F1 2024 Review

There’s no Breaking Point story mode like before and instead you get a revised Driver Career option to start with. It lets you choose between playing as an F1 Icon - which seems to be the main attraction of the game and also makes us wonder why it couldn’t be just a DLC to the previous one - you can choose an F2 driver, create your custom driver or select one of the ‘Past Legends’. 

We love this bit of addition, but what it really brings to the table is the omission of the done-and-dusted team management that you were required to do. No more looking after finances, signing drivers, sponsorship and other faff. You still get that in ‘My Team’ mode if you want to get into it. Driver Career focuses not just on winning races to level up, but also focuses on ‘Driver Reputation’ which adds a new dimension to an otherwise obsolete game style.

So, how do you increase your rep? You do that by achieving smaller in-race achievements that are thrown at you by your ‘Engineer’ at random.

All of this sounds quite exciting and while the objective is to throw in a sense of urgency and increase tension, it just ends up feeling quite dumb thanks to the random nature of it and frankly it is all a bit odd. 

For example, your engineer will ask you to hold off on going hard and keep an eye on your fuel gauge even when you can clearly see you’ve got more than enough for that race and a couple more laps of the next race! The engineer will also say things like ‘Your lap time is a bit erratic’ even if you’ve been consistent but just had a stop to change the tyres.

After a point you just yell STFU and carry on with your lap. There’s no penalty as such if you don’t complete these ‘side quests’ so the game knows they’re a bit iffy as well.

The revamped racing dynamics and gameplay are the best so far. Responsive driving, fast paced, anxiety inducing races, smooth and realistic car reactions is where it is at this year. And in that regard, F1 24 takes the cake. Codemasters have used the expertise and experience of Max Varstappen in regard to car behavior and it has clearly paid off in huge ways here.

If you stick to the beginner mode, F1 2024 really makes it easy to go around a track. Essentially it will make your car stick to the track no matter what and even take turns for you. This bit is great for those uninitiated in the world of F1 and should be a great segway into the more complicated levels of gameplay.

While F1 2024 adds a fresh new mode and a bunch of other bits to make the game interesting, what it aces is the whole driving experience itself. With revamped car mannerisms and behavior, it truly makes for an adrenaline pumping racing experience. Add to that the professional leagues that are a big part of the veteran gamers in the franchise and you have yourself a great experience. We would like to see a more intelligent ‘engineer’ and reward/punishment system in the Driver Career mode though.