The player drives a
Formula One car on one of four
race tracks, each of which has a different
difficulty level. Difficulty is gauged by the length of the course, the number of cars and oil slicks on the track, and the number of bridges to cross. The race is viewed from a
top-down perspective, and the screen
scrolls from right to left. Moving the joystick left applies the
brake. The
transmission audibly shifts as the player's car accelerates and decelerates.
Grand Prix is a time trial, and the competing cars are obstacles rather than competition for the finish line. The player's car can easily outpace the other cars, but if it collides with one, its speed drops lower than that of the impacted car. Driving over an oil slick causes the player's car to skid slightly sideways, but does not slow it down. Once every
scale mile, the player crosses a narrow bridge over blue water. Colliding with any wall of the bridge stops the car, and the player must slowly gain speed to continue. A patch of oil slicks precedes a bridge. This both forewarns the player, and presents a hazard while trying to steer onto the bridge. Competing cars do not cross bridges nor the finish line; if they are about to approach either one, they stop suddenly.
Tracks Each of the game's four race tracks is a named after a real
Formula One circuit:
Watkins Glen International,
Brands Hatch,
Bugatti Circuit, and
Circuit de Monaco. All courses are tree-lined
straight roads, lacking any curves. The shortest, simplest course is Watkins Glen. Brands Hatch is about twice as long as Watkins Glen, and has one bridge. Le Mans is about three times as long as Watkins Glen, and has two bridges. Monaco is about five times as long as Watkins Glen, and has three bridges. ==Development==