Codemasters add retro cars and tracks to F1 2013

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By their own admission, one of the main aims of Codemasters for the first three years of producing their F1 series was to secure the exclusive rights to make the official games into 2014 and beyond. Once that was achieved, they said, they would be able to make bigger, better and more exciting games.

So what does F1 2013 – the first new game since Codemasters received that all-important rights extension from Bernie Ecclestone – have to offer the sport’s millions of fans around the world that previous games did not?

The answer is the most exciting new addition to the series to date. And by ‘new’, I should really say ‘old’.

Classic mode

Yes, the fans’ most requested feature – classic grand prix cars – is the major new addition to the official F1 game series for this year. And Codemasters envisage it being a much more extensive offering than what was found in previous official games which included older cars, such as Sony’s 2007 release Formula One: Championship Edition.

Instead of throwing random cars from F1 history into the game Codemasters have focused on two decades that will likely strike the most nostalgic chords with their target audience – the eighties and nineties. The Classic mode is split between the two decades and allows players to jump behind the wheel of five classic cars from the eighties and nineties.

The first batch of cars includes the 1988 Lotus 100T (pictured top), Williams cars such as Alan Jones’s FW07 and some yet-to-be-announced Ferraris. Screenshots also suggest the 1988 Williams-Judd FW12 will feature.

A further six classic Williams and Ferrari cars from the nineties are on offer including Nigel Mansell’s 1992 championship winning FW14B, Damon Hill’s FW18 from 1996 and the Ferrari F399 as driven by Eddie Irvine to the runner-up spot in 1999. Advertising restrictions mean they are depicted in non-tobacco liveries.

While some may have hoped for a greater number and wider variety of vehicles, that will likely be forgotten once players reintroduce these retired greats to the race track once again. And with classic cars come classic circuits as Codemasters will include fully modelled retro versions of Jerez, Brands Hatch, Imola and Estoril to drive in the game – all in their classic 1980s and 1990s glory without a single chicane, tarmac run-off or DRS zone in sight.

With fat tyres, less aerodynamic efficiency and – in some cases – screaming turbo engines, the classics are tremendous fun and require real roughneck driving to lower lap times. The FW07B and 100T can be thrown into the corners like over-sized, over-powered go-karts as you feel the car starting to slide at the limit of adhesion. While the FW14B has all the phenomenal mechanical grip and stability you’d expect from a car famed for its advanced active suspension system. Hanging a Lotus 100T on the ragged edge through the high-speed turns of pre-chicane Jerez bathed in beautiful lighting with the whine of the turbo engine as it kicks through the gears is immensely satisfying.

The Classic mode is littered with small touches that will no doubt be appreciated by hardcore F1 fans. The heads-up display for the eighties cars has been redesigned to reflect the basic yellow graphics overlay from F1 broadcasts of the time (if you’ve seen the film Senna you’ll recognise them). The HUD for nineties cars has been designed as a homage to the blue and yellow overlay graphics that were used in FOM’s digital coverage of the sport from the late 1990s to 2002.

Each car has a unique tachometer, working cockpit views with basic LED rev counters and both gear and brake-balance changing animations. While the 2013 cars sit in modern pit areas with laptops and monitors on the main home screen, enter Classic mode and the cars sit in old-style garages surrounded by toolboxes. Players will also be introduced to the mode in a series of videos narrated by the iconic voice of Murray Walker, which adds immensely to its nostalgic appeal.

But the best news about the Classic mode isn’t that players will get to drive the cars – but that they’ll also get to race them. Properly. All cars can be raced in a variety of modes, both online and offline, including Grand Prix mode, Quick Race, in a custom championship as well as in online and split-screen multiplayer.

One disappointing limitation is that players are forbidden from mixing cars from different eras – so no pitting a Williams FW07 against an FW14B or this year’s Ferrari against its 1999 ancestor. However players will be able to drive and race any car – 1980s, 1990s and 2013 – on any circuit, modern or classic.

The identities of several famous past racers also appear: Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti and Gerhard Berger are the first of ten Formula One greats who players can race against in 1980s cars while Alain Prost, David Coulthard, Jacques Villeneuve and Eddie Irvine have been announced as the first confirmed drivers in 1990s cars. Expect more big names to be announced as the game nears its autumn release.

