iRacing 2022 Season 1 hotfix 1 kills off custom F1 liveries, fixes other errors

It’s not often that we cover iRacing hotfixes on the site as they usually deal with minor issues that can be handled quickly. This one, however, is pretty substantial due to the fact that some features that weren’t supposed to exist are now being removed. To be fair, they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

As it was expected on release, the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance did not come with a template to paint custom liveries on. However, the community on iRacing was quick to pick up that it was possible to have a custom livery on the car with a certain procedure. Within 24 hours, the painting community had some custom stuff out there, from their own templates to full fledged schemes of Mercedes-AMG competitors.

Well, iRacing can’t really have that happen per their agreements with the folks at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. In this first hotfix for 2022 Season 1, the ability to use custom paints with the car should be turned off completely now moving forward. In a related but unexpected move, iRacing also went back to their first Formula 1 car, the Williams FW31, another car that originally did not have custom liveries or templates, and disabled those liveries and templates as well.

We have the solution for anyone angry that you can't make custom liveries for the new F1 car in iRacing….. 😉

FW31 WC anyone? 😁

photo credit: @vcoesports pic.twitter.com/cFNx3TocOn

— WILLIAMS ΞSPORTS (@WilliamsEsports) December 8, 2021

I’ll keep my eye on this one as there are some pretty crafty folks out there. However, in the same breath, if iRacing says it cannot happen and shouldn’t, that should be respected the same as modifying the game in any other way. Be warned that pushing this limitation could likely fall into a gray area in the Sporting Code. Just keep your best interests in mind when attempting to pursue this further.

Moving on to other hotfix notes, most of the new content got some quick fixes for issues found in the first two days. MGU-K issues on the Mercedes F1, jack placement issues for pit stop performance for the TCRs, and updates for both Knockhill and Watkins Glen can be found in the notes below. Also, a really weird one with floating SAFER barrier foam at Daytona Int’l Speedway has been resolved. Check out the full hotfix notes below.

iRACING UI:

Paint Shop

• Custom paints and templates are now unavailable for use and download for both the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance and the Williams FW31.
• – – All paint schemes for these two cars have been reset.

SIMULATION:

AI Racing

• Fixed an issue where some lower skill rating AI Drivers could sometimes fail to enter the pits on road courses entirely. They needed to rethink their “send it” strategy.

New Damage Model

• The pit jack collision parameters have been adjusted, so it is far less likely for the jack to miss the ground when trying to service a vehicle and cause a car to become stuck in the pits since the tire change can’t be completed.

Monitor Configuration

• Fix issue where the Monitor Setup screen would exit immediately when watching a saved replay.

CARS:

Audi RS 3 LMS

• The jack placement location for pit stops has been improved.

Dallara IR18

• The reflection and specular properties of the transparent halo have been adjusted to match the improvements seen in the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance.

Ford Fiesta RS WRC

• iRacing setups have been updated.

Honda Civic Type R

• Fixed an issue where a reflectivity artifact could cause the windshield’s upper and lower halves to render differently.
• The jack placement location for pit stops has been improved.

Hyundai Elantra N TC

• Steering ratio may now be adjusted in Fixed Setup events.
• Rotor glow texture has been added.
• The jack placement location for pit stops has been improved.

Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance

• Custom car paints, decals, and specular maps have been disabled for this vehicle.
• – – The current paint pattern for all customers has been reset.
• Fixed an issue where drivers could get stuck using the “Attack” deployment mode in Fixed Setup events.
• – – An issue remains where the dashboard displays that you are in “Attack” mode, but are actually in “Balanced” mode.
• Fixed an issue with the display of the deployment mode order on the dashboard.

NASCAR 1987 Class Cars

• Fixed an issue where users could get stuck in their pit stalls when attempting to make a spring adjustment using a mapped control option. This adjustment is not allowed.

Subaru WRX STI

• iRacing setups have been updated.

VW Beetle

• iRacing setups have been updated.

VW Beetle Lite

• iRacing setups have been updated.

Williams FW31

• Custom car paints, decals, and specular maps have been disabled for this vehicle.
• – – The current paint pattern for all customers has been reset.

TRACKS:

Daytona International Speedway

• Some floating SAFER foam in Turn 1 has been tied down.
• The Lake Lloyd water shader has been updated.
• Some wall logos have been updated.

Knockhill Racing Circuit

• (Rallycross) – Resolved an issue with some mysterious slowdowns on the dirt section exit and added a tire bundle.
• Terrain details layer has been updated.

Nürburgring

• Some new AMG advertisements have been added.

Snetterton Circuit

• Loading screen track config maps have been updated.

Watkins Glen International

• Smoothed a brutal bump in the center of the second-to-last turn.
• (Classic) – Track rules have been updated.
• Race marshal platforms have been updated.
• Fixed an issue where a wall was penetrating the terrain at the esses.