F1 23 is the most complete Formula 1 racing game to-date, with features that will satisfy hardcore fans and engage new ones, offering realistic and graphically stunning gameplay.
With F1 23, EA Sports and Codemasters had the difficult challenge of making a realistic F1 racing game which gives players an unfiltered experience, that's as close to driving an F1 car as possible, whilst also making it accessible and fun for people who've never played an F1 game before. A difficult task, but they've pulled it off.
Whether it's the new updated physics and handling that will delight the sim racers among us, the Braking Point 2 cinematic story mode that will no doubt engage the more casual player base, the new Precision Drive feature for controller players, the My Team and Career Mode for the single player experience, or the league racing overhaul for the multiplayer social community, F1 23 has something for pretty much everyone.
Handling and physics changes
As we touched on in our F1 23 gameplay preview, the handling and physics have undergone some big changes for this year in three key areas; acceleration, braking, and cornering. Basically, all of the areas in which you can make up, or lose time.
Codemasters engaged with F1 drivers like Anthony Davidson, and the F1 teams themselves, to get feedback on how it could improve the handling for F1 23, and the changes it's implemented have resulted in a significant overhaul to the handling model. Such is the scale of the changes, certain corners that were particularly scary and dicey in F1 22 due to the overall lack of grip, can now be attacked with real confidence, thanks to changes in physics calculations, changes to the floor and changes to torque delivery, which has lead to a more progressive gear to throttle output.
Copse corner at Silverstone can now be taken flat out, Maggots and Becketts is faster than ever, Au Rouge in Belgium is not even a corner, Ascari at Monza can be taken at full throttle pretty easily, and the S Curves at Suzuka flow like never before. Overall, you have significantly more grip in high and medium speed corners, where the car feels planted, but you also have way more feeling and traction in slow speed corners, giving you a better opportunity to get that perfect exit. Modern F1 cars have so much traction, and that's been implemented into the F1 23 handling model.
In F1 22, with traction control turned off, the throttle pedal felt like an untameable beast that was ready to send you spinning whenever your foot went near it; particularly out of slow corners, with the wheels continuing to spin even in third or fourth gear. But in F1 23, you still have to be precise and controlled with the throttle, but there's so much more traction that you can pretty much plant your foot when you get into high revs in second gear.
Don't get me wrong, the cars are still incredibly clumsy at slow speed, but that's exactly how they behave in real life. Kerbs were a big talking point in F1 22 – particularly at tracks like Monza and Miami – but these have been changed for this year and are much more predictable; although if you get it wrong and go straight into the kerb, the floor will make contact and you'll go flying into the gravel!
I reviewed the game on PC, using the Next Level Racing GTtrack cockpit and the Logitech G Pro racing wheel, and thanks to the changes to the underfloor of the cars, F1 23 gives you more feedback in all areas, whether that's over kerbs, over rumble strips, or on a set of 50 lap-old tyres. The handling, physics and feedback in F1 23 are remarkably different compared with its predecessor F1 22, with the cars being easier to drive and predict, particularly when it comes to traction and high-speed corner grip, offering a more realistic and enjoyable driving experience.
Braking Point 2
Braking Point, the narrative-driven single-player story mode, makes its return in F1 23 following its debut in F1 2021, with Braking Point 2 featuring a cast of familiar characters and a host of new ones too, and is a direct continuation from where the story left off. Players will once again play the majority of the mode through the eyes of Aiden Jackson, but you'll also get to play as the infamous pantomime villain Devon Butler, who is now Jackson's teammate at the newly-established Konnersport Racing Team.
The graphics within said cutscenes are seriously impressive. The facial expressions of the models combined with brilliant voice acting are a huge step forward compared to what players experienced in the original Braking Point story, and without spoiling too much, it's thoroughly engaging and genuinely worth putting time into – even if the challenges are a bit too easy, even on the hardest mode.
Not only that, but you'll also get to step into the shoes of Andreo Konner, team principle and owner of Konnersport, making decisions about how the team is run. You'll also meet Davidoff Butler, Devon's father, and F2 champion Callie Mayer, who is hungry for a shot in Formula 1. Codemasters has really pushed the envelope with Braking Point 2, introducing new storytelling elements including Netflix Drive to Survive-inspired cutscenes, as well as the more traditional fare between certain characters.
One of the highlights of Braking Point 2 is Mayer's story, and you'll get to step into her shoes at key points throughout. With the investment that Formula One is putting into its all-female racing series, F1 Academy, it seems only a matter of time before we'll see a woman among the men on the F1 grid.
New features and new tracks
There's a number of new features that have made their way into F1 23 thanks to community feedback, including the addition of a 35% race distance mode (which is often used in esports events) and Red Flags, which play a huge role in the result of real-life F1 races that offers more drama and a chance to rethink your strategy.
The F1 World Hub is a new menu option for F1 23, which houses all of the more traditional modes including Grand Prix, Time Trial and multiplayer, so if you can't find these modes from the main menu, that's where they are! There's also new daily, weekly and seasonal content and challenges which players can compete in with their very own F1 World car, which can have its own custom livery.
As you progress through these challenges, you'll notice an increase in your Tech Level, which in turn increases the performance of your F1 World car and opens up new challenges. As a multiplayer and time trial sim racer, these challenges didn't really draw me in, but for the more casual players, it's a new way to play the game and learn the ropes without getting into the serious stuff.
The league racing overhaul is right up my street, with Codemasters now allowing players to create, join, schedule and manage custom multiplayer championships directly from the EA Racenet web app, where you can also analyse telemetry data, lap times, and more just by linking your EA account.
One of the most impressive things about F1 23 is the inclusion of the Las Vegas Street Circuit, which has been added to the Formula One World Championship calendar for the first time this season. But, with the race scheduled for November, the track itself doesn't actually exist in real life yet.
Codemasters has used thousands of reference photos, photogrammetry and CAD data to recreate the circuit in F1 23, which features a 1.181 mi flat-out section through the Las Vegas Strip, showcasing some of the area's most famous hotels and casinos. The fact it's been able to do it at all is seriously impressive, and it looks visually stunning to boot.
For those who enjoy My Team and single-player Career Mode, there have been some minor changes including the new tracks, new driving ratings and facilities, stability improvements and new presentations, including the introduction of Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham. But unfortunately, it's largely the same mode as last year.
As a wheel and pedal racer, I was a bit dubious about the new Precision Drive feature, which Codemasters claims delivers more control, precision and finesse for controller players, thanks to a tech rewrite. And although I'm not going to be putting my trusty wheel away just yet, there's definitely an improvement when playing with a controller, and it should mean controller players aren't at as much of a disadvantage as they once were.
Overall thoughts
Hardcore players, sim racers and pro esports players alike will absolutely love the new physics and handling changes introduced for F1 23. But so will the more casual players, and with the variety of different assists, AI levels and more chilled challenges and modes, it's accessible for players of all skill levels.
Thanks in part to the the popularity of Netflix's Drive to Survive series, and part due to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's intense championship battle in 2021, Formula One is no longer a sport only for petrolheads. It has a whole new generation of fans that enjoy the racing, but equally, that can relate to the personality of the drivers. And the same thing has happened with F1 games, which were once pretty niche, but that's no longer the case.
Codemasters and EA Sports had to deliver a complete experience with F1 23. It had to be a game that could be used as the basis for a professional esports championship series, but at the same time, can also be enjoyed by complete newbies and more casual players. And, they've delivered.
Thanks to the new handling upgrades, improved graphics, Braking Point 2, F1 World, League Racing overhaul and the already established My Team and Career modes, F1 23 is the most complete Formula One game I've ever played.