In a first for Codemasters’ F1 titles, this year’s game will be released in two editions. The standard version will include the 1980s cars plus Jerez and Brands Hatch circuits, with the 1990s cars, Imola and Estoril available to purchase via download after release. F1 2013 Classic Edition features all the classic cars and tracks.

The 2013 game

Those expecting revolutionary changes to the real meat of the game – the 2013 season – will likely be disappointed. The core experience to be had in F1 2013 seems little changed from previous editions, aside from all the expected team, driver and track updates.

Car setup parameters, options, cameras, menu system and game modes remain virtually identical to 2012, A new addition to the Proving Grounds mode is yet to be detailed. As far as the main career mode is concerned, no mention has been made yet of any significant changes and while it is claimed the Young Driver Test tutorial mode at the Yas Marina circuit has been expanded, it’s not yet known how.

Handling feels similar but refined compared to last year. Even with no driving assists and the use of an Xbox 360 controller, it was relatively easy to push from the very first lap of the game around Silverstone in Time Trial mode in Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber without spinning. With a Fanatec wheel and pedals set-up the handling felt precise and fun, but no more challenging or removed from 2012. Unfortunately, it still seems at this early stage as though unrealistically extreme setups – ultra-low ride heights and super-stiff springs – offer the best reduction in lap times with minimal impact on balance.

While it’s easy to assume this means Codemasters have put all their efforts into the classic mode for this year and neglected the 2013 experience, there are certainly some positive additions to the 2013 aspect of the game. In a welcome move, cockpit mirrors have an increased depth of vision – meaning they are now actually useful, whilst players now have the option to save mid-session, which will surely please 100% race distance enthusiasts. In an attempt to improve AI balancing in single player, F1 2013 now has five difficulty settings – Amateur, Intermediate, Professional, Expert and Legend – each with its own AI speed level to suit.

Tyre wear scaling to race distance makes a return to the series, as does the ability to race a full or custom championship season with any licensed driver in Grand Prix mode. Codemasters claim to have improved the penalty system – which had been criticised by some – and AI driver aggression, making your computer rivals more inclined to attack you. However the demonstration builds that were tested were locked to Time Trial mode, so we’ll have to wait for the finished product to see how successful they have been.

The game’s audio has been also been improved, with the addition of a satisfying gearbox backfire sound under downshifting and higher-pitched external engine sounds making the cars sound more pleasant when passing. In terms of the online experience, players should not expect anything too different from what they are used to already, although hosts do now have the ability to turn off the penalty system in races – which will surely be music to the ears of those who organise online championships.

With more to be announced as the game nears release, this is likely to prove the most hotly-anticipated Codemasters F1 game since they took over the franchise. We await the arrival of definitive game eager to discover whether the addition of old-style cars and tracks is what Codemasters needed to breathe new life into their exclusive F1 game series.

F1 2013 screenshots

F1 2013 versions at a glance

Release date: TBC (Autumn)
Formats (both editions): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC

F1 2013: Classic Edition

  • Limited edition release
  • 1980s pack – ten former drivers including Mansell, Andretti and Berger with more to be announced, five classic cars, Circuito De Jerez and Brands Hatch
  • 1990s pack – former drivers including Coulthard, Villeneuve, Irvine and Prost with more to be announced and six classic cars
  • Classic Tracks pack: Imola and Estoril
  • Full 2013 season content

F1 2013

  • 1980s pack – ten former drivers including Mansell, Andretti and Berger with more to be announced, five classic cars, Circuito De Jerez and Brands Hatch
  • Full 2013 season content
  • 1990s pack and Classic Tracks pack available as paid download soon after release

Pre-order F1 2013

Pre-order F1 2013 Classic Edition (PS3)

Pre-order F1 2013 Classic Edition (Xbox 360)

Pre-order F1 2013 (PS3)

Pre-order F1 2013 (Xbox 360)

Pre-order F1 2013 (PC)

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    Will Wood
    Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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    95 comments on “Codemasters add retro cars and tracks to F1 2013”

    1. Excellent! Let’s just hope it isn’t as buggy as their previous games.

      1. I just hope the handling and all that is same as it was back then, i hope it’s not made easy. Looking at some gameplay videos on youtube it looks easy compared to the rFactor mod of 1991 season

    2. If they’ve fixed the bugs from the previous games then this new content will make the game an instant buy. Great stuff!

