F1 22 review: racing, supercars and... interior design? (2024)

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F1 22 review: racing, supercars and... interior design? (1)

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Latest F1 game gets all the usual things right, but the additions are hit and miss

F1 22 review: racing, supercars and... interior design? (5)

Mike Channell

Published: 27 Jun 2022

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F1 22 review: racing, supercars and... interior design? (6)

F1 22 review: racing, supercars and... interior design? (7)

F1 22 review: racing, supercars and... interior design? (8)

1 / 7

We're not sure about you, but the bit of being an F1 driver we're interested in is the bit where they're placed in the co*ckpit of an unattainable 20 million quid racing car and told to have at it. We're not so interested in the bit where they pop to the shops for a pint of milk in their daily or browse material swatches for a new rug in their minimalist living room.

Strangely enough, the biggest new additions to F1 22 are very little to do with actually driving Formula One cars. The new F1 Life mode allows you to customise a fancy living room, which is more The Sims than driving sim, and there's now a modest stable of road-going supercars that can be used in a series of 'Pirelli Hot Laps' challenges.

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While the inclusion of supercars isn't fundamentally a bad idea, it's hamstrung by the fact, compared to something like Gran Turismo 7, that they handle with all the grace and poise of a broken shopping trolley. This is clearly a game whose physics model is very specifically tuned for stiffly sprung, lightweight racing cars and the introduction of road cars exposes that deficiency somewhat. The supercar challenges remain a diverting palate cleanser in the middle of a long season, but you're unlikely to fire up the game specifically to play them.

Fortunately, what the F1 series does best... err, F1, is still absolutely brilliant. The new '22 spec Formula One car is a different, arguably more challenging beast from previous years; lower on downforce and more clumsy on turn-in. You'll be pleased to hear, though, that the sport's ongoing porpoising problem, which turns serious professional athletes into high frequency nodding dog dashboard ornaments, is mercifully absent from the game.

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Dig a little deeper into the now sprawling network of menus and you'll discover some nerd-pleasing additions, including the option to do full formation laps, complete with tyre warming, and control your car during safety car periods. PC players also have the option of virtual reality support for the first time in an official Formula One game, so you can experience the exhilaration and nausea of entering a corner at 180mph for yourself.

Without the Story mode from last year, this season's game does feel a little more dry. Well, unless you're interested in decking out your F1 driver avatar in designer casual-wear or dabbling in Feng Shui. In spite of that, the series' hard earned feature set and fundamental ability to translate a fabulously complex sport into an entertaining gameplay experience is still present and correct. F1 22 remains essential for F1 fans, not least those who fancy seeing a Mercedes win a race this year...

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F1 22 review: racing, supercars and... interior design? (2024)

FAQs

Can you race supercars in F1 22? ›

As Formula 1 enters a new era for 2022, so too has the latest installment of EA Sports' F1 game series. F1 cars aren't the only vehicles you can drive in the game, you can now unlock and race actual supercars including Ferraris, Aston Martins, McLarens and Mercedes.

Is F1 22 worth playing? ›

Those who get their kicks not from the numbers and tables of a management game, but from phenomenal speeds on the track should choose 'F1 22'. The annual release of this racing game consistently ranks among the top and has recently received an update that added even more content.

Is F1 22 game realistic? ›

After driving F1 cars in actual simulators I can say the F1 cars int he game, (especially wheel support) are horrible in the feeling and feedback. F1 2020 is closer to real life 2022 cars than F1 22.

Why are supercars not used in F1? ›

Hypercars are extremely expensive, slightly faster sports cars. They are built mainly with top speed and road safety in mind, and they are exorbitantly priced and unsafe for racing on a track.

Can Lamborghini enter F1? ›

It costs $200 million to just get in. The sum is split equally amongst the current teams. You'd also have to budget for building a brand new car and powertrain from scratch. Lamborghini doesn't have a racing history like Ferrari, so it would be too expensive.

Is F1 22 a hard game? ›

What this sums up to is that the player has far lower levels of grip than the AI have, and therefore, the player is restricted to lower cornering speeds, effectively making the game way harder.

What is the most realistic difficulty in F1 22? ›

I used 5 random tracks of the year and the result was 96.4, so maybe around 90-105 is the most similar to real life based on that.

Is F1 22 career mode good? ›

On paper, a game swapping out a narrative mode while implementing a social hub for online activities might be met with a shrug from players. But F1 22 sits in a position of luxury in that it boasts one of the best career modes in sports games, and there's similar depth and enjoyability in the stellar MyTeam effort.

Why is it so easy to spin in F1 22? ›

It is an estimated 20% lower grip than previous games. That said, the tyre contact model is more complex (increase from 4 to 12 points IIRC) leading to theoretically more progressive grip. That said, TC mechanic is supposedly not adjusted to this loss of grip and hence works much less effeciently.

Why is it so hard to turn in F1 22? ›

In CM F1 games (F1 2015 onwards) if you use controller there are controller filters that are always enabled and cannot be turned off, those filters slow down inputs and limit how much you can turn depending on how fast the car is going.

Is Assetto Corsa more realistic than F1? ›

Realism Games

Think of it what F1 23 is to Formula One, ACC is to GT World Challenge Series. However, building upon their first release, the Assetto Corsa Competizione physics and graphics are top tier. You feel every bump, curb and blade of grass you run over.

Does F1 22 have classic F1 cars? ›

In F1 22 though you're only confined to a handful of fixed camera angles each designed to house one of the supercars. The eight models of supercar, 10 if you include the two safety cars that come with the champions edition of F1 22, are de facto replacements for the classic F1 cars which were last seen in F1 2020.

How to get supercar tokens in F1 22? ›

Players can complete goals to get tokens that unlock supercars in F1 22. A lot of things pop up on the screen in F1 22, including news, tutorials and goals. The goals will usually appear on the menu when players load into the game. They tell players what needs to be accomplished, and that completion will unlock a token ...

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