1. A method for controlling an internal combustion engine comprising a sensor for detecting a pressure variable characterizing the pressure of the air supplied to the internal combustion engine, the performance reliability of the sensor being monitored, and a substitute signal being used in case of a fault, wherein, to determine the substitute signal, a static substitute value is used, which is defined on the basis of variables that characterize the operating state of the internal combustion engine, and the static substitute value is filtered by a filter having a delay component, in order to generate the substitute signal.