      1. Hopefully, but all those classic cars are said to be DLC on top of the normal full priced game.

    3. Brilliant – love the inclusion of classic cars. Retro design on the GUI is a nice touch too.

      Although sounds like there aren’t any classic McLarens – otherwise can’t complain.

    4. Nice one. Classic mode with the 80s and 90s players is the best in the Grand Slam Tennis 2 game I bought in the post-Wimbledon frenzy – so hopefully the Formula 1 equivalent is just as fun! :D

    5. Awesome news, but i really really hope they improve driving simulation, 2012 still feels too arcade

    6. Not gonna buy it this time in the first week of release. I wanna see if they addressed the bugs first if they haven’t then 2013 is gonna be a pass and I take my chances with the prediction game to get a copy :)

    7. The teaser trailer reveals a glimpse of the Ferraris.

    8. Also, I meant to say:

      Mid race saves = awesome.

      Always wanted to do a 100% race on F1 2010-12.

    9. too bad it isn’t comming out on ps4 :s

      1. 2014 in 2014 :)

    10. Last time I played a Codemasters F1 game, this happened. Not to mention seeing a Toro Rosso get a pole lap of 0:00.011 in Canada. I fear all the effort they’ve put into the Classics mode may mean such gross bugs haven’t been addressed.

      1. That’s my big fear too. I was willing to forgive F1 2010 because it was a new game, F1 2011 was irritating and F1 2012 was frankly unforgivable and I steered well clear. If they haven’t made a significant improvement I’ll be very sad, because there’s a great game lurking in there.

      2. HA XD

        you know a game is broken when Karthikeyan is out of the bottom three, let alone scoring points.

    11. Hope the bugs are gone . But yeah classic mode sounds great :O. Could we have some murrayisms please or is that asking for much ? If only codemasters had lesser bugs , they would have conquered middle earth !

    12. One of the worst things about F1 2012 was the stupid stewarding system, where you got penalties for the most innocuous offences and often when the AI was at fault.

      Does the classic feature mean there are no drive through penalties and no penalties unless it is totally dangerous and reckless?

      1. @91jb12 That’s not a bug, that’s just realistic! ;)

    13. Hope they get rid of the “1 1 wing settings, 1 1 ride height, 11 11 roll bar…”. That was annoying.

    14. If this game ends up feeling like any of their previous releases I’ll be leaving it on the shelf. F1 2012 had me wishing they’d just release an updated version of F1 ’97 so that it works on a PS3 and leave it at that as all the F1 console games that have come out since have been one big disappointment after another. F1 Race Stars is the closest Codemasters have got to making an F1 game that’s worth buying.

    15. Ok, I’m having mixed feelings here.

      On one hand, sure, I’m absolutely extatic for that Classic mode and I’m 100% sure it will look amazing. Codies are great at delivering eye-candy. However, given the latest development disasters they put out (both F1 2012 and GRID 2) I’m not sure that focusing all their resources on “creating even more content” is the right way to go… They should make this a priority AFTER they made an F1 game that’s actually playable from the start, not 3 months and 12 patches later / that feels more like a simulator than an arcade racer.

      The fact that they included the Classic mode is great (“F1 Challenge 99-02” great), but I sure hope they fixed at least the serious 50% of that humongous list of issues experienced in both F1 2012 and GRID 2 and that they didn’t create this mode just as a new platform for releasing countless DLC packs afterwards. Otherwise I’m afraid it will all have been in vain.

    16. Don’t think I’ll bother I bought 2010 – was ok and the racing was good, but as a game not fun to play. Bought 2011 and apart from playing online with friends, rarely wanted to play. Didn’t bother with 2012, and this looks like the same game again. A real shame, Codemasters used to be awesome in the TOCA days. Grid2 is awful.

    17. As someone who prefers some realism in simulation aspects of the game – which doesn’t necessarily mean, that a realistic handling is a must have, because I’m talking about things like AI drivers, tyre degradation, tyre temperatures, weather and track evolution, etc – I have been left disappointed by the follow-up releases F1 2011 and 2012. Codemasters proved with both of those games, that the core weaknesses of their first game were hardly touched on.

      The way this preview reads, I have my doubts, that this will change for F1 2013. A new classics modus sounds great really, but what good is that, when the main part of the game, pariticipating in the driver’s championship for a full season or several, only brings frustration?

