The Best F1 Wheels for Sim Racing: Buyer’s Guide

If you’re shopping for a formula-style sim racing wheel this year, you’ve picked an interesting moment to do it. The manufacturers have been busy gravitating towards newer designs and brand partnerships – and the better ones, I’ve noticed, tend to emphasise the materials they’ve used to better their opponent’s latest offering. I’ve had many of the wheels on this list on my own rig at one point or another, so what follows is grouped by price, cheapest first, with the complexity of each wheel pointed out as we go. Some of you want every function of an F1 car at your thumbs; some of you very much don’t.

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What to look for | Simagic GT NEO | Fanatec Formula V3 | Conspit MAX-01 | Cube F-Pro | Ascher Artura | Cube CSX-3 | Sim-Lab AMG | Beginner bundles

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What to look for in an F1 wheel

Two years or so ago, reviewing the VPG wheels, we were making observations about composite as this really interesting new concept – as opposed to an aluminium or even steel CNC-machined chassis. That observation has rather come true: there are a lot of composite wheels now. The wheels worth your hard earned money tell you what they’re made of, are well reviewed in multiple sources, and ideally have silent paddles.

On fit, grip shape beats grip material. Remember – the texture of a wheel rim disappears the moment you put gloves on; while the sculpt of the grip doesn’t. Just this week, I actually got a blister from using the F-Pro without gloves – such was the torque level mixed with a deceptively grippy grip – the rubber literally wore though my hands. In F1 racing with high torques configured, you need to wear gloves – so ergonomics beats everything.

Grip length matters too – a grip that ends too soon leaves your palm pushing on a corner of the wheel instead of reading the car. Around 300mm wheel diameter is the formula sweet spot, while 280mm is the authentic F1 size, built for a narrow open-wheeler cockpit and fast hands. And, don’t be dazzled by paddle glamour: clutch throw is what actually lets you modulate a launch. If you care about race starts, twin clutch paddles with an adjustable bite point are how you nail the getaway off the grid. A light wheel is a functional advantage as well – less inertia on the base, and it flatters a smaller wheelbase while giving you much lower rotational inertia.

A built-in OLED is lovely on a screen setup. But if you race in VR – which honestly I’d take over triple monitors most days – a wheel screen is money down the drain, because you’ll never see it. Don’t pay extra for one you can’t look at. New to VR? Our VR headset guide covers it.

An F1 driver’s workload during a lap is very, very high. Brake bias, diff entry and exit settings, “strat” mode, engine settings, shift cues – and that’s barely scratching the surface! This video from Mercedes AMG Petronas is worth a watch if you want to understand just how much an F1 driver is doing during a single lap:

Then there’s complexity. I race in real life, in the historic and sports prototype world, where we’ve got a few buttons to play with at the most – and obviously absolutely nothing in a historic car. So take it from me: there is such a thing as too many buttons, and you can overwhelm yourself. Wheels with 50-plus mappable inputs exist, and even their fans admit they use a quarter of them. So I always buy the wheel whose controls I’ll actually reach mid-corner. This is why for me, I’m not such a GSI fan.

One practical note before the wheel picks: stiff encoders and bare fingers don’t mix, just like I learned with bare hands on a (hard) rubber grip. Budget for a pair of sim racing gloves on the premium wheels.

Simagic GT NEO – the budget benchmark

I’m a big advocate of the GT NEO, and I’ll happily tell you why: this is a budget wheel that took a lot of the development we observed in the later VPG items – and copied it, really, if I’m being perfectly honest with you. It’s still the best budget wheel I’ve used (although I currently have every Conspit wheel in-house for testing as I write this). Pick up the GT NEO and the stiffness hits you immediately – this thing doesn’t flex, and it communicates FFB well because of it. Blindfold me, hand me this wheel and tell me it cost $750 and I’d say sounds about right. I reviewed it at $269 as a standalone hub; it now ships bundled with a Simagic base – $635.55 or $749.55 with the 9Nm or 12Nm Alpha EVO as I write – which, for a first direct-drive setup, rather conveniently solves two purchases in one box. Complexity-wise it sits at the simple end: 8 buttons and two thumb encoders, nothing to overwhelm. The rubberised grips don’t get slippery after an hour, and I’ve done 90-minute stints without cramping, which is more than I can say for some 280mm wheels. I did a full review of the GT NEO and came away properly impressed.

Fanatec ClubSport Formula V3 – the ecosystem classic

The ClubSport Formula V3 is the ecosystem classic – $349.99, though on back order at Fanatec as I write. You’ll need a Fanatec hub and wheelbase to run it, and it’s PC and PlayStation only; Xbox racers are out of luck here. This is the wheel for the racer already invested in the Fanatec product catalogue, who wants a proper formula rim without leaving it. The complexity of Fanatec gear is low to moderate, which makes it ideal for a “I just want to race” session in your new F1 cockpit. For a lot of people it’s the one to just buy and stop agonising over, and the OLED is properly handy if you’re on a screen rather than in VR: gear, speed, lap delta, all on the rim.

Conspit CP105 MAX-01 – the modern value pick

The CP105 MAX-01 is the modern value pick on this list – $729 at Trak Racer, in stock as I write. You’re getting a screen and LEDs at a price the established brands want double for, on a metal chassis with a carbon front plate at a proper 300mm. The clutches stand comparison with wheels at twice the money, with slightly less resistance; the grip is a bit plasticky bare-handed and perfectly fine in gloves. Complexity sits in the middle: the screen plus the usual encoders and the magic buttons on the rear, without tipping into procedure-wheel territory. Conspit have been quietly building a reputation for exactly this – very high-end construction at very reasonable money.

