I Played F1 Manager 2024 and Felt Like a Rookie (Preview)

I reviewed the classic Need for Speed game in 2022 and already feel the urge to play it again. At the time, gameplay was more important than graphics, and there was no pay-to-win mechanism to ruin the experience. It almost saddens me to see the abundance of games coming out today that have no essence and are just a money grab.

Get ready to race from behind the scenes

But I won't be talking about that today. Instead, I'm happy to have the chance to test new titles even before they launch officially. Some are more fun than others, but different people will likely feel otherwise. That's why you should acknowledge that these reviews and previews reflect my thoughts and experience, and they may be different from yours. I am a man who enjoys racing more than anything in this world, although sometimes I think it's a rather absurd hobby.

For 15 years, I have taken up motorsport management duties with multiple drivers and organizations just to get closer to the action. But it has never been a technical role, as I'm supervising media, PR, sponsorship, and logistics instead. I've mentioned this before, but there's one segment of Wangan Midnight that stuck with me: there are two kinds of car guys in this world: one that has petrol flowing through their veins (those who enjoy driving the most) and some with oil in their bloodstream (those who prefer working on cars more than driving them).

I'm part of the first category, and I could drive for hours without becoming bored. But it becomes annoying quite fast when I have to fix something on my car. That said, I'm excited to (Maybe) test the upcoming F1 2024 game, as it will be the first one in the modern era I'll play for more than 30 minutes.

So when I got a call about trying out F1 Manager 2024, I was slightly reluctant about the idea. I get the jist of it, but I am also quite aware of the implications. There's a good reason why an F1 team employs hundreds of people to function properly. And even if you simplify the whole process for the virtual experience, I knew that one man would have a tough time dealing with the ins and outs of F1 racing.

Patience is vital

I signed up for my preview of the game with an open heart, determined to try my best. Once inside the game, the first step is to choose your path forward. As the Team Manager, you can create a new team with everything that entails. I know some friends would spend much time with the livery designer, but I wanted to get straight to the action as soon as possible.

I opted to go with Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas as my two drivers, and I thought that would be enough to help me secure the win. Starting an F1 Team is a piece of cake for this manager, which isn't the case in the real world. And that's most obvious when it comes to Sponsor Management.

I'm used to having hundreds of meetings and sending thousands of emails before securing enough sponsors for one of the drivers I'm working with. But in F1 Manager 2024, you can just choose which ones you feel most comfortable with, and the money starts rolling in. Each sponsor (fictional company) has different requirements and will provide you with a certain budget, but I quickly skipped through this segment.

The Mentality System is new for F1 2024 and is your way to monitor drivers and staff. This reminds me of games like Caesar 3 or Pharaoh, where you had to constantly build temples and organize festivals to celebrate the gods to avoid suffering their wrath. That was a lot of fun, and I didn't feel the same excitement experiencing this feature in F1 Manager 2024.

F1 Otakus will do just fine

You can always scout for new people to hire, and I tried offering some contracts to a few characters but suffered rejection in the process. As you can imagine, a lot is going on, and you need to keep an eye on building or upgrading your existing facilities, planning the race strategy, working on the car setups, and so on. Even before driving into the year's first race in Bahrain, I felt you need to be a genuine F1 Otaku to juggle all the information and settings inside this game.

Of course, this is a by-product of my competitive nature, as you can easily just roll through the money and jump into the race thanks to existing presets. You get a lot of feedback from the game, and it may as well serve as a learning platform for all things F1 if that's your end goal. I faced the harsh reality of having both drivers eliminated at the end of Q1 in Bahrain. Even after I instructed them to be as aggressive as possible in their stints, I was still three seconds behind the leader.

A good car is crucial if you want to win, maybe even more so than any manual session management you could provide. And that's something you may enjoy, as you can choose to simulate sessions or look after them yourself. I had fun watching Leclerc trying to qualify in Bahrain as I switched through the cameras to see the action. But it only lasted a short while, as I felt powerless watching from afar. If F1 Manager 2024 and F1 2024 merge into one game, that could be interesting.

I'd much rather just drive than work out a million details from behind the scenes. Mechanical failures are also new for F1 2024, and I had to experience such a scenario by managing Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Even after I told Max to slow down to protect the car, he still finished P2. F1 Manager 2024 feels like an enormous playing arena, with so many things to discover if you're keen on micromanagement like that.

But I also thought it lacked a fun factor if that's what you want. Trying to master this game almost feels like having a job. And if you're going to take up a role as a Team Manager, you might as well apply for one in the real world. At least that will put some money into your pocket at the end of the day. I remember having fun with a certain football manager many years ago, allowing me to purchase virtual yachts, cars, and homes.

Somehow, that was more exciting than managing an F1 team, but I may feel that way because I'm not skilled or patient enough to appreciate this type of game. And I'm sure plenty of motoring fans will have a blast playing F1 Manager 2024 once it launches on PC and Console on July 23rd. That's right, you can play it on your PC, Playstation (4 and 5), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S if you don't mind spending $34.99 for the entry-level edition. You can also go for the Deluxe Edition if the extra options appeal to you.