    18. I just wish they would release the game at the start of the season. I spent £40 last year on the game and within minutes the game is out of date. Fifa games come out just after the season starts not when they are about to end and get updated every week so you play with the most recent squad. I am sure an F1 game can be like that so you can play on the Monday after a race and the cars have all the updates and performace that we will have seen the day before?

      1. @hugo-the-rabbit

        I just wish they would release the game at the start of the season.

        As in, they should have released the game with the 2013 drivers and teams in March? That’s a terrible idea – we don’t even know now how competitive the teams and drivers will be over the second half of the season, never mind four months ago.

        1. @keithcollantine I can’t imagine they cannot build in some kind of update system that allows gamers to update all variables over the course of a season. It might actually make it more realistic, because teams improve as well.

          I don’t think it’s such a terrible idea. They’re releasing the game now with most of the season done. They can barely add the 2013 label! But they can keep milking this cash cow for now, just hope it won’t end up working against them.

        2. Yes that would be much better. I bought the 2012 game in September I think and it was already out of date with Lewis Hamilton confirming he is moving teams. So I spend £40 on a game that is effectively out of date in two months. That is why I use Fifa as an example. If I buy Fifa the teams always change when ever you update the game. It is much more real time play and gives better value for money, even now the football season is over I can still up date all the teams with the latest players they have signed. In the F1 game it is all based on last year. I have to wait till the season is 3/4 done before I can get an up to date game again. And by the time I do get the game it will already be wrong because the drivers aren’t the same. I don’t think you get the best value for money with F1 games.

        3. Motorsports games involving real series usually always come out past the halfway point of the season.

    19. I am pleased to hear that they have reintroduced Grand Prix mode so you can actually race with an F1 driver in an F1 season! The penalty system really does have to be better this year because on 2012, while not trying to sound harsh, it was an absolute joke. A more aggressive AI is pleasing, and the classic content sounds good to me (although I wish they had 2000s content as well, like the MP4-23).

    20. I tried F1 2011 and couldn’t feel less excited about it. Plain boring. And very annoying to set up with a jostickon PC. You MUST have a wheel, and it’s not worth it. If you have a wheel and a PC good enough to run a Codemasters game, you might well get rFactor, GTR and the lot… which are by far better racing games.

      And if you want arcade-ish games, then it doesn’t fullfil either.

      At least they are trying with this. Honestly, getting the rights for old cars, sponsors and stuff must be a pain in the… but will probably be worth it, and they should expand it. Afterall, seasonal games are not that successful unless they really change from one year to another, and these last 3 games have been reasonably similar to one another.

      Worse with racing games that are more or less already well implemented (steering wheel, 2 pedals, shifter, job done), in contrast to FIFA or PES that keep making more and more complicated controls because there’s a lot more complexity in controlling 11 players at the same time, and even so you still think twice to get FIFA 2013 because you already have FIFA 2012.

    21. Glad they’ve added a new difficulty. In my torro rosso career, I’m either 1st by a long way on intermediate, or if I up the difficulty, I’m dead last unless I spend ages tweaking the setup etc and then I’ll just about be able to scape a point or two if I push like hell for the whole race. And sometimes I just don’t want the hassle.

    22. I’v owned every copy so far and enjoyed each one. Sure there have been severeal bugs and some weird choises concerning tyre wear and certain physics. But when my wheel is set up perfectly and with some practice I’ve had a cracking time with these games, so yes I will most definitely ordering this one.

      Face it Codemasters have built the best F1 games in history, no they are not perfect but what game is?

      1. Face it Codemasters have built the best F1 games in history, no they are not perfect but what game is?

        As someone, who has had first-hand experience with formula 1 games for about fifteen years now, I have to dispute that.

        Yes, today’s Formula 1 games from Codemasters may be better in a straight-up comparison with the best classic titles (Grand Prix 3 anyone?), but that’s hardly a fair comparison.

        More computational power provides endless opportunities for developers and the early games had comparatively little of that. Back in 2000 when Grand Prix 3 was released, the top desktop computers came equipped with a Pentium III processor, that just about scraped the 1GHz mark. Nowadays, many modern gaming computers are powered by quad cores with speeds of 3GHz and more and a significantly higher IPC (instructions per cycle) power on top of that.

        To make a long story short, fifteen years ago, developers didn’t have a lot of computation power to waste on better artificial intelligence, better physical calculations or even better and higher resolution graphics for that matter. Now they do, so shouldn’t our expectations be that much higher as well?

