F1 News
On 31 July, Frontier Developments will launch the second instalment of its F1 Manager series with the game F1 Manager 2023. It is available to pre-order on the F1 Manager website for £44.99, and it will be available on Microsoft Windows and across all next-gen game consoles, with a Deluxe Edition also available for £54.99. With the game coming out at the end of July, GPblog had the opportunity to test the game in its development stages. Here is a preview of what you can expect from this year's F1 Manager game.
New game mode will grip players
One of the biggest calls for change after F1 Manager 2022 was for Frontier Developments to add something more to the game. A game that was heavily career-mode orientated. They responded substantially. A new game mode called Race Replay has been brought in, and it is a game mode that will entice old and new players alike.
Under the name Race Replay for this year's game, there are two aspects, with one mode called Starting Grid and the other called Race Moments. Starting Grid allows the player to take control of any team from a certain race in the 2023 season, as you take on the starting grid and track conditions from that race, with your decisions around strategy, driving styles, and tactics, hopefully creating a better outcome for your team.
To go along with this, Frontier Development also included Race Moments, something GPblog had hands-on experience testing, and an aspect of this year's game that is a real game-changer.
This mode drops you into a team-based scenario from a crucial moment that has occurred in a 2023 race this season, and your job is to try and alter their results for the better using strategy, tactics, and so on. Can you get Alex Albon a points finish in Bahrain with 15 laps to go? Can you give Oscar Piastri his first points at his first home race in Melbourne? These are questions that you, as the game player, can answer.
Starting Grids and Race Moments will be added after every race as this season continues, keeping the game refreshed and unique while offering a new way to play F1 Manager 2023.
Tutorials take beginners under their wing
F1 Manager may be a very detailed and intricate game, which will please the hardcore and knowledgeable F1 fan. But if you are a novice to the world of Formula 1, F1 Manager can still be the game for you, along with the experts. Frontier Developments have incorporated tutorial guides throughout their game to help educate and enhance people's understanding of the game.
Game Director Andy Fletcher commented on how "pleased" he is that this aspect is a part of this year's game.
"The tutorial guides newcomers to the sport through the game, regardless of their F1 expertise. It is an aim of ours for players to be able to enjoy the key game elements early on and learn more as they get further into the game. We ensure the interactive options available to the player at any one time are kept simple, and most screens have additional help or info buttons to give greater insight into specific features," he said.
Decisions can affect the drivers and their racing style
Although it is a simulation and management game, your management and decisions can affect the drivers for better or worse in any aspect of the game. During a race weekend, as the manager of a team, you have control of both your drivers' setups, and giving each driver a tailored setup that they prefer is very important, as it can influence their confidence and morale, once again highlighting the realism of F1 Manager 2023.
And your decisions during a race can impact your drivers' decisions making too, as you also influence their racing style throughout the race, along with their tyre strategy, which you control throughout the race. You can decide whether a driver should attack or defend. Should you protect your drivers' fuel and tyres, or should they get their elbows out and attack? These are risks that you, as the team boss, will have to decide on.
However, just like in real-life races, nothing can be done to stop driver error, with drivers colliding on track just like they would in the real world of F1, and it's your job as the team's manager to salvage whatever you can.
No time for slacking in this fast-paced game
Just like a team principal or CEO of any team on the grid, time cannot be wasted, whether on or off track. Linking to the previous point, on the track, your driver could end up in the barriers from your decision-making, which could come from low confidence from a poor setup or a decision based on their racing style or race strategy. But there is no respite away from the track too, which indicates how detailed and intricate this year's F1 Manager is, including its career mode.
In this mode, away from race weekends, you must look after your pit crew, staff, and all other people behind the scenes, including marketing and sponsors. The judgments you make regarding all of your staff will influence their confidence, along with having an impact on the team's morale.
Along with this, upgrades, development, sponsorship and financial choices are all in your hands, improving your team and its car if the correct decisions are made, so there is always something to keep tabs on.
Early access with the pre-order bonus
If you pre-order F1 Manager 2023, there are extras at your disposal. There are four days of early access before the game officially comes out, allowing you to play from July 27. As well as this, if you pre-order the Deluxe Edition of F1 Manager 2023, there are also three exclusive race moments for you to enjoy, including one for the all-new Las Vegas Strip Circuit.
The game's Deluxe Edition also offers an Exclusive Scenarios Pack, offering 12 unique Scenario challenges, including both Starting Grid and Race Moment.