Cube Controls F-Pro – the classic

The F-Pro is still my classic favourite, and the classics like this are absolutely good enough today. The wheel feels solid in hand and there’s no noticeable flex; the diameter, 282mm grip to grip, reaffirms Cube Controls’ passion for pure formula driving, and the thick gloss carbon fibre with that hand-painted logo remains one of my favourite touches on any wheel, and probably my favourite era of sim racing. It’s out of stock at all three of our partners as I write – EUR 1,074, $999.99 CAD for the wireless, $1,200 list. Waiting for a restock is a reasonable call; I would. If you can’t wait, the CSX-3 further down is the in-stock route into the same formula. It’s a cracking F1 wheel, but I’ve run it on GT cars and classics just as happily – it never feels out of place. The wheel build is of a very high standard overall and performed well in the review.

Ascher Racing McLaren Artura – the one on Verstappen’s sim racing rig

The Artura Pro is the wheel still bolted to my rig most of the time – Ascher Racing sent me one to review, and I liked it so much while testing it, I bought it. The paddles are difficult to describe, other than silky smooth, predictable and sublime to work with, and the buttons and rotaries are the same motorsport-grade components you’ll find on the original McLaren track car’s wheel.

While I admit to finding it a little on the heavy side, there’s something about the ergonomics that makes the wheel adapt to you, rather than you adapting to the wheel. Ascher are partnered with Verstappen Sim Racing, and the wheel on Max’s own rig is the Artura Ultimate – which I think is quite an important testimonial to be aware of. It’s PC only, no console, but there you are. The family at Advanced Sim Racing runs from the GT4 at $1,301.99 CAD to the Ultimate at $1,499.99 CAD, with my Pro sitting between. Complexity is the simple side of premium: real-car ergonomics and 10 to 14 buttons, and it’s just excellent out of the box.

Cube Controls CSX-3 – the flagship

The CSX-3 is Cube Controls’ flagship – EUR 1,590 at Res-Tech, in stock as I write. That familiar glossy 5mm carbon faceplate and my favourite hand-painted logo, a die-cast aluminium body, 282mm, and up to six paddles on the rear.

The 4-inch VoCore touchscreen is always vibrant and colourful – something I really appreciate: dashboards, telemetry and configuration all live on the wheel rather than in a configorator tab. Complexity is high but usable; there’s a sheer number of assignability options to come to terms with, and avoid calibration at your peril! The CSX-3 was a joy to have at the office, and difficult to return (I didn’t want to remove it from the hub!) – here’s the CSX-3 review; read that and you’ll understand why. I’ve always been a fan, but then again I do own several of these wheels. Read into that whatever you like!

Sim-Lab Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 wheel – the real thing

And then there’s the real thing. The Sim-Lab Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 wheel is built from the actual F1 wheel’s CAD data – genuine carbon, Grayhill encoders, it weighs 1.27kg, 280mm and it’s priced at EUR 2,728 at Sim-Lab as I write.

Everything about it is function over polish: it’s more of a performance car part, not a gaming peripheral. The nine encoders are stiff enough that gloves are strongly recommended. There’s no funky switch, because the real car has none – so menu navigation requires a different approach – but it’s easy enough to set up. The single clutch (dual isn’t allowed in F1) has enormous travel, which is exactly what you want for launches. One more thing to watch out for: it ships with a forced 65mm spacer, so the wheel ends up closer to you than your other rims. This is the wheel for the F1 fan and sim racing buyer paying for (official) authenticity over refinement.

Best F1 beginner bundles

If you’re starting from nothing, the quick-start route is a bundle. The GT NEO hub-and-base packages above do exactly that job for a first PC setup – one box, one cable, then go racing. On the console side, Fanatec’s formula bundles remain the sensible path: base, wheel and pedals matched from the same catalogue, with PlayStation and Xbox covered depending on the base you pick. Here are the current bundle options and prices.

If you already own a wheelbase, the cheapest way to put a formula-style rim on it is Acelith. Their current Ace Morph Zero bundles the rim and its electronics together for EUR 185 as I write, and it’s in stock. It’s 300mm, mounts on a standard 70mm PCD quick release, and it’s PC only – worth knowing before you order.

One 2026 option to know about, but not get caught out by: Logitech’s McLaren Racing Edition RS Formula Wheel. It’s a lovely F1-style rim, but it is just a rim – it needs Logitech’s RS Wheel Hub and a Logitech PRO or RS50 direct drive base under it to do anything. So it’s a great swap if you already own that Logitech setup, not a cheap way in for a first wheel. Don’t buy the rim on its own expecting it to work.

So, where does that leave us? On a budget, the GT NEO is still the wheel I’d point you to. The F-Pro remains a personal favourite, if not a little nostalgic these days, stock permitting. And at lower money the MAX-01’s screen-for-the-price stands alone; nothing else on this list does that at $729. If you’re building around one of these, our F1 cockpit guide, direct drive wheelbase guide, sim racing pedals guide and my F1 seat guide will get the rest of the rig right. I’ll just leave this here with a simple sign-off: whichever of these ends up on your rig – enjoy!

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Topic: Sim Racing Wheels