        All that said, Grand Prix 3 was a much better game in the year 2000 than F1 2010, 2011 or 2012 are today.

        1. +1.

          The game breaking bugs, retarded AI, and crazy penalties have broken pretty much every F1 game Codemasters have put out.

          Love the idea of classic cars etc. but I wish they had pushed that back a year and focussed on getting the actual game right this year.

    23. On a second note. No doubt they want to add more cars trough DLC, I’m just hoping that it won’t be overpriced like most of the DLC out there. Maybe some cars from the 60’s and 70’s and even the 00′ years (21st century)

    24. I wonder how “limited” the Classic edition will be. How much more am I going to have to shell out for it too?

      1. Meh just wait 4 months and you’ll be able to get the yet to be announced “Complete Edition” that includes all the DLC & patches up until that time and instead of being $60 +DLC costs or $80+ for the Classic Edition you’ll instead be able to get the Complete Edition for like $40. l0l

        1. I’ve noted games take longer and longer to release cheaper ‘complete’ editions. Heck, I saw Doom 3 + the old ones on sale for 60 euros a while ago, and F1 2012 is still going for 45 new here too.

          I’ll just stick with the F1 2010 I got from a friend and the occasional Grand Prix 4.

          1. I’m still on F1 Championship Edition haha.

    25. I would rather see them get the GP2 & GP3 rights from Bernie so we could have a proper career mode where you have to actually work your way up. Classic cars & tracks are nice but there are way better games with way better variety & customization options already existing if I want to play with classic F1 cars.

    26. No classic McLaren? There was plenty to choose from. Codemasters suck.

    27. I was wondering: “Why should I need a new game with old cars that I’ve driven for ages on F1 Challenge (and there are other games to do so)? What’s new?” And then I read the HUD was different and looked like the original one! But then I thought: “So did the one on F1 Challenge”, and I realised I don’t need anything new as long as there isn’t anything less. Of course the graphics are better, the sounds and overall detail are better so driving classic cars should be nicer.
      But what about the Jordan 191 (if it isn’t announced later)? Why can’t I drive as Badoer in 1991? Is it really worth buying, when all you have is a quarter of a full game? Why buy a F1 2013 title when you do so for classic cars? Why not release F1 2013 and F1 ’80s and F1 ’90s separately? I don’t think there was much to add to F1 2012, apart from the usual details which are updated from season to season there was no big problem as long as bugs are fixed. I don’t need new features, new cars and tracks are fine for me, but now I feel like the classic cars have taken efforts away from the fundamental part of the game. If they put real 2013-like LG graphics overlay then I’ll buy it 100% though (I know, I’m a perfectionist)!

      1. LG graphics overlay is something I would also like to see. When Sony produced the games, they had TV-like overlay (Siemens and Tag Heuer I think it was), TV commentary, and the ability to switch between drivers in replays. Although Codemasters aim more towards being the driver, not spectator, I do miss all of those features.

    28. If they wanted a truly authentic 1990s gaming experience, though, Jacques Villeneuve wouldn’t be in this game, and his place would be taken by either of his non-union stand-ins, John Newhouse or Driver Williams.

      1. Good old days! :)

    29. AI driver aggression, making your computer rivals more inclined to attack you.

      I hope Codemasters are basing the AI driver aggression on real-life experiences during the race or a driver’s driving style, so an example to illustrate would be a Grosjean, Perez or Hamilton showing more aggression when attacking than a Button or Kimi would. If not, then perhaps maybe the driver aggression system being centred on the scenario they’re placed in at the time racing so another example would be the drivers pushing harder to go quicker towards the end of their stint (that’s if the longevity of their tyres enable them to).

      1. Or Kimi? Kimi attacks like a viper. Get out of the way, or lose a wheel.

        Often it looks like a complete bonkers move, but he almost always gets it right (except when Perez refuses to concede he lost).

        When defending, it is another matter: If he lost, he lost. I haven’t seen many panic moves to avoid being overtaken.

