

The pleasant hum of a race car is an integral part of any racing game, but F1 Manager 22 adds another layer of realism: real team radio exchanges between drivers and engineers.

And the game’s use of audio pushes that connection even further. The drivers may get the glory, but F1 is a team sport at heart.

Their inclusion is a boon in its own right, especially in the attachment you form while improving their stats over time. In addition to securing the rights to the names and likenesses of the teams and drivers, the game also has real-life engineers and team personnel. That’s one of the many areas in which F1 Manager 22 thrives. Despite those best efforts, there has always been a gap between what the game had to offer and the level of immersion fans desired. The game eventually received a PC version, and it has an active modding community that regularly adds the drivers and teams (but not the race tracks) from real life F1 into the game. Initially a mobile game, Motorsport Manager did not have the rights to the real-life drivers, teams, or tracks from F1, instead existing in a fictional version of the F1 World. In the time between the original F1 Manager and the new release, enthusiasts of motorsport management sims made do with Motorsport Manager.

Since this is a management sim, you won’t be doing any of the driving yourself - but you still have a lot of control over the driver’s in-race performance by setting their strategy, giving them the right car setup, and even micromanaging their usage of tires, fuel, and energy. As team principal, you control the team’s race strategy and preparation, improve personnel (through development or new hires), upgrade the team’s car and facilities, make deals with sponsors, and much more. In F1 Manager 22, players run any of the 10 F1 teams. F1 Manager 22, the new simulator from Frontier Developments (best known for the Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo series) brings the complex, detail-rich world of Formula 1 to life with tons of data, beautiful presentation, and a user-friendly interface that welcomes players of all experience and familiarity levels. It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and there’s another new game hoping to capitalize on the wave of interest. The outstanding Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive has led to a massive rise in popularity for F1, especially in the United States. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences.
