The Miami Grand Prix will make its debut on the Formula 1 calendar in May 2022.
Confirmed this week, the new American circuit has fans excited and is also a good indication of F1's renewed desire to conquer the American market.
For gamers, it is another circuit to learn and master. We have been spoiled in recent years as F1 fans, with new tracks coming into the F1 games. But just because the track has been confirmed, doesn't mean it will be in F1 2022 when the game arrives.
Waiting for the details
While the circuit outline has been publicised, that doesn't mean that Codemasters can immediately get to work on building the track for F1 2022.
The topography of the area needs to be scoped out, and of course Codemasters build run-off areas, marshal posts, surrounding buildings and vegetation, not just a circuit. Hell with this track they need to recreate the whole Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins!
Codemasters won't know the specifics that they have to recreate until F1 confirms all the minor details as well as the major ones, and that won't happen for a while.
The track itself looks like it will be a fun ride. With corners reminiscent of Sepang, Turkey, and Canada there should be plenty of wheel-to-wheel action.
But as we know from F1 2021, it takes Codemasters around a year to create 1 track, and Miami isn't even the only track they may have to make. There are rumours of Sepang coming back to the F1 calendar, and the potential for an appearance from Istanbul Park too.
As we saw with Portimao, Codemasters can absolutely nail the creation of a new track, but they can't do it overnight.
Not the only thing the need to do
F1 2022 will be the biggest change to F1 gaming since F1 2017. With entirely new spec cars coming to the grid, every single detail of the game's physics and handling will need to be overhauled.
The challenges of this are enormous, as we have seen in previous titles like F1 2014 where new regulations mess with the quality that Codemasters build year on year.
Getting the new cars spot on for launch will surely be prioritised over having Miami ready for launch, especially with the delayed introduction of Portimao, Imola, and Jeddah this year going smoothly.
While the confirmation of a new location is exciting for everyone, expectations should be tempered for diving right in when the new game arrives.