    30. Only a handful of classic cars and tracks. I smell a lot of expensive DLC coming…

    31. I tried f1 2011 but I gave up on it. Too many game breaking bugs, like pitting and having worn tires fitted when there is a fresh set still available, mandatory nose change in the pits even if you just have minor damage, etc. And it took ages for patches to be issued, if they came at all. Also didn’t like the Codemasters forum experience. If you made a suggestion for what you would like to see in the game (like more car control during pit stops, or a formation lap) a Codie’s staff would come on and shoot you down saying the idea was boring or would add nothing to the experience. Just a little too arrogant for my taste. The other thing was that the handling of the cars seemed too watered down in a way. I never really felt like I was learning anything about driving a high-powered race car. I’ve found there are a few other sims out there that let you use more involved driving techniques to control the cars. Even though they don’t have the F1 license, they give a much better driving experience in their formula car equivalents.

    32. Shame we can’t get the Lotus 78 or even the cool ‘experimental’ cars like the 88 and/or fan car in this game. Maybe in due time.

    33. Not sim enough.

      Where’s rFactor 2 and GTR3, folks?

      1. @xivizmath I’ve been wondering the same thing. Project CARS is a hope giver tho’ and that’s due to be out next year.

      2. You’ve been able to buy rfactor 2 for months now, albeit still in beta stage but its fully functionally and plenty of servers/racers online to race against along with loads of content. It can’t be far off a full release now but its gona cost you the same if you buy it now or later so may as well jump aboard now.

        p.s. i don’t care what codemaster releases as they have proven to be incompetent when it comes to physics.

    34. umm… what about that driver, Senna and that car he used to drive, the McLaren Honda. Introducing a game without the mention of these two legends is not really promising. And maybe for the future, bring more vintage cars from the 70’s and earlier like the soon to be famous again James Hunts’ McLaren M23 and Laudas’ Ferrari 312T.

    35. I’m i the only one who miss GP4?

      I love Codemaster Grid, i love the physics. But i don’t think F1 2011( which i played) is good experience in current time as GP4 was during 02.

      I really like some aspect of GP4 and heated some of it, but it was such a nice F1 simulation game of that era. CodeMaster F1 doesn’t give me that vibe. Sure it good overall but GP4 was something else.

      Those were the days, i used to play GP4 for hours on full race distance including fine tuning setup in practice, It was exhilarating to master particular circuit then increasing difficulty level for next challenge.

      I love the idea of classic car and tracks, but they should have included those glorious v10 engines of 2004.

      Definitely going to play this one out along with Grid2.

    36. To be honest, I’ve never felt that the penalty system was a major issue. Even in “quick match mode” I’ve only felt hard done by once or twice in the many hundreds of occasions I’ve played it.

      Although I am excited by the prospect of classic cars, it’s never been on top of my wishlist. I keep thinking back to the “F1 Career Challenge” game from 10 years ago, and even though it was a pioneer in the idea of a “career” mode, its realism has never been matched. The idea of racing for several seasons (1999 through 2002) with the grid and calendar changing year on year made for one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I can remember.

      I think it would be excellent if, now that Codemasters have the rights to several Formula 1 seasons under their belt, they could redo this idea.

      For instance, career mode would begin with one of the “new” teams at the start of 2010 – and the player would progress through to the current season amid changes to rival competitiveness, driver lineup, rules, etc., as well as mid-season changes. I recall in F1 Career Challenge, there being events such as Michael Schumacher being replaced mid-1999 by Mika Salo, and Arrows dropping out mid-2002. I can’t think of any F1 game that has done anything like that, and I reckon it’d be excellent if Codemasters did it.

      1. That would be brilliant. Codemasters did actually release F1 2009 as well but that was just for Wii and PSP. 2009 or 2010-2013 would give you a good amount of time to progress in career mode as well. It’s a pity they didn’t get the F1 deal before. I will always be disappointed that there were no 2007 or 2008 games.

    37. Odd that they’d feature ANY Ferraris of the ’80s or ’90s but no McLarens or Benettons. Sounds more like the game is being designed for fans of Ferrari, rather than fans of the sport… which by the way, are mutually exclusive. ;-)

      1. Yep. See my comment about the absent MP 4/4…

      2. It’s all about licensing, maybe McLaren doesn’t want any of their old cars featured?

        1. @Fisha695

          I doubt that. Codies had no issue with purchasing the licence for the MP4-12C and the GT3 version of it for GRID 2. It’s probably something they want to keep from the fans right now / the art department might still be working on at the moment. I bet they’ll be in the finished game or at least be scheduled for later release through a McLaren Pack DLC (just like the one they released for GRID2).

