The Next Level Racing F-GT has been on the market for quite a while, and over time it has built a reputation as a solid all round mid range cockpit. Lately it has been getting more attention again, especially as more sim racers move from beginner gear to stronger belt driven and entry level direct drive bases and start looking for a proper rig to mount everything on. At around $500, the F-GT looks like a logical step up from budget foldable stands and office chair setups. The question is whether it actually deserves that spot.
A lot of you asked me to review this cockpit, so I reached out to Next Level Racing and they sent one over. I did not baby it. I installed a 9 Nm direct drive base on the wheel deck, paired it with a high end set of load cell pedals, and used it exactly how someone upgrading from a Logitech or Thrustmaster bundle would dream of using it. With that in place it was ready to be put to the test.
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At $500, the F-GT gives you quite a bit in the box. You get the main frame, a seat slider, shifter plate, lumbar cushion, height adjustable feet, and even a ButtKicker mount. The fact that a dedicated transducer mount is included at this price is worth calling out, since other brands often charge extra for that kind of accessory on rigs that cost significantly more.
The frame is entirely metal with a matte black finish, and the overall design is simple but clean. It is not as industrial or modular as an aluminum profile cockpit, but visually it still looks purposeful once it is fully built and loaded with hardware. One of the main selling points is that it can be used both in a traditional GT driving position and in a more reclined formula style position. That versatility is a big part of its appeal on paper.
The seat on the F-GT was the first pleasant surprise. In photos it always looked a bit basic to me, but once installed it tied the whole rig together and looked far better in person. It uses foam padding with a synthetic leather style finish similar to what you see on the brand’s more expensive rigs. With the included lumbar cushion in place, I genuinely found it very comfortable, even during longer stints.
I will go as far as saying that I find this seat more comfortable than the Next Level Racing ES1 seat, which is only slightly cheaper than this entire cockpit on its own. The seat is quite flat, which means it does not pinch or dig into your hips and will suit a wide range of body types. The tradeoff is that you do not get that deep bucket “race car” feel that some of the more aggressive shells provide, but for comfort and accessibility it works very well.
One thing Next Level Racing consistently does well is seat sliders, and the F-GT continues that trend. The slider mechanism is smooth and easy to operate, so you can move the seat back and forth in seconds without fighting the rails. If multiple people use the same rig, that instantly makes life easier.
Beyond the seat, there is a good amount of adjustability throughout the cockpit. You can tweak the angle of the seat back, adjust the wheel deck height and tilt, and change the pedal plate angle to find a position that works for you. It is not infinitely adjustable like a full extrusion rig, but for a welded style frame it is very accommodating.
There are a couple of drawbacks. The shifter plate on the F-GT has a limited range of movement and lacks height and tilt adjustment, so while it was usable for me, I would have liked more flexibility in positioning. The other drawback is that making adjustments takes time and patience. You have to loosen bolts, reposition everything into pre drilled holes, and then retighten. If you are used to sliding brackets and T nuts on aluminum profile, you will notice the difference. This is not the kind of cockpit you will want to constantly reconfigure.
That becomes even more true when you start talking about switching between GT and formula seating positions. It can do both, and that is great, but changing between them involves adding and removing brackets and redoing several adjustments. It is nice to have the option, but realistically most people will pick one position and leave it there rather than swapping back and forth every week.
Of course the real test is how the F-GT holds up on track, especially with stronger hardware. I mounted a 9 Nm direct drive base to the wheel deck and immediately turned it up to full force. Over several hours of driving I did not encounter any serious issues.
If you look very closely, you can sometimes see a little movement in the wheel plate under heavy load, but during actual driving it did not impact my confidence or my lap times. For a metal plate rig that was not originally designed with modern direct drive units in mind, that is pretty impressive.
I did not feel like I was giving up any meaningful performance or immersion by using this cockpit with that base. Inputs still felt crisp, the rig did not feel like it was twisting underneath me, and the connection between wheel, seat, and pedals remained solid. For something at this price point, that is exactly what you want to see.
That said, I do think 9 Nm is around the upper limit of what I would comfortably run on this chassis. I would not personally pair it with heavy, 15 to 20 Nm bases that weigh significantly more and produce double the torque. If you are using something in the range of an 8 Nm CSL DD, an R9, or similar, you should be fine. If you are looking at very high end industrial style bases, then it might be time to consider a more heavy duty aluminum profile solution.
For anyone still on a gear or belt driven wheelbase, the F-GT is more than capable of handling that and then some.
The pedal tray tells a slightly different story. With my high end pedals installed and set to a moderate brake stiffness, you can see some flex on video when pressing the pedal hard. In actual driving, at my preferred settings, I did not notice it and my lap times were right where I would expect them to be.
However, if you like a very firm brake that feels like pushing against a brick wall, the flex would become more noticeable. At that point, you are loading the tray in a way that mid range rigs like this are not really designed for. In that scenario, higher end cockpits with thicker plates or full motion ready bases start to make more sense.
For most users, especially anyone running something like the Thrustmaster T-LCM, the Moza SR-P line, or similar mid range pedal sets, the F-GT pedal tray will be completely serviceable. If you are using a more reasonable brake force, it should not be a problem.
The best way to think about the Next Level Racing F-GT is this. The fact that I am even talking about pairing a 9 Nm direct drive base and serious load cell pedals with a $500 mid range cockpit, and having it hold up, says a lot about the value it offers.
You get a full metal frame, a comfortable and surprisingly good looking seat, a proper seat slider, good adjustability, and extras like a Buttkicker mount and height adjustable feet, all in one package. In a market where just a branded seat can cost close to what this entire rig does, that matters.
If you are running entry to mid range hardware and want something more serious than a foldable stand, without jumping into the cost and complexity of an aluminum profile build, the F-GT is a very strong option. It looks clean, feels solid, and performs well within its intended range.
Where it starts to make less sense is if you already own very high end gear, love ultra stiff pedals with extreme brake pressures, or know you will be upgrading into heavy top tier direct drive bases soon. At that point, investing straight into a more substantial cockpit may be the smarter long term move.
For most sim racers stepping up from a beginner setup, though, the F-GT delivers a lot of value for the money. It is a mid range cockpit that punches above its weight, as long as you understand where its limits are.
