Formula 1 is back again after a year out, pundits struggle fruitlessly to make sense of pre-season testing ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, but what Codemasters has been up to in this year’s inevitable F1 23 Let’s think about Taka.
Back in 2021, amidst the dark clouds of a global pandemic, Codemasters introduced a full-fledged story mode (called Braking Point) to the long-running Formula 1 series for the first time. Weaving authentic sports with an original story, Braking Point tells the story of a fictional newcomer rising through the ranks through a series of curated racing challenges.
This rookie driver was Aiden Jackson, a talented Englishman who lacked experience on the big stages. Jackson was initially at odds with veteran Dutch teammate Casper He Ackermann, but (spoiler alert) the two eventually mended their troubled relationship and joined forces to become Machiavelli’s rival. Devon defeated his Butler (breaking his point token his slime ball).
One particularly interesting element of Braking Point was the lack of a custom team of Jackson and Akkerman. The driver actually raced for one of five real teams based on the player’s choice. Williams, Haas, Alfa Romeo, Alpha Tauri, and Racing his points (in the story Aston he became Martin. Championship). Another driver from his one of his four remaining selectable teams was replaced by Butler. The storytelling didn’t really push the boat out, but overall it was a serious effort that was well executed, with a real team pulling either (or both) of the real drivers aside for story purposes. It’s great that you were so sure to put it down ( , at one stage, the team’s car was even depicted embarrassingly tangled in the track).
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The work required for this supplemental story mode has reportedly been put into development for two years. So while Braking Point’s next chapter skipped last year’s game, should do it Arrives as part of this year’s F1 23.
However, this puts Codemasters in a slightly tricky spot. Because how on earth do you create a fictional F1 drama that could compete with what you saw last season?
Forget overall results like anti-climax. I’m not talking about the rain-shortened Japanese GP. Even Max Verstappen himself didn’t know he locked it. Rather, are you referring to what has been described as the broadest set of rule changes the sport has seen in 40 years, with the same car and driver combination from 2021 winning the whole shebang again?Yes, RB18 is same car Same as RB16B, but you get what I mean.And indeed, F1 is no F1 fans are used to seeing the fastest cars dominate back-to-back seasons, but hold it against those of us who wanted a grid full of radical technical overhauls and brand-new cars. I don’t think you can. A car would produce a different result.Or at least a little more interesting result.i.e. instead of The same car that has won more races in a single season than any other in the history of the championshipFrankly, 2022 hasn’t always been a seesaw contest. Hell, 2021 has had his 10th podium performance by a driver outside of the Big 3 teams of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. In 2022, oneThere was one lone podium from outside the top three teams when Lando Norris claimed a cheeky third place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
No, I’m actually talking about all the controversies, scandals and surprises that happened along the way. I remember being genuinely impressed with how happy I was to set aside contract drivers and watch team cars crash for added drama. I’m wondering how far a real F1 racing team can be pushed for. In fact, how would these same teams react to a Braking Point follow-up featuring some of the shenanigans that happened last season?
Would a real F1 team really consider signing on the dotted line for a story to see them cast? A lot of side dishes? A candid documentary series they agreed to watch, like Netflix’s Drive to Survive, is one thing. Video games are something else entirely.
Has McLaren ever considered approving a storyline in which one of their drivers was fired with just one year left on his contract, at a huge public financial cost in the process?
Do you dream of saying ‘yes’ to a sequence in which Alpine loses a former world champion and the next big thing in an instant due to a series of contract failures?
Would Mercedes approve of the idea of Lewis Hamilton going a complete season without a win or a pole for the first time in his amazing F1 career?
And Red Bull is content with being heavily fined for violating budget rules, dealing with a civil war between drivers, culminating in a sullen refusal to help a teammate in the world. would you
Now I could be completely wrong. Perhaps the party you need is a better sport for this sort of thing than I give them credit for, after all, Codemasters has been in and around F1 for over 10 years of his . But I don’t know. Something about it feels… pretty unlikely. Despite the fact that they all happened, I think story beats like these were laughed off the desks of every department in every F1 team.And who can blame them?
So where will Codemasters take the next chapter of Braking Point? That’s an assignment I’ll leave them with, and I hope the studio is taking it seriously. It would be disappointing to find out that it fell by the wayside, but I don’t think so.
After all, if it works for F1, Codemasters finally made it excellent motorsport: Larry.
yeah i went there
Don’t be afraid to get dirty.
Luke is a game editor in IGN’s Sydney office. You can chat with him on Twitter @MrLukeReilly.
