Max Verstappen Revealed for F1 23 Video Game Cover with Release Date, New Features

Max Verstappen is the two-time reigning Formula 1 world champion driver and may be on his way to a third consecutive title this year, so it is only fitting EA Sports tabbed him as the cover star of its F1 23 video game.

The company announced Wednesday that the game will be available on June 16, with the Red Bull driver who has EA Sports branding on his helmet gracing the cover of the digital-exclusive F1 23 Champions Edition.

There are a number of new features in this year's game, including the return of the Braking Point story mode that will follow the careers of young drivers Aiden Jackson and Devon Butler. The pair will be teammates for Konnersport Racing Team and develop rivalries as they attempt to compete against the more established F1 teams.

What's more, EA Sports incorporated feedback from F1 teams to improve the gameplay experience, with upgrades to handling, accelerating, braking and more.

The game will also debut the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Losail International Circuit in Qatar, and it will include the F1 World hub to streamline multiple game modes and provide players with the opportunity to unlock car upgrades, helmets, race suits and more by completing in-game challenges.

F1 23 will also feature a 35 percent race distance option and red flags that will require strategy to maneuver through on the track.

That Verstappen was named as the cover star comes as no surprise.

After all, he proved his controversial 2021 world title was not a one-time fluke when he cruised to another championship in 2022. He finished last year with 454 points, which was a full 146 points ahead of second-place finisher Charles Leclerc.

He is once again in front in the early going this year with 93 points through four races. Yet Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez isn't far behind with 87 after his victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Pérez may be the one celebrating the most recent win, but it is his teammate who will be on the cover of F1 23 when it is released on PlayStation5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation4 and Xbox One, as well as on PC via EA App, Epic Games Store and Steam.