          1. I sure hope so. Not having the MP 4/4 would be one of the top cars of all time by most F1 fans’ standards.

          2. Steve Hood said on his Twitter account that it is due to another company (it could be really obvious to some but I don’t play other racing sims) having the rights to historic McLaren racers at the moment. I, like many, really hope in time that we can have some classic McLarens (like the MP4/4, MP4/13, and MP4-23).

          3. CarnivorousPope (@)
            15th July 2013, 23:47

            I don’t know about mclaren but i know the senna license is held by another games company. and so codies couldn’t get him

    38. The MP 4/4 is conspicuous by its absence. Maybe it’s one to be announced later? I hope so. A car that won 15 of 16 races is pretty significant.

      1. I’m sure it will come. From the interviews online you can clearly see they are more than eager to announce something. They Already said Prost, Mansell, Villeneuve, Berger… Who else do you think deserves a separate reveal? There can be only one.

    39. I wish they’d just updated the graphics and physics engine of GP4, with new teams and drivers, too, of course.
      F1 2010 was the biggest letdown ever and I never even bothered with 2011 and 2012. If there are F1 fans who are gamers, they want hard core simulation, not some arcade-ish half effort.
      Not to mention the lack of control, saves menus etc, where the game is treating me like I’m some guest on a console in an arcade club, on my own damn computer. I like some more input with my games, thank you very much.

    40. CONFIRMED: Senna will not be included as one of the classic drivers. ***

    41. I still feel they haven’t really portrayed F1 handling and also they could give us a better sim and arcade mode like the MotoGP games, and there’s the bug issues. Nevertheless I think it is great they have been able to add old cars, I hope they don’t charge more for them because honestly F1 is an yearly title they must always focus on the new game or just make an classic separate game, if that’s the case I’ll make a request for a Ferrari 412T2 and a 642 to really make my list of favourite Ferraris with my favourite car ever the F399, some brabhams would be nice and of course the lotus 25 and Maybe the Mp4/13. What i don’t understand is why have the retirement prone FW12 judd Williams when the FW11 was so successful and so was the FW13, my only guess is that the Fw12 was that so much beautiful than the Fw13 but the car that demolished those couple year was a McLaren.

      1. Sorry quick question: how do you know they haven’t really portrayed F1 handling well?

      2. I thought the FW16 was better looking than either of those. It was elegant. After Senna’s death, Hill managed to do pretty well with it after the bugs had been fixed.

    42. i’ll be skipping this one, own 2010-2012 & while 2011 was fairly good the 2010/2012 were garbage, handling & physics in both were terrible.

      I’ve also spotted a few areas of the circuits i’ve seen so far that are not as accurate as they could be.

      The final NGK chicane at Nurburgring has more elevation in the game than in reality & also looks tighter than it actually is, The game also seems to feature bumps in the middle of it that are not there in real life.

      Also seen some other preview videos where things like camber, elevation & corner radium didn’t look as they are in reality.
      Been fair however thats been an issue since there 2010 game.

      And i’ve also spotted that the old versions of the tracks feature modern flat kurbing. The version of jerez thats in the game for instance should feature old style high kurbing you don’t want to touch, yet in the game the kurbs are totally flat like 2013 style kurbing.
      May not be a massive issue to some, but if your going for authenticity & spending time bringing classic content, at least ensure its 100% accurate.

      Some of the in-game car models i’ve seen also look a bit off, Although again thats been an issue since 2010.

    43. Awesome!!! I didn’t even think they were coming out with another F1 game… I had heard they were going out of business or lost the F1 rights or something. Glad to see that was either just a rumor or doesn’t go into effect until 2014.

      This is just what the series needs [after reducing the number of game breaking bugs by about 10,000x]. Please, please, please give us all what we want and include the Nurburgring Nordschleife as a driveable track – that would be so incredibly badass to finally be able to drive in an F1 car. It would be even more badass if we could tackle it in a 70’s Ferrari 312B! Oh please, Codemasters, have mercy upon us. Let us relive one of the greatest decades of Formula 1 on a track that’s too dangerous for real life but still infinitely awesome in every way. The ‘Ring is made for this… it would be a royal shame not to include it here. You can do it, Codemasters… I believe in you!

