F1 24’s new Career mode lets you step into Lewis Hamilton’s shoes

F1 24 / EA Sports

Career mode is a staple in the Formula 1 video games. First introduced in 2010, it’s been “incredibly successful and very well-received by players,” as senior creative director Lee Mather tells us. The first major update came in 2016, followed by a range of minor tweaks.

That is set to change with F1 24, as Career mode is getting a meaty update destined to leave a mark on Formula 1 games. You’ll be able not only as a custom driver, but also as one of the twenty on the grid, or as an Icon.

Driver ratings also get some time under the spotlight. As much of an event these are to the drivers, ratings will also apply to player-created drivers in this year’s title. 

You earn recognition by how you perform on the track. The more often you rank high on the grid and complete objectives, the higher the amount of recognition. This changes your weight across your team and the paddock.

F1 24 / EA Sports

Completing goals and contracts is also important in your relationships with the different teams, and you can even have secret meetings. If you’re starting from F2, how you perform there also changes how teams look at you when joining the F1 grid. The benefits of recognition include whether or not you’re chosen as a first driver.

If so, you have the ability to lead the R&D department, providing your engineers priorities over aerodynamics, or the engine. As a first driver, you’ll have priority over new parts before your teammate even knows about them. From the second season onward, optional modifiers will provide custom scenarios in R&D, serving as a challenge for increased longevity.

As for real drivers, present and past, there are the Accolades. Accolades are key in a driver’s career, and will hugely vary whether you’re a new driver or a veteran of the grid. As a newbie, your targets could be ‘take part in your first FP,’ or ‘complete your first race weekend.’ As Lewis Hamilton, it might be ‘win your eighth world championship.’

F1 24 / EA Sports

Your team features brand-new specialists. These are team members helping you to achieve your goals across the season and beyond. They’ll set goals in the medium and long term, help develop the car, the team, and your relationships to increase the weight of the driver in the paddock. By doing so, you’ll be in a good position when negotiating a new contract.

The contract system is all new. By signing one, you’ll have targets to meet. By not meeting them, or if you do it too easily, you can go back into a negotiating window to secure a better deal. Secret meetings may be held with a new team. But mind you: shaking too many hands could trigger rumors, damaging your reputation in the industry, as opposed to a long career at the same team.

Engineers give you objectives during the race, so as to keep you motivated. They could even provide advice on how to change strategy for a fastest lap, how to prevent your engine from overheating, and preserve tires. “They’re very reactionary,” Mather points out.

F1 24 / EA Sports

A new feature dictates rivalries across the grid. As the saying goes, your first rival is your teammate, and this determines who’s the leader when it comes to car development. But there’s also a “championship narrative,” which kicks off once it’s clear who you are competing against for the title. It works with mid-table positions, and when fighting to stray away from the bottom of the standings. And finally, there’s a battle for ratings, as all the drivers want to get the highest.

Challenge Career is a particularly interesting concept. As episodic content, Challenge Career takes the form of mini-seasons, requiring you to perform under certain conditions, on selected tracks, and with a pre-set driver. Doing so, you’ll compete against other players around the world for a seat on a special online leaderboard. Challenges will be spread over four levels of difficulty, so everyone will be able to take part. During the season, EA Sports and Codemasters will curate online polls to ask players what specific conditions they’d like to face, so that the community is involved in the decision-making process.

F1 24’s release date is slated for May 31 on PC, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. You can get 3-day early access by pre-ordering F1 24’s Champions Edition. Stay with us next week to find out all about what’s new in terms of circuits, with updates to historic tracks and big returns.