REVIEW: F1 2021

Is F1 2021 a truly Formula One experience? This is the best F1 sim ever!

Codemasters' commitment to a realistic simulation of Formula One racing was what blew me away about F1 2019. Growing up watching Formula 1, I used to watch every race weekend with my Dad, right around the peak of Michael Schumacher’s career. It was easy to become captivated by the bright red Scuderia during Schumacher's tenure at Scuderia Ferrari. The sport has seen a renewed interest over the years, thanks in no small measure to the young championship potential of drivers like Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.

Codemasters shining dedication.

My friend Matt, a veteran F1 2020player and a complete steering wheel/pedals setup, helped me prepare for this review. Matt was a master at pointing out the improvements in F12021, which I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. He also enabled me to play the game with a complete driving setup instead of just using a controller. This review has been written with Matt's thoughts in mind. Thank you, Matt!

If you've never played an F1 game before, the experience will be quite jarring compared to what you expect an F1 car to handle like. F1 cars can be very difficult to maneuver around corners because they move at high speeds. This is how you will appreciate Codemasters' commitment to providing a realistic F1 driving experience.

This car has a great balance between full driving setup and controller. With the increased downforce and weight of the cars, they feel solid and balanced. The traction control is much more harsh and unforgiving than 2020 even though the simulation settings have a higher traction control. This lends itself to a much more realistic experience.

F1 2021 has a steep learning curve. It is possible to find yourself spinning out or getting stuck in the tyre wall while trying to complete a lap. If you persevere, it won't take long before it all clicks and you will be able to complete any track on the list without having to make any mistakes. It took me hours to complete a lap around the Australian Grand Prix. I would say "This is impossible!"

It all clicked suddenly. I was able to consistently complete laps and finish the entire race. Monaco still drives my crazy though. It is terrifying and exhilarating to feel like you can lose the whole race at any moment. You can adjust the simulation settings to suit your needs.

Burning rubber

The Codemasters have gone above and beyond with the settings. You can modify almost every aspect of the game by going to the tab'simulation settings' on the options screen. You can change the surface type, AI difficulty and car damage. You can also adjust the 'Assists tab to make it easier or harder for yourself. You can also turn on automatic pit exit, brake assist, and an automatic/manual gearbox. This makes F12021 a great choice for both experienced players and beginners due to its incredible customisation.

The game looks very similar to F12020, which means it looks great but has very little variation. The graphics further away from your area seem to be the most important source of visual improvement. Particularly, the foliage and trees have shown an improvement over previous instalments. Character models, particularly facially, have seen a significant improvement which has helped pull the series out from the uncanny valley.

The game runs well on the PS4 Pro. It can run at 60 frames per second on single-player. Split screen play runs the game at 30 frames per second. Split screen can be difficult to handle as the game must run smoothly to allow you to drive efficiently with very small margins of error (and in Monaco, none).

There are more details than ever.

It is easier to hear than see the difference in audio quality. Audio is great without headphones. The sound of gear changes is crisp and clear. The rev sounds can be used to tell you when it is time to shift gears. You don't need to glance at the rev counter to learn when you should change gears. There were even variations depending on which car you had. A Formula Two car may produce different sounds than an F1 vehicle. A McLaren, however, sounds very different from an Aston Martin in Formula One.

Career mode is back, and it's more detailed than ever. Career mode allows you to create your own driver, and you can aim for the team that you want by choosing your driver's academy. You are more likely to be drafted by Mercedes Driver Academy. You must first start in Formula Two. Before you can enter Formula 1, you will need to race in Formula Two for either a short or long season. F2 is where you decide which F1 teams will offer you a job.

After you have settled into your new team, Research and Development can be done to improve your car. You can also pick another driver to race against to gain more fame and participate in weekend races. You will be practicing the track and running tests during practice sessions. Qualifying is a speed test that determines where you will start on the grid. The race itself is the final step. The press often questions you and your answers can have an impact on the team's morale. Pro tip: Be kind to your team.

Change lanes

My favorite change and the biggest draw was the addition of a full-fledged story mode. Braking Point is the new story mode that can be accessed via the single player tab. Braking Point is a completely different experience than standard Career Mode. Both Aiden Jackson or Casper Akkerman will be your roles. Aiden, a young British driver who has dominated Formula 2, is offered a seat on an F1 team of his choice. Aiden's teammate is Casper Akkerman, a veteran Dutch star driver who has lost his star status. He is skeptical and hostile from the beginning. Their rivalry and its effects on them and their team is the story. The story also features Devon Butler's return from the F2 section of F1 2019,. He is as arrogant and proud as ever.

This game is an "annual sports game" and the story writing is quite good. While I was initially a fan of Aiden during the first part of Braking Point's Braking Point, however, I grew to love Casper and his problems as he progresses. Braking Point is well worth the effort. You can see the rivalries between Aiden and Casper in F1 by rewatching Drive To Survive. This is especially true when you consider the timing clashes of young drivers racing alongside older drivers like Kimi Raikkonen.

There is no escape from the Micro.

As there are always cons, there are some. The roster's starting number of tracks is the same as F1 2020. Although tracks like Portugal were reintroduced to F1 2020, they are still missing from the launch game. Codemasters has announced that new tracks will be added through updates. You can also earn battle passes to unlock customization items such as helmets and car liveries. You can also purchase customisation items through a microtransaction economy using pit coins. These items seem unavoidable in these games, don't you think?

F12021 is an excellent entry that surpasses its predecessors in terms gameplay, customization, and visuals. It doesn't have new tracks at launch, for example. The addition of Braking Point and fleshing out the career mode adds more replayability. As the drama behind the scenes of F1 is fascinating, I hope that story mode will be a standard feature. F12021 has captured my attention just as much as when I was a child.

F12021 is the most popular F1 sim.