[pk500]

Use all the assists you want as you learn how to drive and race and then wean yourself from some as you see fit. Gaming is supposed to be fun, not torture.

Don't listen to the knobs who say, "You're soft if you use assists," or "You're treating a sim like an arcade game if you use assists."

BS. Play the game you want to play it. Enjoy it. Hopefully it helps you become an F1 fan.

Other tips: I like career races of 25 percent length, no practice and short qualifying sessions. Long enough to require pit stops and some strategy changes but not long enough to inhale big chunks of time. I'm 52, with a wife and three kids. I also have a lot of games I like to play. So time is a bit scarce.

I recommend that you use practice sessions to get accustomed to the car and each track. Don't worry much about setups as you're learning how to drive and learning the circuits. Your engineer will give you a good base setup.

F1 2017 does feature car performance based on real life. So Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are the three quickest cars in the game, just like in real life.

Good luck, dude. Feel free to ask any questions.