Pocket GP FAQ

Pocket GP is a free racing game for iPhone that mixes low-poly arcade graphics with real-world racing physics. You race open-wheel, Formula-style cars on faithful versions of real circuits such as Monza and Barcelona, using one finger: hold to accelerate, lift to brake, drag sideways to change line.

No. Pocket GP is an independent game made by Formula 1 fans and is not affiliated with Formula 1, the FIA, any team or any circuit. The liveries use fan nicknames (Scuderia, Silver Arrows, Papaya, Weeyums, French Alps…) rather than official team names, and circuit layouts come from public, open-source track data.

Pocket GP is free to download, with no ads, no in-app purchases and no sign-up. You can start racing a few seconds after opening the app.

Yes. The look is low-poly and arcade, but the car runs on a real-world physics model: a friction circle that shares grip between braking and cornering, aerodynamic drag, slipstream, tyre lock-ups under heavy braking and speeds computed from the real corner radius. Braking too late or turning too hard costs time exactly like it does on a real track.

The same way real Formula 1 drivers do. Close up in the slipstream on the straight (up to 45% less drag in the wake of the car ahead), then either dive down the inside under braking or set up a crossover: go wide into the corner, take a late apex and cut back underneath on the exit. In a side-by-side corner the car on the inside has priority unless the other one is at least half a car ahead.

A crossover, or switchback, is a counter-attack used when a rival dives down the inside: you brake a little earlier, cross behind them in the middle of the corner and accelerate out on the inner line with a better exit, often re-passing them on the following straight. Pocket GP simulates it: change lane toward the inside before a slow corner while a car is alongside and your car slots in behind and takes the late apex.

Pocket GP launches with Monza (Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy, 5.793 km) and Barcelona (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, 4.655 km). Both are built from the real circuit geometry, with the real corners: Prima Variante, Curva Grande, Lesmo, Ascari and Parabolica at Monza; Elf, Repsol, Campsa and La Caixa at Barcelona.

Yes. The plan is to add every original circuit of the calendar, each one faithful to the real layout: same length, same corner sequence, same braking zones. New circuits arrive with app updates.

Pocket GP uses one finger. Finger down means full throttle; lifting the finger brakes (a short lift is a light brake, a long lift is a full stop). Dragging left or right moves the car one lane at a time across four racing lines, including the kerbs. Steering is automatic, so the skill is in when you brake, which line you choose and when you attack.

You race against the "shadows" of real players: drivers that reproduce how a real person drove that circuit, corner by corner (braking points, lines, mistakes). When there are not enough shadows, AI drivers fill the 8-car grid at three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal and Hard.

Yes. After a race you can send a challenge code: your friend races against your shadow on the same circuit and number of laps and sees whether they beat your time. Leaderboards for the best lap and best race are available for every circuit.

Real-time races between 2 to 4 friends are in development, with rollback netcode so that every phone runs the exact same race. Today you can race real players through their shadows and send challenges.

Yes. Races against AI drivers work offline. An internet connection is only needed for shadows of real players, leaderboards and challenges.

Pocket GP is available for iPhone (iOS 18 or later). There is no Android version yet.

A race is 1 to 5 laps, chosen by you. One lap of Monza takes about one and a half minutes, so a typical 2-lap race lasts around three minutes: perfect for a coffee break.

Most mobile racers are either pure arcade (nitro, drifting, no braking points) or heavy simulations that need precise steering. Pocket GP keeps the real racecraft of Formula 1 (braking zones, slipstream, racing lines, side-by-side battles and crossovers) and removes the hard part on a phone screen: steering. It is one-finger racing where the physics, not the controls, decides who wins.

It depends on what you want. F1 Clash is the official Formula 1 game on mobile and focuses on team management and short 1v1 duels. If you want to actually drive Formula-style cars wheel-to-wheel with realistic braking, slipstream and overtaking, Pocket GP is built exactly for that, with one-finger controls and real circuits. Note that F1 Mobile Racing and Real Racing 3 have been shut down.

Like in real Formula 1, five red lights come on and then go out. If you put your finger down within 0.35 seconds after lights out you get a perfect start with extra traction for over a second. Touching before the lights go out is a jump start and you lose the advantage.

Only what the game needs: an anonymous guest identifier, an auto-generated driver name and the data of your online races (inputs and lap times) to power shadows, leaderboards and challenges. No ads, no tracking across apps, no selling of data. You can delete your online data from inside the app.