LIGHTS OUT: F1® Manager 2022 Playable Now On Steam!
All the research and development is done. Practice and qualifying is complete. Your strategy is set. The five red lights are about to go out…
We are incredibly excited to launch F1® Manager 2022 today on Steam! Early access begins now for those who have pre-ordered digitally across any platform, but you can still join the early access by purchasing the digital version before the full launch on August 30.
To celebrate, we’ve revealed the official launch trailer, giving you just a taste of the authentic, thrilling, detailed world of F1® you are about to enter. Check it out:
The new trailer displays the drama and intensity you’ll experience, as you take on the role of Team Principal for one of the 10 official F1® teams. Be the boss and make the critical decisions, both at the circuit and back at HQ, to guide your team to glory.
Manage recruitment, developing your drivers and key staff or searching the market of real-world talent, including F1®, F2™ and F3™ drivers. Oversee the improvement and maintenance of facilities to benefit your team and workforce. Look after your finances and achieve the team’s objectives to keep the board happy. Take complete control of car development and build a formidable machine. Work with your drivers and engineers to hone your car setup and race strategy.
Finally, see it all come together on race day with incredible broadcast-style presentation of the action. Use driver and team orders to react to every moment of the race, plotting a path to victory.
Race commentary from David Croft and Karun Chandhok, use of real-world team radio calls, implementation of real F1® regulations, and a plethora of data and depth to explore all make F1® Manager 2022 an authentic and immersive simulation experience. Dynamic development of drivers and staff, retirements and transfers, the addition of fictional future talents, and more will ensure new challenges and intriguing narratives, no matter how many seasons you play for.
For more insight into F1® Manager 2022, check out our YouTube channel, including playlists of gameplay deep dives and behind-the-scenes videos. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest news, and join our communities on Reddit and Discord to chat with the team and fellow players.
See you in the paddock!
F1® Manager 2022 | We Meet Guenther Steiner! | CHALLENGE THE GRID
Taking full control of an F1® team in F1® Manager 2022 will be a challenging, high-stakes experience for everyone from August 25 – but what if you had an actual Team Principal looking over your shoulder?
Ahead of the game’s launch, we caught up with Haas F1® Team reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi, as he took F1® Manager 2022 for a spin and aimed to secure a strong result with Haas at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. To add a little more pressure, we brought his boss along to judge his performance!
Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner stopped by to give his thoughts on the game, and how his driver fared at being Team Principal for a day…
Pre-order F1® Manager 2022 on Steam to play from August 25!
True To Form – Behind The Scenes of F1® Manager 2022
Immersion, realism, and authenticity are three massive focuses of F1® Manager 2022 – and this dedication to bringing players into the world of F1® stretches far beyond the racetrack.
In our final behind-the-scenes video, we give you a closer look at how motion capture technology has been used to bring F1® Manager 2022 to life. From pit crew reactions, to pit stops, to podium celebrations, we’re using cutting-edge technology to deliver the raw emotion and passion of the world’s fastest motorsport. Take a look:
Principal Mocap Specialist Tina Nischan, and Lead Animator Tim West, break down the approach and thought process for implementing motion capture into the game. Using real F1® car components in a dedicated capture studio, a team of professional performers have brought scenarios to life, which you’ll see in F1® Manager 2022. From your pit crew in the garage reacting to a big overtake, to your driver celebrating a victory on the podium, these scenes will be weaved into a race weekend, just like an F1® television broadcast.
The Frontier Developments team also worked closely with BWT Alpine F1® Team to accurately recreate pit stop procedures, during a session at Silverstone Circuit. Pit stops are a crucial factor in a modern F1® race, with every mistake or tenth of a second lost potentially affecting a driver’s position as they rejoin the track. This has made efficient tyre changes a major focus for all teams – and thanks to Alpine’s crew collaborating with Frontier, you’ll see these complex events played out in true-to-life detail.
Make sure to check out our playlist of all F1® Manager 2022 behind-the-scenes videos on our YouTube channel. Here, you’ll find insight from the likes of F1® drivers Alexander Albon and Zahou Guanyu, F1® Managing Director of Motorsports Ross Brawn, commentator David Croft, and Frontier President and Founder David Braben. Get a closer look at other key features like authentic audio, stunning driver scans, and how we’re delivering the opportunity for players to be the boss of an F1® team.
F1® Manager 2022 launches on August 30 on Steam. Pre-order the game digitally to receive a 10% discount and five days’ early access, so you can play from August 25!
