F1 Manager 2022 gameplay trailer: 5 things you may have missed

After months of anticipation, Frontier Developments has lifted the bonnet on F1 Manager 2022, with the first gameplay trailer finally showing what races look like. The broadcast-style presentation sets a new benchmark for manager games.

Whereas most management games depict races in with an overhead view of moving dots, races are shown in TV-style camera views. Frontier has also recreated all the cars and tracks from the 2022 season with stunning accuracy.

The latest F1 Manager 2022 trailer gives us a first look at the game’s racing action, but there are some hidden details you may have missed.

Mechanical failures

Like in real life, races in F1 Manager 2022 are unpredictable. Racing incidents can happen and shake up the grid. As Team Principal, you’ll need to react to these incidents and make the right calls.

As a race gets underway in the trailer, an Alpine driver rear ends the car in front, causing it to spin out of control. We then hear a panicked driver telling his engineers that he’s lost power. For added authenticity, driver voice recordings are sampled from real team radio samples.

These random mechanical failures will require you to think on your feet, make unexpected pit stops, and adjust your race strategy on the fly.

Animated race teams

F1 Manager 2022’s detailed driver face scans instantly impressed when the game was first announced. Using 3D face scanning technology, Frontier has done a commendable job capturing the likenesses of drivers like Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Daniel Ricciardo.

Not only are the drivers fully modelled, but the whole team is represented. Fully animated race teams are shown in the trailer monitoring the race from the pit wall, discussing strategies, and celebrating victories. It all helps recreate the electrifying atmosphere of an F1 race.

Notably, none of the real-life Team Principals feature in the trailer. Unfortunately, this suggests personalities made famous by Drive to Survive like Christian Horner and Toto Wolff won’t appear in the game.

Pace commands

During races, you can issue driver commands to adjust their pace. Frontier has discussed these commands before, but the trailer shows which commands are available. On the right of the screen, the pace commands window has five options: Attack, Aggressive, Standard, Light, and Conserve.

Pace commands are all about risk versus reward: do you pick up the pace and fight for a spot on the podium or conserve your tyres to maximise team points?

Summaries

If you’ve never played a management game before, F1 Manager 2022's array of menus and in-depth management options can seem daunting. Happily, however, Frontier has added accessibility options to make the game more approachable for novice players.

Email notifications, for example help guide players on their Team Principal journey. For example, in the trailer a Technical Chief emails the player telling them that development of a new rear wing is complete and suggests ordering the part.

When developing car parts, a summary tab shown in the trailer breaks down all the technical information to make it easier for new players to understand.

Tyre performance indicator

Tyre strategies can make or break a team’s race in F1, and this is true in F1 Manager 2022. When creating race strategies, tyre choices are crucial as they need to be suitable for the weather conditions.

F1 Manager 2022 also lets you monitor your car’s tyre wear in real-time during races. At the bottom right of the screen, a tyre performance indicator shows the current state of your tyres and how much they have degraded. A shot in the trailer shows George Russell’s tyres running at 96 percent performance, but tyres will gradually wear throughout the race.

Release date

F1 Manager 2022 finally has a release date.

Just in time for the Belgian Grand Prix, the trailer confirms F1 Manager 2022 will launch on 30 August on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. Preordering the game will also give players five days early access on 25 August.