F1 2016 Racing Game Gets Improved Career Mode, Safety Cars & Baku Track

Ahead of this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, Codemasters have decided to officially announce their F1 2016 video game, set to be released onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC later this summer.

The game’s main attraction will undoubtedly be its new career mode, now spanning 10 seasons. There’s also the addition of the Baku street circuit and the iconic Safety Car (Mercedes-AMG GT), plus also the Virtual Safety Car, a rule that made its F1 debut this year.

This year’s game will mark the first time players can fully explore the practice development program, taking full advantage of tests done by teams during grand prix weekends. Only by gaining Research & Development points will players be able to upgrade their cars.

“F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise,” said principal game designer Lee Mather. “The new career mode sits at the heart of the game and allows gamers to create their own legend over a career that can span for up to a massive ten seasons. Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming, F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.”

The way the new Career Mode works is that players will first select an avatar to represent them within the game, which includes a number, helmet color and so on. Then they can choose from any of the F1 teams, each with its own goals and expectations. Furthermore, there are new hospitality areas for each team that will act as the player’s game hub – where they can also interact with the new, fully captured and voice-acted R&D engineer and player Agent.

Mather also mentions that there are several new features that they’ve yet to announce which “should excite fans of the game and Formula One.”

The last thing they’ve teased during the announcement is the new time of day editor which allows for an extensive customization of the race visuals.