EA Sports officially released the 2025 edition of the Formula One (F1) game for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S earlier this year.
The game has subsequently received plenty of positive reviews, with many people describing it as a massive improvement on its predecessors.
Innovative F1 25 updates have changed the way cars perform on track, especially during wet conditions. Game developers have also made accelerating from tight corners more realistic.
When you factor in further upgrades in UI, graphics and audio, it is no surprise that many gaming enthusiasts believe F1 25 is the best edition of the game ever created.
What’s New in F1 25?
Codemasters constantly looks for new ways to make the F1 game much better than previous iterations. This time, they may have struck gold.
One of the many upgrades in F1 25 was the addition of the Formula 2 grid, along with all the cars, teams and drivers.
But taking a further peek behind the curtain reveals the lengths EA Sports and Codemasters went to make sure that the latest edition is by far the best of the franchise.
In their efforts to make the game more realistic, they upgraded the game’s driving model. They re-engineered the tyre physics to make sure that abrasion now depends more on how players drive.
They have also revamped the suspension system and added new LiDAR-scanned tracks, including bumps, camber variations and kerb textures, so players get a sense of what an F1 machine feels like.
Some of the more exciting additions came outside the cockpit, with F1 25 doubling down on narrative and immersion.
Off-track drama is part of what makes F1 exciting and entertaining, and EA wanted to make sure players get to experience that in the game.
The ‘Braking Point 3’ story is part of the Drive to Survive (DTS)- inspired formula that comes with rivalries, press room mind games, media soundbites and soap opera dialogue.
There is also the ‘My Team 2.0’ feature, where players take charge of an F1 team. They can sign drivers, prioritise upgrades and balance budgets to drive their team to the top.
Updated Driver Ratings
F1 25 reflects the performance of each driver in the real world. Every year, the developers tweak driver ratings based on form, consistency and F1 pundit opinion.
However, some of the adjustments in F1 25 raised a few eyebrows. Unsurprisingly, Max Verstappen is still the highest-rated driver with an overall rating of 94.
His performances for Red Bull have taken the sport by storm after winning the drivers’ championship four times in a row. But further down the order, things get more interesting.
F1 icon Lewis Hamilton has been handed an overall rating of 90 despite blowing hot and cold since ditching Mercedes for Ferrari.
He has had a few unsavoury moments, such as the unforced error at Zandvoort that ultimately led to an embarrassing exit from the race. Despite his woes, he is still a force to be reckoned with in F1 25, although that might have something to do with his legendary status in the sport.
While Hamilton maintains the status quo, Carlos Sainz’s stock has plummeted. His overall rating has taken a six-point hit through two ranking updates after a difficult first season at Williams.
Meanwhile, one of the most talked-about drivers is McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The Australian is ranked as the joint second-highest rated driver in the game, alongside teammate Lando Norris.
Piastri is hugely popular with Australian sports bettors. They have wagered heavily on him winning the 2025 world title and he is on course to deliver a winning return for them.
The sportsbooks featured on the australianbettingsites.net.au comparison platform face a sizeable payout of Piastri fends off his rivals this season.
His impact stretches beyond the AustralianBettingSites platform, with gamers worldwide loving what he brings to the table in F1 25.
F1 25’s Record Sales Prove it is an All-Time Great
F1 25 sales record is the clearest proof that the latest edition is the greatest game in the franchise.
EA reported a 27 percent year-on-year increase in sales compared to F1 24. To put that figure into context, F1 25 sold more even though it was launched on fewer platforms than its predecessor.
According to EA, F1 25’s resounding success was ‘supported by an enhanced gameplay experience, including real-world integration with F1 The Movie’.
The company believes that the movie helped to widen the sport’s audience, drawing fans from around the world, which in turn helped with the game’s remarkable sales performance.
The number of players who purchased the game on Steam was also surprising, considering F1 25’s main audience prefers PlayStation and Xbox. Steam player numbers increased year-on-year, making it clear that F1 25 is the holy grail of the franchise.
EA decided against making the game available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for the first time. It was a huge decision, but it ultimately had no effect on revenue.