Formula 1 is one of the most exciting sports on the planet, no question about it. And in past years its global following has grown tenfold. So, it’s no surprise that there are a few games based on the racing series beyond Codemasters’ admittedly excellent annual offering. And for those who dream of being the man on the pit wall, instead of the foot on the pedal there is F1 Manager 2022.
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Cambridge-based Frontier Developments’ inventive and complex racing management simulation game is one for all you Toto Wolff and Christian Horner wannabes out there.
Slow Start
Gameplay starts with you building your team which can take a bit of time, as you go through a number of applicants for each role – with a goal of getting the best talent for the lowest prices.
This can be a bit overwhelming at first. You’re faced with sheets of stats and figures and have to work out which is the best option. But give it a bit of time and you’ll start to spot the most important stats and figures.
Although if you hire a dud, things are not totally lost. You can fire the duds into a number of training facilities to get them up to scratch. If that fails, you can always give them the boot and find some new blood.
Same goes for drivers. Find a working team and you’ll have to fight to keep them on side. However, if you fancy something new, you can try to recruit or even poach the talent. With enough money and a some RNG, you can have Lando Norris race for Mercedes.
A Money and People Game
You are mostly in complete control. F1 Manager 2022 allows you to take decisive actions but also lets you face the full consequences for your actions. Be it financial penalties, smackdowns from the FIA or far worse.
Most of the challenge in improving a team to take a Formula 1 World Championship title is centred around funds and talent. Without mastering these areas, you’ll find yourself stuck firmly in the middle of the grid weekend after weekend. Your backroom staff improves slowly over time.
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By keeping the funds rolling in, your team will slowly be able to upgrade its research and development facilities. But there is a hefty maintenance fee to more competitive R&D which, again, can only be sustained by keeping the finances in check.
Longer-term success then boils down your able to adapt to any situation while also being prepared long before they come up. This fundamental balancing act is an indicator of solid game design in a title like F1 Manager 2022.
On-Track Consequences
Come race weekend, you can completely simulate the race weekend with everything on track being handled by the game. Naturally, the outcome on your pre-race preparation, However, with this being racing, there is always a wild element to things. Often in F1 Manager 2022, you never place where think you should, or really could, have.
The best option for racing is to fire your backside on the pit wall and get hands-on during the race. Planning pit stops, giving driver commands and adjusting overall driver’s strategy, which mostly moves between offensive and defensive across the race.
Things get a bit more interesting when the conditions change mid-race. Rain will change the track conditions for the rest of the race and dealing with them is down to you.
The Look of F1
Visually, the game is split in two. You’ll spend most of your time on stat-filled, glorified spreadsheets. It’s not dissimilar to other sport management sim royalty and they do the job.
The rest is spent trackside which looks good overall but not par with F1 ’22. The use of television-style angles and HUD elements enhances the race presentation.
F1 Manager 2022 is a fully licenced affair, carrying each team and driver from the current season. Drivers’ face models are outstanding and add to that licencing immersion. Everyone else looks like a mannequin brought to life, though.
Sim Heart, Sim Brain
F1 Manager 2022 is a ambitious and often slick package that builds on past racing manger sims, while pinching a few ideas from other sports management titles.
The game is a portal to another side of the sport that hardcore fans of F1 will likely find incredibly rewarding. Casual fans of the sport who enjoy sim games may also sink into F1 Manager 2022. However, in its efforts to capture all of the sport while maintaining its ‘sheet cred, F1 Manager 2022 often demands anorak-levels of dedication to numbers.