The French brand P1Sim is very young on the market, having been launched in 2021. Behind the company are two brothers with a passion for cars and simulation. One was a racing car mechanic, and the other an engineer in the same field. And that means our two entrepreneurs know their stuff.

At present, its catalog includes only a few entries, including an LC crankset and 3 steering wheels. That’s not much by segment standards, but don’t forget that the brand’s odometer shows only 3 years at most. And P1Sim products are handmade, according to the brand’s website.

In any case, among the products from this manufacturer of sim-racing peripherals is theEau Rouge, a very premium Formula wheel with aluminum construction and forged carbon fiber faceplate. In what follows, we’ll take a closer look at this wheel to find out if it deserves its place in the ranking of the best F1 steering wheels.

Main and technical features of the steering wheel

• Formula 1-style steering wheel open at the bottom
• 29.5 cm diameter with discipline-specific rectangular shape
• RevLED on top of front panel
• 4.3” diagonal central touch screen
• A total of 22 controls on the entire steering wheel
• Forged carbon fiber faceplate with CNC-machined aluminum backplate
• 33 mm diameter handle
• Available with 4 or 6 pallets, 2 analog and the rest magnetic
• SimHub and PC compatible via USB connection only
• Compatible with most Direct Drive bases, provided you have the correct Wheel Side hub.

Eau Rouge design

The Eau Rouge’s design is very Formula 1, with a rectangular shape and downward-opening handles. That’s what most of the competition is doing, and P1Sim wasn’t about to reinvent the wheel either.

Aesthetically, it’s very sober, with a forged carbon fiber faceplate and all-black aluminum backplate. On the front, there’s a 4.3″ LCD touchscreen and over 20 controls in all. Most buttons are RGB backlit, and are transparent to allow light to pass through them. The Eau Rouge’s rotary switches can be customized directly on the product page, at least in terms of color. There are 3 to choose from: red, blue and violet. Incidentally, this is the only flashy element on this steering wheel, and everything else is very sober.

Customized assembly

As with the brand’s other steering wheels, the Eau Rouge uses a standard mounting system to accommodate the various Direct Drive base hubs and QRs. In other words: you’ll need your base’s specific mounting system (Wheel Side) to attach the wheel.

This solution was chosen because P1Sim doesn’t currently offer DD bases, and its steering wheels need to be usable by racers. At Fanatec, the Podium Hub takes care of this. A Simagic base must have the QR D1Spec in Wheel side to be used, and so on. You get the idea. The good thing is that most DD base manufacturers already offer a hardware solution to accommodate the various steering wheels available on the market. As a result, Eau Rouge can easily, but at extra cost, be adapted to your base.

Wheel manufacture and finishing

The Eau Rouge is a premium steering wheel, and almost all the materials it uses reflect this. There’s a CNC-machined aluminum structure, forged carbon fiber on the faceplate and rear paddles, a 4.3″ LCD touchscreen, quality switches, but some buttons are made of silicone because of their transparency. The latter can sometimes catch and remain stuck in the pressed position.

As for the rest, the build quality is just impeccable, worthy of a premium steering wheel. And this is also reflected in the finish, which is simply perfect. Between the parts, which fit together perfectly with no gaps or gaps, my hat’s off to you.

Handling the steering wheel

Given that this steering wheel is designed for F1 racers, the grip should be ideal for the world’s premier motorsport discipline. And it is. The Eau Rouge’s 29.5 cm diameter gives it a very good driving position, and the rubber grips have a lot to do with it too. However, the material chosen by P1Sim tends to store heat in the hands, which quickly becomes uncomfortable without gloves.

As for the controls, everything falls perfectly under your fingers. The thumb switches are at the right level, and the rear paddles have adjustable spacing. In fact, you have two paddle options: 4 or 6, including 2 analog ones for the clutch.

The LCD screen, meanwhile, displays practical telemetry data for use during the race, and can be configured at will via P1Sim’s in-house software. And it’s touch-sensitive to boot. Another plus point for this steering wheel.

Sensations during play

For the in-game feel of this steering wheel, I used a ClubSport DD+ to get the most out of it on single-seaters. The short version is that the Eau Rouge is a joy on the track, in practically every respect.

The F1-style driving position gives you quick access to all wheel-mounted controls, whether front or rear. The touchscreen offers a major advantage when it comes to vehicle telemetry or general track information, such as lap times, position and so on. What’s more, you can customize the data displayed using SimHub, and this steering wheel will be natively recognized in the software.

At the rear, the paddles are a joy to use. The magnetic ones don’t make much noise, unlike the competition. And the analogs are deadly for the clutch. If you get into the habit of using them to launch an F1 car, you’ll never drive without them again.

And finally, the silicone buttons in full swing. I’ll put it bluntly: they can catch when you press them, thus staying depressed. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s frustrating when it does. If you want a tip, don’t press them all the way down, so the silicone doesn’t twist and the button returns to its original position.

P1Sim wheel compatibility

As far as the platform is concerned, the Eau Rouge can only be used on a PC via a USB connection. Incidentally, the cable supplied with this steering wheel is generous in length, and its connection to the Eau Rouge (at the rear) is not intrusive.

For sim-racing titles, you won’t have to worry about a thing. All you need to do is configure your interface via SimHub or P1Sim’s in-house software, which don’t work at the same time by the way, and you’re all set.

And for the basics, well, you’ll need a specific hub with Quick release for each device. It’s practical in absolute terms, but more expensive in the long run.

Value for money

The P1Sim Eau Rouge is an expensive steering wheel, to say the least. Expect to pay €1,200 for the 4-paddle version, and €1,260 for the 6-paddle version. Customization of the buttons (color) does not affect the selling price of this steering wheel.

So, what can I say… it hurts the bank account, I admit. But on the other hand, it’s hand-made, and the competition is really far behind in terms of quality and features, even from brands like Simagic, at least for F1 in particular. Let’s put it bluntly: this steering wheel is aimed at Simucube‘s, and price-wise, the two brands are more or less on a par.

My verdict on the Eau Rouge steering wheel from P1Sim

The Eau Rouge’s competitors can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and once you’ve tried it, you won’t look anywhere else. It’s a superb steering wheel for Formula 1 fans with a substantial setup budget.

It’s true that the Eau Rouge does have its little flaws, notably some sticky silicone buttons, but that pales in comparison with the rest of the steering wheel. If you can afford it, with the hub that will accommodate it on your base, the Eau Rouge is a steering wheel in the top 5 of the F1 sim-racing rankings.