F1 24 review: A long way from pole position

F1 24 has arrived, but far from surging to the front of the grid, EA’s latest entry in the long-running franchise remains stuck in the paddock.

With no driver changes on the grid for the new Formula 1 season, F1 24 has a tough task proving it’s a considerable upgrade from 2023’s entry and worth its $69.99 price tag—and it hasn’t overcome the challenge.

Though the racing sim provides a somewhat more authentic experience than its predecessors, with upgraded face models on F1 superstars and the ability to play as your favorite driver in Career Mode, this isn’t enough to save F1 24.

A familiar problem

The biggest issue facing F1 24 is the handling. Few things are more important in a racing game than the ability to control the car and keep it on the track, but at times, I found this impossible.

This problem was particularly apparent in the street circuits in F1 24, like Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. I faced a constant tussle to keep all four wheels within track limits while my AI rivals cruised around the track like they were Scalextrics.

Naturally, being unable to stay on track meant any chance of a podium finish was swiftly wiped away—and there was no chance of a safety car or red flag emerging to provide me with a second chance.

In fact, in all the races I’ve completed in F1 24, I’m yet to see a single retirement, let alone laps behind the safety car, with collisions between AI drivers seemingly non-existent. 

The issues that hinder racers in F1 seem to only apply to me, as every pit stop I’ve had has had problems replacing the front-left tire, doubling my stop time while my rivals cruise past without a care in the world.

Career Mode facelift

While the racing overall feels no different to F1 23, the main selling point of F1 24 is the change to its Career Mode, which, for the first time, lets you take control of real drivers—choosing between existing F1 drivers, up-and-coming youngsters from F2, or a selection of Icons.

As part of this, you can start your career in F2 and work up to F1. This was one of the aspects of F1 24 I was most excited about, but sadly, it feels like nothing more than a gimmick.

By far, the biggest issue I had with this is that I could find no way to alter the AI difficulty between races. So, after going with the recommended settings and setting a qualifying lap seven seconds faster than my closest rival, I realized things needed tweaking—yet I couldn’t.

There is no break between events in F2, and finishing one race immediately takes you to qualifying for the next, with no period in between to alter the difficulty settings. So, I was forced to start my career again, opting for a much harder challenge, which left me right at the back and well off the pace.

Another Career Mode restart beckoned, and this time, I skipped F2 entirely, instead jumping straight into F1 and bringing Arthur Leclerc to the grid and setting myself the goal of having him earn a seat alongside his brother Charles at Ferrari.

The ability to build these scenarios is where F1 24 is strongest and adds replayability to the repetitive Career Mode. Once you hit a goal, you can move on to other objectives—like getting Lewis Hamilton an eighth world title, leading Lando Norris and McLaren back to the top, or anything else you can imagine. 

These storylines have some limitations, however, with mid-race goals not as focused as they should be. An example of this was in my debut race in Bahrain, where I somehow found myself in the second spot heading into the closing stages, and with Hamilton breathing down my neck, my task was instead to overtake Max Verstappen—a difficult task for any driver, let alone a rookie.

Often, these mid-race objectives weren’t much of a challenge, though, with the most regular tasks being to hit a target lap time. Frustratingly, the target time was often four or five seconds slower than the pace I was showing. In the end, I largely ignored them.

Deja Vu

The sad reality is I’m not surprised with the state of F1 24, as the franchise has dipped significantly since coming under the EA umbrella, and the differences between each edition are difficult to spot.

The only blessing is that a five-hour trial for F1 24 is available through EA Play, giving you a chance to try it out for yourself before splashing out the cash, but there isn’t much of a reason to move on from previous entries in the series.