12 Reasons Why F1 2016 Is The Formula 1 Game We’ve All Been Waiting For

F1 2015 was a good game and an impressive start for Codemasters on new-generation consoles, bringing the fastest single-seater series in the world to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Improved handling and graphics were clear to see, but the lack of a career mode and other game features let it down.

Now the franchise is back with a bang. F1 2016 brings things to a whole new level. It’s an all-round improvement, while adding exciting new features, bringing a few back and creating an immersive new career mode. It’s the best Formula 1 game we’ve seen and certainly the best that I’ve played.

Here’s what makes the new F1 2016 title so good and why it should be added to your new-gen game collection:

1. Career mode’s back

The big downside with F1 2015 was the lack of a career mode, with more focus on the game itself rather than the features within it. The absence of career mode meant many fans were left disappointed but fortunately it’s made a return, and in quite some style.

Career mode in F1 2016 now spans a staggering 10 seasons and brings back practice sessions, while boasting new in-session objectives, immersive cinematics and research and development tasks that can transform the pecking order – but more on those later.

The detail and thought behind its creation is impressive. I wasn’t previously a big user of the career mode feature but I can definitely see that changing now.

2. Live the F1 driver life

Codemasters’ first F1 efforts had the ‘live the life’ mentality with career mode. Game menus were built around the paddock or motorhome and I was disappointed to see it removed. But the new F1 2016 career mode has brought the players right back into the F1 circus.

The career mode hub is based around the team motorhomes, even including versions of real-life F1 personnel like the other drivers, team bosses and journalists as they lounge around, chatting between sessions. They also make appearances in cinematic scenes before and after races too.

Information and options for the career mode can all be accessed via a laptop and there are also new characters – an agent to keep you up to date with the team’s goals and expectations and an engineer to go through R&D. It creates a hugely immersive experience for the player and provides a brilliant representation of what F1 is really like.

Practice was always a bit of a bore in old games but now it actually has a use in career mode. Just like real F1 teams, the game incorporates specific run plans and programmes to aid track familiarisation, tyre conservation and qualifying laps. Completing these successfully gives you a certain number of resource points.

These can then be spent on updating your car, with the number of points needed per development part increasing as you progress. This can help you to keep up with the development race while other teams introduce new parts and improve their cars.

Pecking orders can change throughout your career mode and can both transform your fortunes, or see you fall behind. It’s great for the more geeky, die-hard fans and adds an exciting new feature to the career mode.

4. Improved graphics

As you’d expect from a new game, graphics and visuals have taken a good step forward. F1 2015 set a strong base for this year’s title and Codemasters have built on that with tweaks and refinements. Wet weather races look absolutely stunning and the replay cameras also look better than ever.

5. Career customisation

This is a really cool element. When you start your career mode, you can choose an avatar to represent you – they’re a bit limited at the moment, but maybe we’ll see more added in future games – and a race number (from the ones that are left, you can’t choose one a current driver has).

There’s also a cool helmet editor where you not only choose the design but also the colours of each livery element. It’s a small detail but one that really helps you to create your own identity in the game.

6. Handling tweaks

F1 2015 changed the handling model drastically for its new-gen release and I was pretty impressed with the step forward. F1 2016 has gone through an evolution, rather than a revolution, but the modified driving dynamics take a little getting used to.

The front end feels a bit more responsive but the rear is a little looser, while wet weather is trickier than ever before. While it’s definitely more challenging for me, it should still be accessible to new players with the assists and race customisation options.

7. Manual starts and pit entry

I’m really enjoying these new elements. Both can be turned off but manual starts, where you hold down the clutch and find the right revs before taking the start, add a fresh challenge to F1 2016 and mean the quality of your launches from the line can vary greatly.

My first try was hilariously bad but once you get the hang of it, manual starts become more enjoyable and easier to get right. Manual pit entry is similar, where you have to slow down in time for the speed limiter line. They are tough new features to get right but the added realism is superb.

For those of you who like gaming with your friends, multiplayer on F1 2016 has gone through some improvements and is much easier to navigate. Loading times are quicker, whole there are more options for creating your own leagues and custom races in online mode. You can also have a full 22-car grid, or fill empty spaces with bot cars.

9. More aggressive AI

Speaking of the computerised cars in the game, the bots are much more competitive in all difficulty modes and actually try overtakes. They’re also not painfully slow on the first lap, which makes it tougher to gain ground. They pick up mechanical issues and get caught up in incidents more regularly, further improving the representation of F1 in real life.

The safety car returns to F1 2016, but you control your car throughout and have to keep to a delta time – which is a really handy addition to the game. From my experience so far it has worked well, but Virtual Safety Car, not so much.

Formation laps are also in the game but while it’s fun initially, the novelty wears off and I’ve had a few problems with it (as well as the game crashing on me once or twice). Meanwhile being able to set the time of day for quick races is a neat little touch and the new Baku City Circuit is a brilliantly challenging track to drive.

11. New information centre

At first I was a little confused by the vast array of information screens and options in the bottom-right of my screen, but I eventually got used to it and figured it out. The feature replaces the more basic in-game information set-up and brings in something that resembles the screen on the driver’s steering wheel.

Here you can ask for team radio updates, shut the engineer up altogether, change strategy and view car data. It’s more complicated to use but can really help during mid-race situations.

12. Improved race experience

One of the best elements of F1 2016 is when all the smaller features in the game come together to create a more enjoyable, rewarding and fun racing experience. Tyre degradation is improved, the differences between the compounds is more obvious and there are more strategy options to play with. The overall flow of the race has improved with the AI updates and damage has taken further steps forward as well.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, F1 2016 is a pretty damn good racing game. I’d even say it’s the game we’ve been waiting for from Codemasters since the start of the F1 franchise.

Improved handling, graphics, new features and cinematics come together to create an immersive game that will keep both casual and die-hard F1 fans entertained for quite some time. Bravo Codies, you’ve asked what the fans want and you have delivered.