''F1 2019'' is the official video game of the 2019 Formula One and Formula 2 Championships developed and published by

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling in Oct ...

. It is the twelfth title in the ''Formula One'' series developed by the studio. The game is the eleventh main series installment of the franchise, and it features all twenty-one circuits, twenty drivers and ten teams present in the 2019 Formula One World Championship. Codemasters has stated that the game was in development for nearly two years, and described it as "the most ambitious release in the franchise's history". This game is dedicated to Tony Porter, Niki Lauda, Charlie Whiting, and Anthoine Hubert.

Features

''F1 2019'' is the first game in the series to feature driver transfers (similar to

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network ...

'' FIFA'' and

Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casino ...

Pro Evolution Soccer ''eFootball'', formerly known as ''Pro Evolution Soccer'' (''PES'') internationally and in Japan and North America, is a series of association football simulation video games developed and published by Konami since 1995. The series consists ...

''), with AI-controlled drivers able to switch teams during or at the end of a championship year. These moves will be randomly-generated rather than scripted events. The game includes 18 Formula 1 cars from ''F1 2018'' from the 1972–2010 seasons, with the DLC having a focus on the careers of

Alain Prost Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French retired racing driver and Formula One team owner. A four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Micha ...

and

Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in , , and . Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and ...

. The DLC also includes the 2010 McLaren MP4-25, driven by

Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mic ...

and

Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super G ...

, and the 2010

Ferrari F10 The Ferrari F10 is a Formula One motor racing car used by Ferrari to compete in the 2010 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Aldo Costa, Nikolas Tombazis and Marco de Luca with Luca Marmorini leading the engine and electronics design. ...

, driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. These cars were included to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Codemasters releasing the Formula 1 game on the seventh and eighth generations of consoles. Two Ferrari cars, however, are noticeably absent. These are the 2002 Ferrari F2002, and the 1995 Ferrari 412 T2. Players are able to design liveries—including fictional sponsors—for a generic 2019 car in multiplayer modes. Within the game

Racing Point Racing Point F1 Team, which competed as BWT Racing Point F1 Team and commonly known as Racing Point, was a British motor racing team and constructor that Racing Point UK entered into the Formula One World Championship. The team was based in ...

SportPesa SportPesa is a sports news technology and sports betting brand with operations in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Italy, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the UK, where it operates in conjunction with TGP Europe. Ownership SportPesa in Kenya is ...

sponsorship is replaced by SpScore.com (SportPesa's news and live score website) due to SportPesa being a betting company and the game being PEGI 3 rated, as well as regulations on gambling advertising. Scuderia Ferrari's sponsor Mission Winnow was also completely removed because of it being an advertisement for the tobacco company

Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is an American multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. The most recognized and best selling product of the company is Marlboro. Philip Morris International is often ref ...

, as well as A Better Tomorrow branding (run by British American Tobacco) on McLaren cars. In a later update, the ''90 Years'' logos were added, along with the real car, to celebrate Ferrari's 90-year involvement in motorsport. Codemasters revealed the presence of the

FIA Formula 2 Championship The FIA Formula 2 Championship is a second-tier single-seater championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Held on racing circuits, the championship was introduced in 2017, following the rebranding of the l ...

in the game, with a

Dallara F2 2018 The Dallara F2 2018 (originally known as the Dallara F2/18) is an open-wheel racing car developed by Italian manufacturer Dallara for use in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, a feeder-series for Formula One. The F2 2018 is the second car used by ...

shown at the end of the announcement trailer. The game initially featured the teams, drivers and calendar of the 2018 championship with content based on the 2019 championship added to the game via update in September 2019. The Formula 2 championship is integrated into the game's career mode as a series of three short scenarios designed to introduce driver rivalries, called the F2 Feeder Series. It includes two fictional drivers, Lukas Weber and Devon Butler, who act as teammate and rival to the player character respectively, and they both graduate to Formula 1 alongside the player at the end of the scenario series, with either the player or Butler becoming the champion of the 2018 F2 season. The full Formula 2 championship can be played separately to the career mode.

Reception

''F1 2019'' was well received. ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' said that "the Formula 2 cars are superb to handle, and the new additions to career mode, like driver swaps, add some much-needed drama and excitement that real Formula 1 has been missing for some time now". Game Revolution said: "There's enough here to take you well into next season (and beyond), while the Career Mode has finally shaken off the cobwebs to emerge as a genuinely thrilling highlight". ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' said that "it definitely doesn't always seem like a new game". The game got to number 2 in the UK sales chart, behind ''

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ''Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled'' is a 2019 kart racing game developed by Beenox and published by Activision. The game is a remastered version of '' Crash Team Racing'', which was originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation in 1999 ...

''. It reached number 7 in Australia. The game has been beset by handling and braking issues since the game's release. Codemasters have declined to comment on when a patch will be introduced. ''F1 2019'' and all other F1 games before it were taken off the Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox Stores in April 2022.

Awards

References