F1 Manager 2024

1 year after the release, I finally tried F1 Manager 2024. It puts you in full control of a Formula 1 team and for the first time lets you build your own constructor from the ground up (which is honestly a phenomenal addition to the series). The new options are impressive and for fans of the genre or F1, this is one of the stronger entries. It is not perfect, but the game feels right.

Let’s start with the good. The new “Create A Team” mode is a big win. You can design your own team, pick drivers, staff, sponsors, and make your own livery. You can adjust difficulty and really feel like you are building a team from the ground up. The management systems still feel rich too. The new mentality system for drivers and staff, even if flawed, makes things feel more alive. On-track races have tension, mechanical failures, and unpredictability that add drama to what could otherwise feel like a checklist of tasks. Replayability is strong and you’ll spend a lot of hours trying to build up from an underdog team to champion.

Now the bad. Some parts of the game still feel a little shallow or under-tuned. For example, the user interface and some menus are very simple and feel very similar to previous versions. Also, the menus should remember your previous choices, as I sometimes find myself clicking the same options again when configuring races, which slows the flow of management. There are bugs and odd behaviours reported: AI upgrades too fast, strange race outcomes, and occasional technical issues. Also, while the visual presentation has improved, it is not always optimized properly and on older hardware you may run into performance issues.

In summary, F1 Manager 2024 delivers a very good team management sim with a lot of heart. The ability to create your own team makes it stand out from previous entries. The shortcomings don’t kill the experience, but they keep it from being an exceptional one. If you like this kind of game and have patience for the rough edges, it’s a strong buy. If you are a big fan, it’s worth full price, but if you are unsure, I suggest waiting for a sale, as the price tends to drop dramatically after a few months. I have to admit that I am a big F1 fan, so my opinion might be a little biased, but I truly enjoyed my time with it. I’ve given it 8 out of 10 because it’s very solid, but it is not flawless.