With Mercedes continued dominance in the current Formula 1 season, it’s rare to go into a race expecting anyone but Rosberg or Hamilton to cross the checkered flag in first place. So when I had the chance to go hands on with F1 2016 and put them in their place in my own career, you had better believe that I jumped right on board.
My career in F1 2016, which has been called the biggest career mode in an F1 game so far, began with me creating my driver. Before creating my avatar, I was given the option of what type of career I wanted to play; the whole experience, a stripped back one or one that I customised myself. After choosing an Australian, which seemed fitting, I decided to join Team Red Bull and effectively make it Team Australia. The opening cutscene introduced me to my manager and set the tone before beginning my experience at the Australian Grand Prix. This set the tone for the game, with great visuals of Albert Park, really well done voice acting and some excellent touches, including actual Red Bull Racing members sitting and walking around the lounge.
It was here that I was introduced to my laptop, where I would plan out my strategies and upgrades between races. After deciding that I wanted to upgrade my engines, because I definitely want more power, it was off to my car and into practice. Practice was where I got my first real taste of the handling and physics in F1 2016 and I liked it. The cars felt powerful and hard to steer when braking, exactly as I expected they should, and incredibly quick as I flew through corners while accelerating. Driving around the track was hard, especially on the first few laps, but it was also incredibly satisfying as I began to learn the turns and successfully navigate them. Race day brought about new challenges, with a track populated with cars that I also had to navigate. Making contact with other cars results in penalties, just like a real race, so you need to quickly adjust your racing lines and strategies as you attempt to get around other racers to climb positions. It’s all incredibly satisfying and an excellent recreation of a Formula 1 race.
As well as the career, I was also able to try some separate races around some of the other tracks in F1 2016. I decided to try Baku, with its tight street corners that can sometimes barely fit 2 cars side by side. Racing became more difficult as ever, as the ever present turns required careful finesse to navigate without crashing into the walls or other cars. It was a complete different experience to racing around Albert Park, with its long straights, and was an absolute blast.
Overall, the F1 2016 career seems engaging, with large swathes of customisation and some great quality behind it. The racing feels authentic, with cars handling as I would expect, and filling me with an exhilaration that many other racers don’t bring to the table. F1 2016 is definitely a game to look out for when it releases on PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One on August 19.
