F1 22 review: Gameplay verdict, new vehicles and more

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With the new regulation changes and car designs, the 2022 season of Formula 1 has been a sizeable shift for the sport after one of the most memorable seasons in the last decade.

And with updated cars, along with a suite of other features, and with updated cars, along with a suite of other features, F1 22 is the latest in Codemasters’ Formula 1 offering in partnership with EA Sports.

While last year’s much lauded story mode is not going to be part of this latest undertaking, an updated career mode, My F1 and the addition of raceable supercars adds more to the experience of sitting in the driver’s seat with updated tracks and even the new Miami GP making its debut.

Even with the latest model of racing vehicles, driving, pit stops and practice runs will still feel familiar to returning players and its mechanical fidelity means that novices can gradually increase the complexity of their racing experience while setting their own pace.

Read our full review of F1 22 in our article below.

How we tested

Our experience of F1 22 is based on the PS5 version of the game. We tested the game’s various career mode options as well as split-screen multiplayer and other additional content such as “Pirelli Hot Laps”. Here’s what we made of it.

‘F1 22’: £54.95, Amazon.co.uk

Rating: 8/10

Consoles: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: EA Sports
Release date: 1 July 2022
Age rating: 3+

Review

Upon starting the game, one of the first new inclusions player will notice is the game’s hub, F1 Life. This acts as F1 22’s customisable location. From artwork to wallpaper there’s various ways to customise the space. Players can even unlock supercars by spending tokens, which can be earned by completing distance-based objectives.

While this new feature makes for some nice set dressing, with avatars of other racers wondering through your makeshift Formula 1 crib, it lacks the sufficient depth to make it a truly compelling addition.

The return of career mode, for both racers and constructors, however, is a chance to tailor the F1 experience to your desired level of depth. Making a racer, selecting a team and working your way through the calendar is one thing, but being able to create decisions from R+D investment to marketing in between time on the track also makes each stage of the career mode feel fleshed out.

The Miami circuit is the latest to make its debut with three DRS zones and 19 turns (Codemasters)

Choosing to build your own team from scratch, with options available for different operating budgets as well as racers and sponsors, also allows for greater flexibility with different styles of play in mind. If you’re hoping to comfortably set yourself at the front of the grid for a better chance on the podium or prefer to work your way up the rankings from the back of the grid, there are plenty of different options available.

However, when setting a team’s branding and identity, through livery, logos and sponsor placements, these options felt slightly limited, which is only made more apparent given the degree of flexibility with the game’s detailed mechanical elements.

With a wide array of different customisation options to choose from, players are able to tailor their F1 experience to their liking in incredibly fine detail, with the added benefit of a scaling AI based on a beginner’s performance. Having those options available from the offset made the experience of racing in F1 22 feel much more open to different layers of fandom, from the casual observer to the hawkeyed racer wanting to optimise machine performance for any potential edge.

Players can customise difficulty with great ease (Codemasters)

This is also true if players decide to begin during the F2 2021 season before being promoted to F1, which adds an extra layer of progression if players want to start their character with more runway, before making their name on the Formula 1 circuit. Like previous games, different teams come with their own prerequisites, objectives and expectations for the players to meet.

With each race comes practice runs, qualifiers and sprints as expected but one returning feature from F1 22 is the choice to run quick practice laps automatically with time allocated to test key car components and features such as engine performance. It’s a nice quality of life feature that allows racers to make significant progress more streamlined as well as allowing players to focus on race day, should they choose to do so.

Supercars are raceable in F1 22 (Codemasters)

Speaking of car performance, handling of the new regulation vehicles is one of F1 22’s most significant developments. Each car feels responsive with the larger 18in tyres making cornering feel smooth while still retaining control.

There’s also an impressive level of deterioration, with wear feeling immediately apparent both in the car’s handling as well as visually. While the extent of wear can be tuned down or turned off completely, it’s part of the added authenticity that makes Codemasters’ series a worthy Formula 1 experience.

Another big addition to the franchise is the introduction of raceable supercars, which can be completed through the Pirelli Hot Laps challenges. While they make for a fun aside on the circuit, it feels like there could have been a more substantial expansion on the concept to make it a more noteworthy contribution. Understandably though, the focus is on Formula 1.

Buy now

The verdict: ‘F1 22’

With exciting new developments in the sport F1 22 has done well to keep up with the rules and regulations as well as giving players plenty of options to play with off the grid.

If you’re intimately familiar with some of the quality of life changes introduced in F1 21,then the latest addition will give existing players plenty to look forward to and newcomers can comfortably settle into the seat before taking on more complex maneuvers and adjustments in their own time.

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