    44. Wrong extra tracks: I’d much rather have Turkey, Hockenheimring and Indianapolis. Two of them should even be easy for the to convert since they were in the previous games.

      Oh, and the pre-Tilke Fuji.

      … And of course classic Senna cars, although I don’t really care much about that part. More tracks are certainly more interesting than a (probably*) bad simulation of how earlier cars handled.

      * Not that I think their current simulation is really all that bad. It is no iRacing or RFactor, but it’s ok. It is just that it is probably exactly the same simulated car with a few parameters tweaked to decrease/increase downforce and change tyre wear. I could be wrong (I hope I’m wrong) though.

    45. Colour me disappointed. The selection of classic cars is nice, but the circuits leave a lot to be desired. Imola and Brands are great, but Estoril and Jerez are just boring.

      1. CarnivorousPope (@)
        15th July 2013, 23:53

        once you are lapping perfectly and so long as the AI is improved as they are making out I’m sure you will be having loads of fun whatever the circuit may be

        1. @carnivorouspope – I just think they’re really poor choices. Imola is good, and Brands Hatch isn’t bad, but Estoril and Jerez leave a lot to be desired. I’m much rather Codemasters included the likes of the old Kyalami, the Osterreichring, Long Beach and the old Buenois Aires (all of which were used in the 1980s, thus satisfying Codemasters’ logic in chooing circuits) before they considered Estoril and Jerez.

      2. I think Jerez is nice

    46. Brands Hatch?

      Sold!

    47. Errrrrr…i’ll stay with rFactor.

    48. “the fans’ most requested feature”
      They are so many features that codemasters should include first… :
      – manual race start with warm-up lap
      – fuel consumption and tire wear adapted to the lenght of the race
      – more damages and more settings about (it’s not normal that games released in 90’s are better than a game of 10’s at this level)
      – tire degradation when you stay too long close behind your opponent.
      – return of 3 practices by grand-prix
      – save (more than) a race in progress
      – run Abu Dhabi at night whenever you want
      – settings about disable kers and DRS during any session.
      – a true TV coverage when you abort your race or during pactice/qualifying session.
      – see humidity puddles on the asphalt (I don’t know about pc version)
      – don’t invest money in retro cars, invest in AI and simulation development !!!

      I hope at least we will able to run the old Hockenheim and why not Magny-Cours, Imola, Dijon, real Nurburgring and few other great tracks.

      1. If you read the article you will see several of the changes you’ve named have been made for the new game.

    49. I wasn’t going to buy F12013 after not really being impressed by 2012…but I will now. And I’m going to spend all my time in the classic cars!

    50. Looking forward to this one the most out of the lot! Classic mode should be epic! Can’t wait! Would have been good to race a classic McLaren, but still sounds good. Also warm up lap would be a good small feature to introduce. Maybe next year we could see more features pre race such as driving to the grid/media/fans or even race commentry. Great work so far, really looking forward to F1 2013

    51. I’m really looking forward to this. I hope that in time they can add some more classic circuits, such as the old Hockenheimring, the Osterreichring and an early 80’s/90’s version of Spa. I can’t wait to here the full list of classic cars to be implemented.

    52. I just think they should make 2 games a year, one that’s an arcade style game that they can make quickly and have it on the shelves by May and then a simulation game for the f1 fanatic to come out later in the year. Instead they go for something in the middle and although it is good, it’s not fantastic and it never quite quenches my thirst for feeling the realistic balance of a Grand Prix car, as I’m sure everybody using a wheel with no assists would agree.

    53. Why exactly people think F1 2012 is not a sim ? I know Codemasters want make an easier game to make more money but I’ve played GPL, GTR2, Racer and the gap is not that huge. I never drive any single-seater (except at karting) but even if I prefer classic sims (especially GPL), the physics are fair and I would not be able to explain why F1 2012 would be so arcade in terms of physics and handling. Notice that if GPL and co had not exist, people would think F1 2012 is a true sim.

    54. A lot of people curious, but almost every other comment mentions doubts about having gotten rid of the bugs, do I see a common theme here?

      Must have been pretty good trying @willwood, I would think after all your experience with the previous games it must have been a wonderfull opportunity to get to meet the team and see what they had in store.

    55. Just One Question : “Where is Senna”???

    56. What about Adelaide in retro tracks?

    57. did they finally add career mode in split screen mode? not just race but all P Qs and Rs like you can in single player mode?

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