F1 Manager 2023 Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos, Features and Modes

F1 Manager 2023 from developer Frontier Developments has one of the most difficult tasks possible in the sports video game world—following up a successful debut well enough to justify an annual series.

The first game in the series, F1 Manager 2022, was a resounding success that provided important foundational groundwork, albeit while missing some of the expected staples of the sports game genre.

As a follow-up, F1 Manager 2023 doesn't have the benefit of low expectations or catching gamers by surprise. The expectation is another fantastic standout for F1 fans in the same way football fans get Football Manager, but expanded.

A podium finish is a trickier task this time, though the sophomore effort certainly has the benefit of building on a superb base.

Gameplay

Fans of the first game know it all too well—hopping into the role of an F1 Manager is an intimidating task at first. There are droves of menus and details to micro-manage.

Forget what a player knows about juggling tires, parts and track-specific challenges for other racing games, as F1 Manager 2023 asks players to handle every single little thing about a team, from the makeup of the pit team and engineering departments to actual part creation to even scouting and signing prospects while managing a cap.

And with this sophomore effort, the game has expanded what it asks of players in meaningful, strong ways.

Take Driver Confidence, which is a savvy, real-feeling addition. Build this meter up and a driver's overtakes and defenses, among other things, have a better chance of being successful. If it's low, more mistakes feel prone to happening.

This actually plays a meaningful role on in-the-moment gameplay. Issuing a command to pass to a driver with a low confidence score is a risky endeavor,

Or take an expansion of part creation. A fun new wrinkle in part development and overall vehicle modification is the weight of aero parts. There's a risk-reward element here—lighter parts might mean better performance, but less durability, meaning more money spent on replacing them more often.

Did anyone mention this gameplay loop isn't just a race-to-race thing, but can ask players to extend their perspective to years and years later?

Overall balance of the financial cap is again one of the biggest factors in success, as in real life. Plotting out actual contention years and using the off years to heavily invest in the future, with the understanding there isn't enough money left over to splurge on the current season, is a necessary strategy.

The refined way of scouting for prospects to add to the team is a blast, especially now that the Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships receive the full simulation treatment.

Like last year, much of the gameplay loop boils down to management decisions found in loads of menu screens. But that hasn't held back other strong strategy games and it doesn't here.

On the track, much feels the same, which isn't a bad thing. The snappy controls make sense and the random element of accidents, weather and other things give a realistic feel to how things play out. Opponent A.I. is again robust and sometimes unpredictable, of the good variety.

Graphics and Presentation

Like its debuting predecessor, F1 Manager 2023 does a fantastic job capturing the feeling of true speed through the use of savvy things like blur and attention to detail, be it smoke coming off screeching tries or ear-rattling sound design.

Of the 23 real-life tracks, one of the biggest lookers is the newcomer Lusail International Circuit, which boasts that gorgeous illuminated nighttime sprint. Plus, Las Vegas gets the proper colorful treatment that is downright stunning. Each track again feels true-to-life in nature, which is part of a stunning sense of immersion and broadcast values.

Chief among those immersion-deepening feats is a new Visor Cam, which is actually used by companies during real-life broadcasts. It's an over-shoulder look through the windshield that captures that same sense of speed and thrill for players, albeit with a claustrophobic hint.

Sound design is again top-notch. Last year was most impressive in the way it implemented radio calls picked up during race broadcasts. This year this has clearly been expanded upon, as there is less repetition in these radio calls.

Creatively, players can now hear radio calls from other teams during replays. Plus, those replays catch a variety of nice angles in a way that feels like a real broadcast.

It feels like the user interface (UI) has received an upgrade, at least in fluidity, as deep diving into menus isn't as overbearing and tough to navigate as in the past. Plus, the in-race map of the track got a colorful overhaul, which is a nice touch.

As a whole, the game feels like it went the proverbial extra mile with presentation when it could have settled for being a menu-heavy sim game. The result is something that again could pass for the real thing in the eyes of onlookers who wouldn't know any better.

Features and More

Besides a notable lack of game modes, one of the things the series debut struggled with was luring in more of a casual crowd.

F1 Manager 2023 attempts to hit both of those topics in one swoop with the new Race Replay mode, which comes with two forms.

The Starting Grid option replicates everything from a real-world event, from starting positions to weather conditions. The other is Race Moments, which puts players in positions to actually improve upon the real-world results through proper strategy and execution.

These modes are a push for not only realism, but more bite-sized experiences. Last year's game lacked these as well, with a Gran Prix even sped up capable of taking an hour or more, depending on a player's engagement with the deep systems.

While these aren't anything out of the ordinary for a racing or sport game to have, it's nice to see it included.

A new Sprints mode offers up six challenges for players. The Sunday starting grid gets determined by how players perform in a Saturday sprint race, which is a nice little addition that feels like it leans heavily into that driver confidence mechanic.

This sophomore effort goes deeper into development of staff members this year, letting players tweak the skillsets of each while thinking about the whole composition of the team. One can specialize in pacing, while another could even focus on wet-track conditions.

Players can further boost development gains in chosen tracks by investing in better infrastructure around the teams, adding a serious layer of strategy to non-race days in a meaningful way.

A new Sporting Director and Team Principal help guide the player's chosen strategy too, even monitoring for driver developmental regressions as they get older. The former is especially important, as it oversees the pit crew's development. Pushing too hard for progression, though, could lead to mistakes during Sunday events, creating another near-stressful risk-reward scenario.

This all makes for a more engaging gameplay loop when it comes to development. As opposed to just manually plugging in points in a video-game sense, players have to mimic real life by juggling multiple layers of a team involved with overall development and performance.

Tacking these onto the overall established gameplay loop makes for a robust, engaging time. Attacking goals within the context of a very long-term plan and deciding how to spend money isn't easy, but it is easy to lose hours working toward them over literal in-game years.

There have been efforts to modernize the options suite and overall experience too, with the fact players can now save the game in the middle of a race a chief example.

Conclusion

Race Replay is a nice addition and should ease some concerns that more casual players can't engage with the races without all of the prep. But playing exhibitions of a real-world event aren't new to sporting games and there is still a distinct lack of game modes, including any sort of multiplayer.

Even so, it's hard not to come away impressed by the entire package and the depth it accomplishes. It's a compliment to say it feels like there isn't anything missing that should be in a game that is unabashedly a simulation.

While it's debatable if there is enough proverbial meat on the bone here to entice gamers who bought last year's debut, it's certainly the perfect starting point for gamers new to the series for what feels like a blossoming powerhouse on the sports gaming market.