F-1 is a 1976 electro-mechanical arcade racing game developed and published by Nakamura Manufacturing Company (Namco), and distributed in North America by Atari, Inc. The player uses a steering wheel to control a Formula One racer, which must avoid collision with other vehicles. The game uses a miniature diorama with small, plastic cars to represent the player's car and opponents on a physical, rotating track, while also featuring a projector system and lighting tricks to create the illusion of racing.
F-1 is an electro-mechanical arcade driving game, but resembles an arcade driving video game. The player steers a car around a race track, trying to avoid all cars. The gameplay is viewed from the perspective of the driver's viewpoint, which is displayed on the screen using a projector system. The player sits in a cockpit-like arcade cabinet, in front of a large projection screen. It projects realistic color visuals, including the front of the player's car, a roughly circular track, and two competing racing cars, and generates sound effects. When the player collides with another car, the game triggers a crash sequence, where an array of fire and smoke burst onto the screen.