A package tailored for single-seaters

With the ClubSport Racing Wheel F1, Fanatec isn’t just selling a steering wheel on its own, but a complete package: the Direct Drive ClubSport DD+ base and an officially licensed Formula 1-style steering wheel. The idea is crystal clear: to install a race-ready single-seater setup directly into your cockpit, without having to source a base and a wheel rim separately. Plug it in, set it up, and drive. This premium package approach changes how you think about the product, because it’s not an entry-level option but a real leap in quality for anyone looking to switch to Direct Drive with a wheel already designed for F1.

The DD+ and its 18 Nm—the powerhouse of the system

The heart of the package is the ClubSport DD+. It’s a direct-drive base, meaning there’s no belt or gear between the motor and the steering wheel shaft—and you can feel that right away. The advertised torque climbs to 18 Nm (the base model started at 15 Nm before being unlocked to 18 Nm via a firmware update), providing real resistance during cornering and delivering crisp, direct feedback. Another feature we appreciate over time is the passive cooling: no fan humming in your ears during long sessions, and thermal stability that holds up during repeated runs. Steering rotation is adjustable and electronically limited to 2,520 degrees, covering everything from the tight turning radius of a single-seater to cars with a wider turning circle.

An F1 steering wheel in blue carbon fiber

The rim plays a major role in defining the pack’s identity. It features a compact 270-mm design, true to the single-seater spirit, with a 5-mm-thick blue carbon fiber face and grips made of genuine perforated leather. In your hands, the finish exudes high-end quality, and the perforated leather literally breathes during long sessions. The shifters are made of machined aluminum and are magnetized, with that crisp, short click we love as we shift through the gears one after another. When it comes to controls, nothing is missing: eleven buttons, four paddles, a seven-way FunkySwitch, two twelve-position switches with encoder functionality, a joystick, and thumb encoders. That’s enough to map out all the race management controls for an F1 game without ever letting go of the steering wheel.

On the track, what the base makes you feel

With the controller stowed away and my hands on the leather steering wheel, my first impression can be summed up in one word: precision. The force feedback is smooth, precise, and responsive, without the vagueness of a belt-driven system. When entering a turn, you can better sense the front end; you feel the moment when grip starts to tighten, and this clarity helps you position the car at the apex without having to guess. Under braking, resistance builds linearly and provides feedback on the shifting weight distribution, making trail braking more intuitive than with an entry-level base unit. Overall, you get the sense that you understand the car better and can perceive more details of the track through the palms of your hands. One fair caveat, though: this level of feedback only truly comes through once the system is properly tuned. Even out of its default settings, it’s already good, but it’s by taking the time to adjust the parameters that you unlock its full potential.

FullForce: That Extra Texture

The true hallmark of this base is FullForce. This force feedback protocol, developed for the brand’s Direct Drive system, adds high-frequency vibrations on top of the standard force signal. In practical terms, you no longer just feel the forces on the front end—you also sense the car’s mechanical voice: the rumble of the engine as it revs up, the vibrations of the chassis, and the roughness that comes through when you hit a speed bump. This layer of texture doesn’t replace the main force feedback—it enhances it—and immersion benefits greatly from it, especially in single-seaters where every input counts.

RevLEDs, OLED display, and on-the-fly adjustments

The rim also serves as a dashboard. It features nine multicolored RevLEDs that display engine RPM and the optimal shift point, plus FlagLEDs that indicate telemetry alerts such as wheel spin, flags, or the pit limiter. In the center, a small OLED screen displays race information. This onboard menu also lets you adjust force feedback and other settings without leaving the track—a real convenience when you want to fine-tune a setting lap after lap instead of interrupting your session to access a software menu. Add the metal QR2 quick-release mechanism and the T-nut mounting rails on the sides and bottom, and integration into a cockpit is seamless—as is switching to other wheels in the Fanatec ecosystem.

PlayStation and PC: The Compatibility Chart

This is a crucial point to clarify, as it’s the classic pitfall of this type of bundle. With the included F1 steering wheel, the bundle is designed for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC, for major racing games. In fact, it performs best on Sony consoles, to the point where it can be considered the go-to F1 setup for PlayStation. However, this F1 rim is not compatible with Xbox. The DD+ base itself can work on Xbox Series S and X, but only if you mount an Xbox-compatible steering wheel in place of the F1 steering wheel. Xbox players who want this look and this specific rim should therefore be aware of this before ordering.

For whom, and at what price point?

The ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 is designed for drivers who primarily race single-seaters or GT cars and want a genuine step up in quality, without venturing into the very high-end segment reserved for PCs. You get a powerful and quiet Direct Drive base, a beautifully finished F1-licensed wheel rim, and a full suite of electronics. There are two things to keep in mind when making your decision: the pedal set is not included in this bundle, so you’ll need to purchase it separately, and the price point is clearly in the premium range. For those targeting this category and playing on PlayStation or PC, this is a well-rounded and cohesive package—the kind you’ll keep for a long time.