Formula 1’s explosion in popularity over the last five years has many driving factors, but perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of it have been gamers. Without this growth in global fandom we probably wouldn’t have the F1 Manager series.
First launched in 2022, Frontier Developments new series bought a depth of experience to F1 gamers that they hadn’t had in a generation. This summer F1 Manager 2023 is set to take that even further. This year’s game comes with some major improvements and new layers of gameplay that will have you feeling ready to apply for jobs with Red Bull and Ferrari.
Development detail
In F1 Manager 2023, you act as team principal for any of the 10 Formula 1 teams that you want. Taking over at the start of the 2023 season, you have a huge amount of responsibilities to take up, with most of them being between the races rather than on the pitwall itself.
You need to manage your drivers and staff, negotiate contracts to stay within the budget cap and make sure you have the best personnel available, but your biggest job is developing the car into a world-beater.
This is where F1 Manager shines, especially when compared to other Formula 1 games out there. You don’t just pick a specific part to build with an in-game currency. You have to balance your budget cap, personnel time, and things like MAU hours to develop parts in minute detail. Weighing up top speed with cornering performance, engine cooling, and overall weight.
It also takes a long time to research new upgrades and then manufacture them, forcing you to decide if it is worthwhile to get one piece rushed onto the car that could just end up damaged without a replacement come race weekend.
Each upgrade you order takes away options to develop the car elsewhere. Putting all your focus on low-drag performance for tracks like Monza and Baku reduces your performance at low-speed tracks like Monaco and Singapore. It is a careful balancing act and one that is not represented in any other Formula 1 game out there right now.
The full experience
Formula 1 rules, regulations, and drivers change regularly, making F1 games a tricky proposition, but Frontier and F1 Manager 2023 are staying on top of the game.
The increase in sprint race weekends was finalised at the tail end of 2022, but the actual format was only set in stone in late April 2023.
The new game will arrive with sprint race weekends exactly when the F1 teams experience it. That means these weekends will require careful tyre management and plenty of spare parts as you have another 100km of racing to prepare for!
This is not the only area where F1 Manager 2023 offers more detail than other F1 games though. Part of your duties as team principal is to hire & fire drivers, and F1 Manager 2023 not only has every F1 driver, but all the F2 and F3 drivers as well as the current reserve drivers. That means the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Mick Schumacher, and even Alex Palou are all available to sign.
Along with those established names, F1 Manager 2023 fully simulates the F2 and F3 races, which means the young drivers will continue to develop in the background. You will have to keep a keen eye on who is doing well and looking likely to be the next Charles Leclerc or Oscar Piastri.
Save money with Fanatical
If you are like the sound of all that then you don’t have long to wait for F1 Manager 2023! The Deluxe Edition unlocks on 27 July and PC players can save big with Fanatical. You can save 19% on both the Standard and Deluxe Edition when you enter our exclusive F1MRG code when you reach the checkout.
The Standard Edition will unlock on 31 July, meaning you will have to wait four extra days over the Deluxe Edition before you can jump into the world of F1 Manager 2023.