Another month has passed, which means it’s time for Frontier to reveal another exciting new feature coming to F1 Manager 2024. After focusing on the new Create a Team mode, the latest Frontier Unlocked stream provides a deep dive into the new driver mentality system, bringing a whole new element to the game.
Let’s take a look at the mental side of Formula 1, along with some other incredible features coming to F1 Manager 2024.
Mental driving
F1 Manager, as the name implies, delves more into the management side of F1 compared to the F1 series’ focus on driving. Part of managing an F1 team is keeping your drivers and staff motivated and happy, and F1 Manager 2024’s new mentality system is key to that.
Building on the morale system introduced in F1 Manager 23, the mentality system brings personality to every single driver and member of staff available to hire. The mentality system is primarily split into three key areas: individual performance, the team’s performance, and your own performance as Team Principal.
Several factors affect how your driver or staff member feels within those areas. A bad performance in a race, a driver's teammate being preferred over them, or even a poor car in the season season can result in your drivers becoming unhappy. Unhappy drivers are more susceptible to being poached, so it’s crucial to keep an eye on their mentality between races.
Driver mentality also affects race performance. An unhappy driver is more likely to perform badly out on track, lap more slowly and even cause an incident during a race.
On the staff side, those involved in car development can end up designing a bad car part if their mentality is too poor. With development just as crucial as the driving, this means every member of the team needs to be considered when it comes to mentality.
Mentality Hub
The new Mentality Hub allows players to observe the mentality of every member of the team, both drivers and staff. Every decision you make will affect the mentality of the team now, so it’s important to consider the bigger picture on even the smallest of choices.
Selecting a member of the team in the Mentality Hub and then highlighting an area of their mentality shows you the area in which they are most unhappy, giving you valuable insight into how to correct potential mistakes. Someone unhappy with their salary may need a contract renewal, while others might be upset with the team’s lack of point scoring.
This creates a storytelling element in the series. Team members are now more than just portraits on the screen - they have real personalities that can affect the team’s performance. This adds an element we’ve not really seen in an F1 game before, not even in Codemasters’ F1 series.
Team cohesion is now more important than just hiring the best-rated drivers and staff available to you. If your team can’t work well together, you won’t be going anywhere fast when the lights go out.
While the new mentality system is the highlight of Frontier's latest F1 Manager 2024 deep dive, it’s not the only new feature that was shown off during April's Unlocked stream.
Track upgrades
Every F1 Manager iteration brings visual upgrades to the series, and F1 Manager 2024 is no different. This year sees the majority of tracks receive an overhaul, with extra trackside details increasing the immersion.
The preview shows Albert Park, Monza, Zandvoort, Spa, and COTA all looking stunning, with the upgrades really bringing out the best of each circuit. Using a technique called "splat mapping", the art team has added extra details such as gravel traps, grassy patches, and even tyre marks on the surface.
Most players probably won't notice details, but add to the visuals when watching the race from the broadcast cameras as well as in the cut scenes that play before and after races.
Along with the visual upgrades, there has also been some action in the pit lane. For the first time in the F1 Manager series, pit lane reordering is possible in F1 Manager 2024. This will see your team progress up the pit lane the higher up the standings you finish. With the reigning champions taking the best garage in the pits, your team could eventually claim this garage as your own.
New driver scans
Theo Pourchaire was one of the most signed drivers in F1 Manager 2023, despite not having a face scan for players to admire. That’s all changed now in F1 Manager 2024, with Pourchaire, along with Liam Lawson, receiving full face scans for this year’s entry.
As the current champion of Formula 2, Pourchaire is without a drive for 2024. You can still hire him for your team, however, with the young Frenchman ready to hop into a car and rack up those wins.
As for Lawson, 2023 saw the Kiwi deputize for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. Lawson competed in five races during the 2023 season, scoring his first and only points during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Both Lawson and Pourchaire will be available as fully-scanned drivers. There has been no confirmation yet if their voices can be heard on the radio, but radio archive messages could possibly be used for Lawson.
Other new features
As we’ve already mentioned, unhappy drivers and staff members can be poached by rival teams in F1 Manager 2024. A message may land in your inbox stating that another team has approached them, giving you a chance to convince them to stay by offering improved terms.
This is a feature many have been asking for since F1 Manager 22 kicked off the franchise, so it’s fantastic to see Frontier listening to the community by bringing it in this year.
In a brilliant move, Frontier chose to demonstrate this feature with Lewis Hamilton revealing he’s been approached by Ferrari. In this scenario, his move will take place mid-season before the next race, so the timeline for renegotiating can be pretty short.
Another highly-requested feature is also making its debut in F1 Manager 2024. Players will now be able to simulate races, taking away the first-season slog that plagues players who take charge of a backmarker team.
This feature flies under the radar for most of the preview, but will definitely be a crowd-pleaser when the game launches. Even the most successful Team Principal sometimes wants to skip Monaco, and now they can!
What do you make of the new features shown off in April’s Frontier Unlocked? Let us know in the comments below!
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