Preview F1 22 | Bringing the F1 lifestyle into your home

In 2021 we stepped into the shoes of an up-and-coming driver, who had to prove himself in Formula 1. As a newcomer, you were placed next to an experienced driver, who quickly showed that he was not very matched with your skills which gave him the edge. But perseverance wins and it all worked out in the end. Codemasters tried to recreate the Formula 1 experience á la Netflix with Braking Point and they succeeded quite well. Now that a new instalment is in the pipeline, we should forget about the narrative mode. F1 22 does, however, have something else to offer that is completely new, and GPblog got to take a look at the new game in advance.

Your Formula 1 lifestyle

The story mode that was in F1 2021 took Codemasters two years to create. So it hasn't been feasible for the developer to build another story in a year. But in order not to make F1 22 feel like a step backwards, this time they are coming up with an entirely new feature: F1 Life. This is an addition to the racing itself, where on the one hand you get a bit more personal customisation at your disposal to show off, on the other hand, it's also a way to experience more of Formula 1 outside of racing, and that could potentially be a nice asset.

Customising your own experience is increasingly important in video games in 2022 and Codemasters wants to do something with that. Thus you get your own living space in the game, which you can decorate entirely to your own taste and style. This goes so far that you can place furniture, so you have your own piece in the Formula 1 universe. Of course, here you can also find the trophies that you have achieved over the course of your career. This is in addition to a wardrobe, where you will find both racing and casual clothing, so you can leave your mark on the game with your style. And what you get out of it: well in the multiplayer area you can show your appearance to others and vice versa.

More interesting, however, is that you can also unlock and collect supercars as you play through the career. These are stored in your personal garage, because what is an F1 driver without an impressive fleet? Exactly. However, these cars are not meant to be sniffed at, you will also be able to use them effectively during race weekends. But if you care that the focus of Formula 1 goes wider, that's not the case. In fact, the developer has found a good angle for the addition of supercars, making it extremely relevant in the context of the sport.

Hot laps on the racetracks

You can collect various supercars and between the fixed elements of a race weekend, you may be asked to do a Pirelli hot lap. This involves taking fictional and non-fictional celebrities in your car to give them an adrenaline rush by driving a supercar around the track at the max. Something that happens almost every race weekend and is, therefore, part of the sport. A fun addition, but you would have seen that after about three times, so to speak. Therefore, more options have been built in to give the addition of supercars more value.

For example, you can also use the cars to participate in various additional modes on the tracks. Think of challenges, autocross, drifting, duels with rivals and more. In this way you have more to do besides racing with the Formula 1 cars, which should provide more variety. It also adds more dynamics to a race weekend, just as interviews already did and of course the possible management of your own team if you find that an interesting element. In other words: Codemasters is trying to enrich the Formula 1 experience even further with F1 Life by adding peripheral features and on paper - we haven't been able to experience it yet - it sounds good at least. Especially with Braking Point gone, this is a nice innovation.

New formats

Sprint races were introduced last year and again this year it is on the calendar three times, of which we have had one by now(Imola). In F1 22, faithfully following the calendar, you will get a sprint race at exactly the same times during the season, making the regular race weekend look different. However, it is also possible outside of career mode to apply the sprint format to individual Grands Prix. So you can theoretically approach every race using this approach, albeit optionally. Only in career mode is it an obligatory part at set times, as that mode naturally tries to replicate an entire season to perfection.

In the context of a new format, the same can be said about the rules, tires, cars and everything else. Codemasters, as before, has taken everything one-to-one from what is now the situation, so that you get a more or less identical racing experience virtually, but without losing sight of new players. The sport has grown tremendously in popularity in recent years, which also means that there are many interested people who want to try their hand at Formula 1 virtually. To accommodate that group, there are a number of additions that should lower the entry threshold.

This is reflected in artificial intelligence, which can be set to a more aggressive approach. This means that they are faster in the duel and that it is more wheel-to-wheel racing on the track. In doing so, of course, you can adjust the level of intelligence so that it exactly matches your abilities. For newcomers, however, this can be quite a challenge, which is why the adaptive AI - as it is called - was created, which adapts to your pace and ability. If you are too far behind, the AI will slow down, allowing you to catch up faster. In this way, even the worst offenders can participate to some extent, otherwise of course it would quickly become boring.

Deepening the practice programs

For many years it has been possible to run practice programs in the free practice sessions, which give you points for developing your car. These programs are present again, but also in the context of accessibility, adjustments have been made. The braking zones, acceleration zones and more are indicated - optionally - on the track, so that the player has a better idea of what they are doing. This can be particularly interesting for better understanding, for example, tyre and fuel management. With these tools, it is possible to practice in a more focused way, which therefore allows players to better understand the sport. After all, Formula 1 is so much more than just driving laps.

But F1 22 also features improvements in other respects. For example, several technical updates have been made. With the arrival of the new cars, the so-called 'handling' is of course slightly different and Codemasters has taken this opportunity to introduce a better model. This should be particularly noticeable in aerodynamics and suspension. In addition, during the formation lap, you can now park your car in the bay and this can be done with or without some tactical approach. For example, you can park your car at a slight angle, which will give you a better approach to the first corner and thus be able to block your direct rival at the start. And it doesn't stop there.

The pit stops have also been taken care of, and it is once again important to park your car properly. This is based on a new mechanism and you have to be precise because if you park your car incorrectly you will get comments from your team. After all, it will cost them more time and effort to do the work and that can be costly when you are in the middle of a race. Fun detail, it's not just limited to your ability. Other teams/drivers can make mistakes too, so Codemasters is trying to make pit stops an even bigger (unpredictable) element of gameplay. But should you not like that, as well as parking your car on the grid, it is possible to stick with the traditional automated form. Ditto for the safety car, if you don't feel like following it during a race, you can set the game to take over these moments for you.

Also nice to know

Finally, we have some general details that you should definitely know since Codemasters mainly applies small improvements and innovations in many areas. And don't get me wrong, the foundation that has been there for years is more than excellent to build on. Well, having said that: F1 22 can be experienced in its entirety in virtual reality if you play on PC, which gives a completely new dimension to the sports experience. On consoles, however, this is not (yet) possible. Another technical feature is that the game features cross-play from the moment it becomes available. This allows you to play on PC against consoles and vice versa, thus providing a larger pool of participants in online races.

In addition, other interesting details are that the budget cap now affects the balance of gameplay and realism, so this is a factor to consider. And as a team boss, you get the same elements to choose from as before. The innovation in that area is in failed developments. Normally you can either leave that as it is or invest in it again. In F1 22 this will have a bigger impact. So failed developments can bite you in the ass later in the game, so you'll really have to react more adequately to situations in the factory. Not to mention, this time your personal engineer Marc Priestley, who has lent his voice to this role, is recorded using a headset used in Formula 1.

And that brings us to the end of this first look at F1 22. The game is scheduled for release on July 1, 2022. F1 22 will then appear for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.