Let’s get one factor clear: for those who’re trying to find a high-speed simulation racer that places you toe-to-toe with Max Verstappen, F1 Supervisor 2022 isn’t for you. Marking the primary entry in a brand new F1 Supervisor collection, Frontier Developments takes a special strategy from Codemasters’ F1 22, swapping the driving force’s seat for the pit wall. Extra akin to Soccer Supervisor, racing administration video games are a rarity on PlayStation — Motorsport Supervisor by no means jumped throughout — however Frontier’s filling the area of interest effectively.
F1 Supervisor options all ten of F1’s present groups and twenty drivers, every with various budgets and two goals from the board. As staff principal, our instant aim regards the constructors’ championship however there are long-term goals too like common podium finishes. Expectations align with real-world performances, so anybody lacking high outcomes for Pink Bull received’t final, whereas Williams is simply comfortable scoring factors. Like choosing your native aspect in FIFA, selecting a smaller staff and dealing your method up the ladder feels extra rewarding. Sadly, you possibly can’t create your individual staff, so we selected Aston Martin, whose lofty goals concerned taking eighth within the constructors’ championship.
Administration isn’t granular in Frontier’s sim; the massive choices are your solely actual concern. With automotive efficiency, engineers can enhance your present automotive or give attention to analysis tasks for the following season. Anybody selecting much less aggressive groups might discover analysis extra helpful since that may yield important long-term advantages. Services are upgradeable too for a hefty price, offering advantages like improved staff morale in change for elevated repairs charges. There’s lots to think about and F1 Supervisor 2022 eases you in effectively due to its elective steering system.
After ending your day by day enterprise, race weekend will quickly arrive. Alongside these board expectations, each staff has set efficiency targets from sponsors and hitting these earns a pleasant payout. Non-compulsory targets will be included, starting from recording the quickest lap to hitting Q2 in qualifying, however failing to realize any you’ve chosen incurs a small payment. Nonetheless, the potential payout is considerably better, so for anybody feeling assured, it’s a threat or reward state of affairs. As soon as every thing’s been reviewed, it’s time to hit the tracks.
Similar to an actual Grand Prix, there are three apply periods that allow you to fine-tune automotive setups and familiarise the 2 drivers with the circuit. Principal drivers will be swapped out to your reserve driver in first apply, letting them earn expertise. It’s a fantastic place to check your setup, permitting drivers to familiarise themselves with the circuit and automotive alike. The extra assured a driver feels with the automotive, the quicker they’ll drive. Qualifying makes use of a three-stage knock-out format, seeing the 5 slowest drivers eradicated till we attain the highest ten. As a fast apart, dash races aren’t included. For those who’re not apprehensive about managing each element throughout apply or qualifying, although, the staff can robotically deal with it, however you possibly can’t skip the primary occasion.
Come race day, choose a pit cease technique, test the climate forecast, anticipate the lights, and also you’re off. As soon as a race begins, you’ve received no direct management over drivers; your function is healthier summarised as nudging them by way of orders. As staff principal, you possibly can problem tempo instructions which have an effect on gas consumption, direct how aggressively they drive — which impacts tyre degradation — plus preserve battery life for DRS. Must you want, you possibly can problem staff orders like avoiding preventing teammates or asking one driver to carry up any vehicles behind. Every resolution counts to achieve that aggressive benefit, and since you possibly can pause the race, there’s no must rush.
F1 Supervisor 2022’s a sport of endurance — particularly when selecting a lower-end staff — however pulling off profitable methods and securing these essential factors is extremely satisfying. We misplaced rely of what number of instances we completed a race, solely to seek out ourselves going “yet another spherical” earlier than all of the sudden realising it was 3am. Even smaller issues like that final lap overtake show tense and you are feeling delight in your efforts. Controls are effectively tailored for consoles too, feeling barely fiddly given the breadth of choices however straightforward to study. Accessibility choices like different UI colors for the color blind are additionally a welcome addition.
This isn’t all simply stats and graphs both: every thing’s dealt with by way of a powerful 3D engine that conveys the motion effectively. Positive, these visuals don’t fairly match F1 22 – a number of character fashions veer in direction of uncanny valley alongside the odd graphical pop-in – however F1 Supervisor 2022 captures the spirit of watching reside races brilliantly. Not solely did the precise drivers present voice traces for radio messages, however incident replays really feel like they’ve been pulled from a Sky Sports activities spotlight reel. Must you quick ahead the race, it will swap to a map view, reverting again every time motion is required.
Our largest drawback is that on-track occasions don’t at all times really feel sensible. On a number of events, drivers barely going large obtained an excessively enthusiastic response from commentator David Croft. Although, to his credit score, that’s fully on-brand. Extra egregiously, we observed important crashes on a number of events which might see a driver go straight right into a wall, just for them to maintain going. These aren’t main complaints — F1 Supervisor 2022 does a fantastic job of maintaining you immersed — however small issues like this may chip away at that.
As soon as the race is finished, drivers earn expertise that ultimately reward growth factors, used for enhancing abilities like braking or defending. If anybody’s constantly underperforming, you possibly can scout replacements and negotiate contracts. So, by 2023, we’d changed Lance Stroll with Valterri Bottas. We suggest not being a stingy boss; each failed negotiation sees them lose endurance with you, ultimately shutting you off. Come the season’s finish, you may be ranked in opposition to the board’s prior targets, wrap up any outlying enterprise, and earlier than you already know it, we’re doing it another time. Possibly Aston Martin will take sixth this time? We’re aiming excessive, make no mistake. Future seasons are principally related, solely this time you possibly can negotiate sponsorship offers and engine suppliers.
Conclusion
F1 Supervisor 2022 is a powerful first entry in Frontier’s new collection, filling a distinct segment that’s been sorely missing on PlayStation for years. Capturing the spirit of Components 1 with its robust consideration to element, there’s some thrilling races available and we’re impressed by how effectively it handles race days with its 3D engine. As a administration sim, it’s a sluggish burner and we do want you possibly can create your individual groups, but it surely nonetheless holds a definite attraction of its personal. For those who’ve received the endurance for the lengthy haul, F1 followers received’t wish to miss this.
