F1 Manager 2022 wowed fans, including Max Verstappen, as a whole new type of gaming.
While sports management games are nothing new, it was the first big-budget take on F1 management in a long time.
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It was the best-looking and most immersive game of the genre currently on the market, and makes good use of its official F1 licence.
However, it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. F1M22 had a clunky UI and faulty mechanics that left players frustrated.
Post-launch support failed to address these issues, and the game felt like a missed opportunity.
However, F1 Manager 2023 is a chance to start fresh, and our hands-off preview event left us cautiously optimistic.
All the things that were great about F1M22 are still here, like the immersion and the authenticity.
The new car models are here, and new tracks have been integrated, including Las Vegas and Qatar.
Sprints are now less about pit-stop strategy and more about tire management and balancing risks, which is closer to real life.
F2 and F3 have been added, allowing you to follow potential recruits on their career journeys.
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You can also sign rookies for the end of the season rather than immediately.
Driver development also feels more natural; instead of manually investing in every skill point, you can now choose which areas you want them to focus on.
There are also more dilemmas for managers to deal with, which makes your job on the team feel more impactful.
This follows community feedback from the first game, and is a welcome addition to see.
There are also adjustments to the cost cap, to further challenge your decision-making skills, and Red Bull Racing will start with a penalty, mimicking real life.
Players can sacrifice speed for durability on their cars, which works well with the new cost cap rules.
While certain parts will make you faster, that has to be balanced with the higher cost of maintaining them.
In terms of the look of F1M23, there has definitely been an upgrade in terms of collision visuals and physics.
There is also a confidence rating based on things such as driver’s set-ups, which in turn will in affect their skill.
A larger focus has also been put on the tires, including the temperature, life and performance.
This gives the whole process a more realistic feel compared to what we saw last year.
The biggest changes are the much-needed quality-of-life improvements, such as the ability to save during a race, and to see a 3D map of the track.
Disappointingly, the UI hasn’t seen the overhaul we think it deserves, which will be irritating for those playing on PC.
F1 Manager 2023 looks to play into the strengths of its predecessor and pad out its weaknesses, while clearly sticking to the foundations laid last year.
Just like in a F1 race, it all depends on how this will be executed, but it seems that there is the right strategy for this restart.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
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