First F1 2021 gameplay revealed along with story mode details

The latest installment of Formula 1’s annual video game series will be released on July 16 and is the first since EA Sports acquired Codemasters this winter.

After Codemasters announced plans for a new two-player career mode and story mode earlier this year, Codemasters announced more information on its plans for the 2021 game on Wednesday.

Part of that was the release of the first gameplay footage that took advantage of the smoother graphics available on the next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles. Both have the ability to toggle between “performance” and “graphics” as seen in Codemasters’ DiRT5 title, improved load speeds, 3D audio, and ray tracing for realistic reflections in repeats and broadcasts.

One of the big innovations in the game is the story mode “Braking Point” in which the players will compete as Aiden Jackson, a young driver who drives in the F2 and hopes to reach the F1.

The game will cover the 2019 F2 season before moving into F1 for 2020 and 2021 with the option to sign for Racing Point / Aston Martin, Alphas Tauri, Alfa Romeo, Haas or Williams.

Braking Point wants its story to be inspired by the Netflix Drive to Survive series, which has benefited from a team of professional writers and highlights the characters and relationships in Jackson’s story. Part of it will see the return of Devon Butler, the villain from F1 2019.

CGI cutscenes have also been filmed for the mode to add realism, while Codemasters is keen to keep more details on Braking Point under wraps to avoid spoilers, but said the mode should be around five to six hours long .

F1 2021 screenshot

Photo by: Codemasters

Another big change for F1 2021 is the new two-player career mode, which allows players to start their F1 career with a friend, either for the same team (‘Co-op’) or against each other (‘Contracts’). through the mode of getting in touch with competitors and negotiating the driver market as usual. Multiple memory slots are made available that allow for more than a two-player career. The regular single player driver career now also allows players to race in F2 before moving up to F1.

MyTeam Driver / Manager Mode returns from F1 2020 and has been improved to achieve a new R&D structure to move away from the skill tree presentation that has been in use for a number of years. The development tasks in the exercise sessions have also been revised, with a mini-game set “quick exercises” being made available.

Codemasters previously announced that it would make seven Icon drivers available in MyTeam mode, but their integration into the driver market remains unclear. An additional element for the driver ratings this year is a new “focus” statistic, which is influenced by team activities, performance and press questions, the latter also being expanded for this year.

F1 2021 is billed as the most customizable title in the series to date, allowing players to customize the settings to be accessible to both newbies and hardcore sim racers looking for the toughest challenge.

Customizing the MyTeam and Career modes allows players to customize how quickly they earn money and collect resource points, as well as how regularly mechanical or technical failures occur on the cars in order to tailor the game to the player’s desired level of difficulty.

Another addition for this year is a “real season start” that allows players to dive into the championship at any time, with the leaderboard set to its true equivalent. The game will contain 21 tracks, with three more – Portimao, Imola and Jeddah – to be added as free DLC at a later date. China is included in Braking Point mode but will not be available in Career after it is removed from the calendar. The recently announced sprint races will not be included in the game.

F1 2021 screenshot

Photo by: Codemasters

F1 2021 will again feature F2 and kick off with the 2020 cars, drivers, and the weekend format before an update later in the year to bring everything up to date for 2021.

On the track, after its virtual racing activities last year in lockdown, F1 2021 benefited from more input from teams and drivers, which enables a more sim-like tire model. Changes have also been made to the damage model, which means more parts of the car can be damaged.

A new “Social Play” option has been added to Multiplayer to help players get started and create a less intimidating online experience. The server browser has also been updated to make it easier for players to find the races they want.

There is also a major visual change: players can now add stickers to the halo and select a “Victory Radio Message” to call the team or fans out to win. Other multiplayer bumper stickers and items are also available in the Podium Pass online shop.

F1 2021 will be released on July 16 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, and PC, with Deluxe Edition orders being available three days earlier.