F1 2018 Review – Holding Pole Position

Codemasters’ F1 racing franchise requires little to no introduction at this point. The comprehensive, fully-licensed F1 experience is unrivalled in today’s gaming market, so the real question is whether racing fans should upgrade from last year’s edition, or look elsewhere for their speed-fix. Thankfully, F1 2018 offers more than enough improvements to warrant another hop in the driver’s seat once again.

The annual F1 games have always had stellar graphics and presentation, but F1 2018 knocks it out of the park in terms of capturing the authentic Formula 1 look and feel. Everything from the UI, slick menus, and smallest of details resemble that of the real-world F1 broadcasts – something hardcore fans will really appreciate.

The moment-to-moment racing of F1 2018 will be immediately familiar to fans, with not too many tweaks or changes to the on-track action. However, it’s how you approach these races that makes the difference – car customisation and enhancement menus are far more intuitive and slick than last year, allowing you to make tinkering with your car and its set-up a lot less overwhelming. You can give your car a boost on the handling capabilities (to make those less forgiving corners a little more bearable), for example. It’s clear that Codemasters want the game to be closer to the sport than ever before, while being the most accessible entry for newcomers into the franchise.

The real meat of the F1 games is the career mode, and F1 2018 features the deepest to date. The added complexities include which team you’ll take on your career with (with Ferrari, Mercedes, and many other on offer), but a welcome addition is that each team has its own unique goals for the season – Mercedes wants to dominate, while a lower-ranked team wants to work their way up the rankings) which provides some interesting replayability.

Outside of the cockpit, players will have to do interviews, where how you answer questions that can affect your team’s morale, thoughts on your capabilities, and, if you want, help gain the attention of bigger teams in hope of being recruited by them.

For F1 fans, F1 2018 is a no-brainer of a purchase. It provides the best Formula 1 racing experience you’ll find on console and PC, and enhances the experience with a streamlined presentation and interface. For newcomers, if the idea of joining the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes to put your driving skills to the test is an exciting prospect, you won’t find a better outlet to go down this road than with F1 2018.

F1 2018 is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.