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๐Ÿ–ฑ️The many questions that remain about F1 Manager 2022

Let’s get this out of the way immediately - I really really really REALLY want F1 Manager to be a good game. 

(c) Haas F1 Team on Twitter

The vast potential of a million branching paths as 10 Formula 1 teams compete to cross the line first and the journey every team takes, with all the highs and lows and options available. 

In short, combining the depth of Football Manager with the showbiz and uniqueness that F1 has to offer. But upon the initial press release from Frontier, as well as looking at how they’re marketing the game, the early impression appears to be a lot of sizzle and not enough substance.

๐Ÿงฑ WALLED GARDEN 

Getting the licenses for Formulas 1, 2, and 3 is great, it adds some variety to the driver pool and will allow people to track a driver’s journey over the course of the game. But this should only be the first step of a comprehensive driver market and the global nature of motorsport should mean that drivers from different series should be in the free agent pool at the very least. 

W Series feels like a massive and obvious miss here, as does the IndyCar ladder, Super Formula and the regional races that drivers start their journeys on. Hell, Formula E, WEC and Supercars could also be part of that pool - even if the competitions aren’t visible, having the drivers available could be very useful. 

Perhaps they’ll include test drivers and that will allow for a slightly deeper pool. But I am very interested to see how vacant F2 and F3 slots get filled. Unlike many other sports, drivers only go upward or off the ladder. Unless in very extreme circumstances would you see a driver go backwards, so I am hoping that has been considered. Similarly, little rules like the winner of F2 and F3 not being allowed to defend their titles. 

If there are around 70-80 drivers available in the three big open-wheel formulas, then what happens when drivers inevitably retire? Will they be filled by no-name regens, for example? This happens in Football Manager, sure, but the player pool in FM is over 100,000 players per game on a decent computer, so its impact isn’t heavily felt for at least 5-7 seasons. Further to that, the press release says you can take control of one of the 10 F1 teams, so managing F2 or F3 won’t be possible on day one. This again, feels like something that should be standard. 

The same goes for the principal you take the place of. Do they just... disappear from the universe, or do they become a free agent, waiting to join a new team?

If you acquired the license, why wouldn’t you allow aspiring principals to manage their way up the ladder, or even take their team from F3 into F1? 

And that question leads to further issues. 

♻️ MIXING UP THE GRID 

The most recent edition of the F1 racing game series introduced the option for a player to take on the team principal (and driver) role of the eleventh team on the grid, allowing a player to take on a team with a completely blank canvas and push upwards as an entirely new outfit. 

It looks like F1 Manager won’t allow that, so someone who is joining F1 new or relatively recently will have to have a base set of knowledge before they can confidently participate in the game. And what if a player wants to remix the game completely? 

Features like a fantasy draft would change the start of the game world completely, allowing for extra replay value. Want to put Max Verstappen in a Haas? Why not? Want to push Dennis Hauger up as soon as possible? Absolutely. 

The other part is changing traditions. Ferrari and Alpine, for example, run in-house engines. The other engines are made by Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains. Can a player take a Mercedes engine and put it in a Ferrari, for example, or if taking charge of Aston Martin, decide they want to use an in-house engine?

Is customisation allowed - can I completely blaspheme and change the famous Italian red to a lurid green? It’s early days, and all this might yet be announced, but there are high expectations here, and there are questions to be asked about how this game is being marketed. 

๐Ÿชค WALK INTO A TRAP 

Consider this example.

This is the voice behind the game openly speculating on whether a driver will be able to race. Regardless of thoughts behind that, it sets them up for a fall. By asking the question, or spotlighting it, fans might think this will be an in-game feature too. 

There is a much-better way of marketing the game and that would be to use real-world examples as things you can also do in the game. Especially as in real-life, McLaren announced an option to run Oscar Piastri. In the game, it’s not known if he’ll even be in it! 

I really want this game to be good. Formula 1 fans haven’t had a game like this with the licenses and other bells and whistles this century, and while this game is the first of a multi-year deal, if Frontier doesn’t hit the ground running, there won’t be much of a reason for fans to give them another go.

 
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Unlike when the last F1 manager game was released, there are hundreds more rivals now for people’s attention - not just other games, but completely different experiences too. If the first effort turns out to be a 4/10 game, it’ll be difficult for fans to stick around. 

I truly hope that doesn’t become the case.

Related:

๐ŸŽฎ The arguments for and against putting F3 and W Series into F1 2022 (and beyond)
๐Ÿงจ How do you play politics at 200mph?

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