We've been so impressed with F1 2021 so far. The official Formula 1 game is once again brimming with quality content, and we can't get enough of playing it.
It's sometimes easy to forget though, that this is also the official Formula 2 game as well. F2 is the direct feeder series to Formula 1 and the 2020 roster of teams and drivers is all fully licensed.
Driving the Formula 2 cars isn't as easy as you'd think, though. They present a very different challenge to their F1 counterparts. Here's how to master them!
How to find the F2 cars
Aside from the opening of Braking Point, the main places to find the F2 cars are in Grand Prix and Time Trial mode. To find these, press R1 when you're on the home menu to cycle to the "Solo" menu. Both will be on the right-hand side of the screen.
You then choose the F2 2020 cars and have a choice of which team you wish to drive for. Interestingly, in Grand Prix mode, you can opt to race the entire 2020 F2 season. When it comes to choosing the circuit though, you can race around any in the game, not just those on the Formula 2 calendar.
In GP mode, you're also able to race as a specific F2 driver from 2020. This includes drivers that are now in F1 like Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda.
A different beast
Just because the F2 cars are slower than their F1 counterparts, doesn't make them easy to drive. In fact, in some ways, they're harder, especially when it comes to traction.
The simpler aerodynamics on the Formula 2 machines produce less downforce and therefore less grip than those in F1. That means that you have to be very careful when getting back on the throttle after a slow corner. The lack of aero does help overtaking though, as you can follow closer in the dirty air of another car.
Braking zones aren't much different to that in F1, as you'll be arriving into them at a lower speed but also have weaker brakes. The top speed of these cars is nothing to shake a stick at though, as you'll be reach 200 mph (320 kph) with a slipstream at Monza.
Cornering will be much different to what you're used to in an F1 car as well. It down to aero again, so corners that are sometimes flat in an F1 machine, aren't in F2. Take Bahrain's Turn 12 and Spain's Turn 3 as examples of this.
Something else to keep in mind is that unlike Formula 1, F2 is a spec series. This means that all of the F2 cars are identical in terms of performance, only the liveries and team names are different. So, this makes it a great series to find your feet in when you're a beginner to the F1 games.
Race weekends
The racing weekend is also something that's different in F2 compared to Formula 1. Formula 2 has two races every weekend, a sprint and a feature race. The Feature race is longer but awards more points than the Sprint. For example, only the top eight finishers pick up points in the Sprint race but the top ten score in the Feature.
Both races are around half the length of a Grand Prix, but the difference in length does make a difference to your strategy. Usually, the Sprint race is a no-stop, whereas the feature is a one-stop. Thanks to the low tyre wear in F1, this means that tyre conservation is even more important in F2 and mistakes on-track are arguably more costly.
The top ten of the grid is also reversed after the Sprint race to form the Feature race's line-up. I.e., If you win the Sprint race, you'll be starting in tenth for the Feature contest.
The weekend format has been revamped for 2021 though, with a second Sprint race being added. So, it'll be interesting to see if that is updated when the 2021 F2 cars drop. But when is that likely to happen?
What about the 2021 F2 field?
Just like the previous two games, we will be getting the current Formula 2 grid added in via an update. If you want to play as the likes of Theo Pourchaire and Oscar Piastri, you'll have to wait until around December. However, with EA backing Codemasters now, that could be brought forward, but we'll have to wait and see.