At long last the real world F1 2020 season is finally underway. In spite of delays caused by Coronavirus an initial eight races have now begun, although the full extent of the delays and cancellations caused by the pandemic are yet to be determined. Thankfully, fans can visit what might have been with the upcoming release of the official F1 2020 video game.
Developer Codemasters has been on a strong run of form with the F1 games over the last few seasons, mirroring the constant success of the Mercedes team. However, questions have been raised about exactly how the studio can consistently improve upon the series, without falling into the trap of other annual sports franchises such as FIFA or Madden by simply providing an update to the driver roster and team liveries.
The answer that Codemasters is giving is the inclusion of the brand new My Team game mode. My Team allows the player to create their own eleventh team on the grid, taking on the official teams with their own car. What's more, the player will take one of the two driver spots themselves, managing the team both on and off the track.
The player is given a fair amount of control in this game mode, which is clearly put forward as the core single player experience in this year's F1 game. Livery design comes in the form of choosing from a selection of templates with extensive color options, while four (fictional) sponsor slots can also be filled as the team's acclaim grows. From a technical perspective, the player manages research and development, engine suppliers, where to put financial resources including the hiring of a second driver, and the scheduling of training, technical improvements, and sponsor events.
Those demanding a complex management sim as seen in some other sports simulation games will need to realign their expectations, however. This isn't as in depth as games like Motorsport Manager, with more of a surface level understanding of how to handle downtime and less of a pressure on finances - providing the team remains competitive. The emphasis is still on driving, leaving My Team feeling closer to FIFA's Career Mode than a management sim, albeit with a little more detail thanks to the sponsor relationship elements.
My Team strikes a good balance overall, with the player still spending most of their time in the thick of the racing without losing sight of the development of their own team. In particular having control over the second driver slot adds a different dynamic to what the F1 games have seen before, putting an emphasis on teamwork and eyeing up drivers with the potential to add a lot to the team's overall performance.
It's a lot of fun, with the fake team design at times reminiscent of the old unlicensed F1 games of the 1990s such as the Monaco Grand Prix series. There's something very entertaining about creating a vibrant car design and challenging for the top spot as things develop. Playing on harder difficulties is undoubtedly better, as the slow build up from being at the back of the pack to challenging for wins is very rewarding.
My Team isn't perfect, though. Although the livery customization is adequate, a bit more flexibility when it comes to creation would be preferable, with the options feeling a little limited when compared to the complexity seen in the designs of the actual teams. This leaves the player's choice standing out a little too much, which can take them out of the moment.
It's this occasional immersion breaking that holds back My Team from truly reaching its full potential. Although the licensing restrictions would undoubtedly be a legal minefield, things like real world sponsors would have added a lot, tying in to the ability to sign F2 drivers and choose from a selection of genuine engine providers like Honda and Ferrari. Somehow, this leaves My Team not quite as captivating as the fictional drivers from last year's Career Mode.
When it comes to the Career mode, this easily provides a suitable alternative to My Team. The mode is back, albeit without the fake F2 rivals of last year, but player options for a F2 prologue are much more advanced than in F1 2019, which makes up for the disappearance of Devon Butler and Lukas Weber. For those who don't gel with My Team, then the traditional Career Mode is still here, and just as fun as before.
It's this choice that shows why F1 2020 is an improvement on last year's game. F1 2020 has continued the quality of racing from previous iterations with a handful of much-needed updates, and has also expanded on what's available to keep players happy. Codemasters has avoiding replacing features, something that has been a constant bugbear of long-running series like The Sims, and instead has grown its options to make the game accessible to everyone depending on what they're looking for.
Those that are after a difficult simulation experience should know that their needs are still being met in F1 2020. Although the title still doesn't quite scratch the itch of pure sim games like iRacing, F1 2020 does offer up a serious challenge when the assists are turned off and the driver AI is cranked up. The pure sim fans will still need to turn to something a little more niche, but F1 2020 isn't a slouch, with its tougher moments requiring the same kind of skill and concentration seen in DiRT Rally 2.0.
At the other end of the spectrum, Codemasters has done a lot of work to try and make F1 2020 accessible to newcomers. There's a new Casual difficulty setup which makes the game much more forgiving, easing braking and cornering requirements to be less demanding for fresh players. Given that both F1 as a sport and racing games in general can struggle to get new fans on board, particularly young ones, it's a much-needed addition for older F1 fans looking to pass on the torch.
Perhaps the best example of this is the reintroduction of local multiplayer via split screen. There are obvious limitations in terms of graphical expectations, which is often cited by other developers as to why split screen cannot be added to their games, but split screen here is very enjoyable with an easy playlist feature for choosing circuits and plenty of options for race length. Racing fans will probably be grateful to have something other than kart racers to play in local multiplayer, even if it's not as pretty as the core game.
Other than that there are some noteworthy quality of life improvements from F1 2019. As mentioned in our F1 2020 preview, Energy Recovery System deployment is more intuitive this time around, and a simpler UI provides a surprising amount of clarity compared to previous games. Meanwhile, other updates to aspects such as race starts and wet race driving make it a sleeker, more subtle racing game.
Overall, F1 2020 maintains the series' position as a go-to place for an exceptional racing game. This is particularly true when seen in comparison to other annual franchises that don't put in the work, with My Team adding a genuine new challenge for players to think about. Those who haven't enjoyed previous years' releases won't find something new to love here, but for everyone else it's one of the most broadly appealing racing games available.
F1 2020 releases 10 July 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. Screen Rant was provided with a PS4 download code for the purposes of this review.