quality, shadows, post process, particles, weather effects, car and helmet reflections, and ground cover. EA’s graphics documentation states: “Higher settings will improve visual quality but reduce performance.”
When the CPU is saturated
If GPU utilization remains low while one or more CPU threads are fully occupied, the processor or the simulation workload is limiting the frame rate. Reduce CPU-heavy scene detail such as crowd detail and use a frame cap so the game is not constantly chasing an unstable maximum. Check whether the problem is concentrated in crowded race starts rather than menus or the benchmark.
When average FPS looks fine but motion still jolts
Brief “tiny shudders and jolts in movement” are a frame-pacing or microstutter symptom rather than simply a low average. Compare frame-time graphs and 1% lows before and after each change. Driver remnants, a DirectX-path conflict, overlays or a cap that the system cannot hold can all produce this pattern.
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Lower the settings that cost the most
Use a controlled preset test
- Open the in-game graphics options and note the current preset: Low, Medium, High, Ultra or Custom.
- Move down one preset level and restart if the game requests it.
- Repeat the same benchmark or race section.
- If performance improves, return to Custom and raise one setting at a time until the drop returns.
This method preserves as much image quality as your hardware can sustain and identifies the setting that matters on your system. Change one expensive option at a time rather than applying an unexplained mixture.
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Ray tracing and image-quality options
Ray-traced shadows and reflections are among the first options to test off, especially on hardware that does not meet the ray-tracing tiers. Next test lighting quality, post process, shadows, particles, weather, reflections and ground cover. Keep a note of each result so you can distinguish an improvement in average FPS from an improvement in frame-time consistency.
Set a frame-rate limit
EA’s game-specific guidance places the cap at Game Options → Settings → Graphics Options → Video Mode and also recommends trying a lower setting in Video Mode or Advanced Setup. Choose a target your system can hold in the most demanding race scenes and, where practical, align it with the display’s refresh-rate target. There is no single cap value that the official guidance prescribes for every PC. A stable cap is useful only when the hardware can sustain it; an overly ambitious cap leaves the game oscillating between highs and drops.
Test drivers, DirectX and background software
Install the current graphics driver cleanly
Use dxdiag to identify the active GPU, then obtain the current driver from its manufacturer. Choose the driver’s clean-install option when available to reduce conflicts from older installations. Restart Windows and retest before changing more game settings.
Try the alternate DirectX path
EA’s general guidance notes that microstutter can occur when a game is playable under multiple DirectX versions. If the symptom is stutter rather than consistently low FPS, disable the latest DirectX option exposed by the game, restart F1 2021 and compare frame times. Keep the path that produces steadier motion on your hardware; this is a troubleshooting test, not a universal recommendation to use one API.
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Close competing software and overlays
Exit unnecessary background applications and overlays while testing. This matters most on systems close to the minimum CPU or RAM requirements. Re-enable programs one at a time after the game is stable so you can identify a conflict instead of permanently disabling software you need.
Force the dedicated GPU on a laptop
Hybrid laptops can start a game on integrated graphics. In the graphics-control settings supplied by the GPU manufacturer, assign F1 2021 to the discrete GPU, then restart the game. Confirm the active adapter with dxdiag or your performance monitor; do not assume the dedicated chip is being used because it is installed.
Reset a graphics configuration that will not launch
A resolution or unsupported graphics option can prevent the game from starting. EA documents two recovery methods:
- In Steam, open the game’s properties and add
-safemodeto the launch options. - Start F1 2021. Safe Mode launches at the lowest resolution and graphics settings.
- Exit the game, remove
-safemodefrom the launch options, and start normally. - If the configuration is still broken, close the game and delete
DocumentsMy GamesF1 2021hardwaresettingshardware_settings_config.xml. - Launch again and let F1 2021 regenerate the file, then apply conservative settings and retest.
This is a configuration reset, not a guaranteed FPS cure. You will need to set your preferred resolution and quality options again.
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Rule out heat, overclocking and physical faults
Monitor temperature and clock behavior while the drop occurs, not only at the desktop. Thermal throttling can look like a graphics-setting problem because performance falls after the system heats up. EA says artifacting can indicate an overheating or failing graphics card; on a desktop, check that the card is seated correctly and that its fans operate.
- Return CPU and GPU overclocks to factory defaults during diagnosis.
- Check whether temperatures rise immediately before the FPS drop.
- Look for visual artifacts, driver resets or crashes alongside the slowdown.
- Consider airflow or cooling hardware only when monitoring demonstrates a thermal problem.
If temperatures, clocks, drivers and settings are normal but the GPU remains saturated below your desired target, an upgrade may be appropriate. If one CPU thread is saturated while the GPU is underused, a graphics-card purchase will not address the actual limit.
Use the results to choose the next step
- Low FPS everywhere: verify that the dedicated GPU is active, compare the system with the requirements, lower the preset and expensive effects, then cap the frame rate.
- Drops only in demanding races: inspect GPU or CPU utilization during that scene, reduce weather, crowd, shadows, particles or reflections as indicated, and choose a cap the worst scene can hold.
- Good average FPS with jolts: compare frame times, test the DirectX option, perform a clean driver installation and close overlays.
- Problems after changing resolution or graphics options: use
-safemode, remove it after exiting, and regeneratehardware_settings_config.xmlif necessary. - Artifacts, rising temperatures or falling clocks: stop tuning image quality and investigate cooling, seating and factory clock settings first.
Keep the baseline and each test result. The useful comparison is not just “more FPS”: compare average FPS, frame-time consistency and 1% lows, along with image quality, with ray tracing on versus off and before versus after a clean driver or configuration reset.
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