A couple of years back, F1 Manager’s first release managed to compete with Motorsport Manager for the title of the best racing management game on PC. Since then, they’ve managed to polish the game even further with the 2023 version. Now, F1 Manager 2024 is almost ready for launch, so let’s see what you can expect from it.
F1 Manager 2024 Preview on PC
Just days before I learned that I’d get to preview the new F1 Manager 24, I re-downloaded Motorsport Manager to start a new run. It was because of the Miami GP, honestly. That was the first race this season that actually managed to hype me up and get me in the groove to play some racing games. You might be wondering why I didn’t download F1 Manager 23 instead. Well, it lacked what I enjoyed the most in video games: customization.
Fast forward a few days to me opening F1 Manager 2024 for the first time, and what is the first thing that caught my eye:? Create a team! It was already at that moment that I knew that I was probably uninstalling Motorsport Manager and not downloading it again until Playsport decided to make a new one.
The team you create will be the 11th one on the grid, and the whole process is extremely detailed. You get to make your logo and livery, pick your budget, decide on starting facilities, starting drivers, staff, and sponsors, and the list just goes on.
Talking about drivers, there is another new mechanic that I found cool in F1 Manager 2024, and that’s affiliate drivers. Just as in real life, these people are mostly young prospects you’ll be looking to develop and hopefully add to your F1 squad in the future. This makes playing longer campaigns more enjoyable. Plus, the aspect of using them and managing them so they become the best adds even more complexity to staff management.
Another thing that’ll make staff even more interesting is the mentality system. It affects how each of your staff and drivers will perform and can literally make or break your whole team. Again, it adds even more complexity, but not too much to make the game overstuffed.
The races in F1 Manager 2024 have also been improved significantly. This year, your biggest enemy will be mid-race mechanical failures, which force you to drive with more caution so as not to damage the parts further or even retire the car altogether. This will also happen to your opponents and, therefore, make races much spicier.
Well, now that I’ve given this game all the praise that it deserves, I have to say that one thing is still missing. It’s the feeling of being the “manager”. What I mean by that is when you’re playing other great manager games like FIFA (EA FC now), NBA 2K, and OOTP, you always have the feeling that you’re an actual character in-game. With F1 Manager 24, I felt that I was “the team,” and that’s it. Don’t get me wrong, the game is perfect, but what I found lacking was the immersion of being the manager.
So, in conclusion, when it comes to motorsport management sims, F1 Manager 2024 stands head and shoulders above the rest, even in its pre-release state. It outperforms Motorsport Manager in every aspect, leaving no room for comparison. If you’re an F1 fan and a sim game aficionado, then F1 Manager 2024 is a game that deserves a spot on your wishlist.