F1® Manager 2022 | Race Day | FEATURE FOCUS
Our final Feature Focus gameplay deep dive F1® Manager 2022 takes you to where your decisions will make the difference between glory and despair. It's race day!
Use data from previous sessions to set your starting strategy - but be prepared to react to unpredictable moments, like a safety car or red flag. Call on your drivers to adjust their tyre usage, ERS deployment and more, listening in to real-world team radio messages between your drivers and engineers.
Watch all the stunning action unfold in broadcast-style presentation, with trackside and onboard cameras for every car. It's up to you to guide your team to the top step of the podium. Got what it takes?
F1® Manager 2022 launches on August 30 on Steam. Pre-order the game to receive a 10% discount and five days’ early access, so you can play from August 25!
In this gameplay video for F1® Manager 2022, we take a look at how you'll control and prepare your team ahead of a race, including overviews on circuit information, practice session objectives, and qualifying.
Before a race weekend gets underway, look at a host of track and season information to ensure you're ready to hit the track. Then, choose to take control of practice sessions, running different plans and strategies to get feedback from your drivers, to help with car setup. Finally, head to qualifying to give your drivers the best chance of starting high up the grid on Sunday.
F1® Manager 2022 launches on August 30 on Steam. Pre-order the game to receive a 10% discount and five days’ early access, so you can play from August 25!
Sounds of the Track - Behind the Scenes of F1® Manager 2022
F1® has always been a feast for the senses – from the striking look of the cars, to the smell of burning rubber, to the cacophony of noise that soundtracks the pinnacle of motorsport.
When F1® Manager 2022 launches from August 25, the game’s audio design will play a huge role in immersing the player into the world of F1®, with familiar voices and true-to-life sounds. In our latest behind-the-scenes video, ‘Sounds of the Track’, we pull back the curtain on how a stunningly authentic soundscape has been brought to life:
Using audio from real F1® Grand Prix weekends, players will hear an array of sounds that accurately reflect the real sport. Engine sounds, riding over curbs, gear changes, and more are all precisely recreated in F1® Manager 2022 – and all dynamically changed based on environmental factors, such weather, camera angle, and position of the crowd.
It’s not just the machines that are represented in a pitch-perfect way, either. Players will hear real-world team radio messages from all 20 drivers on the 2022 F1® grid, as well as radio from race engineers and other drivers, that add another layer of realism as you issue commands to your team during a race weekend, or as drivers react to significant moments.
“When it comes to our game,” said Robbie Mann, Senior Dialogue Designer on F1® Manager 2022, “we wanted the player to feel like they were communicating with their drivers, and to have some sort of tangible feedback when issuing driver commands, or reacting to events throughout the race. “As a dialogue team, we’re incredibly excited to help provide a truly unique experience and perspective of running an F1 team, and we’re even more excited to continue developing and growing these aspects of our game.”
On the topic of real-world team radio messages, Tim Bartlett, Senior Audio Designer, reveals: “Over 50,000 files were delivered to the game team, a smaller subset actually used in the game. Even though this sounds like an enormous number, you can never have too many files for this kind of system which needs to cover all 20 engineers and 20 drivers. We have implemented as much as we can for this game - this is a system ripe for further development on future titles.
“And yes, we did keep the swearing in – but it has been obscured by the usual beeps!”
Players will also hear more recognisable voices away from the track and pit wall, as former F1® driver and current analyst Karun Chandhok and lead commentator David Croft will call the action in F1® Manager 2022. David and Karun’s commentary will feature before and after sessions in a race weekend, along with reactions to in-race highlights.
F1® Manager 2022 launches on August 30 on Steam. Pre-order the game to receive a 10% discount and five days’ early access, so you can play from August 25!
F1® Manager 2022 – 6 Essential Tips When Starting Your First Save
The depth and detail on offer in F1® Manager 2022 means you’ll have an array of important information and options at your disposal, as soon as you jump into the game from August 25th. Taking on the role of Team Principal for one of the official F1® teams, you will have more data and choices at your disposal than ever before – from your finances, to the status of your facilities, to specific data points of your team’s car.
Whilst all of these options are great to have, we know that if you’re new to management games, or getting to grips with the world of F1®, it will take time and practice to understand how to manage it all successfully. From spending big to saving up, signing superstars to nurturing young talent, there are all kinds of ways you can play F1® Manager 2022, but some options available to you will always remain key.
In this article, we’re offering guidance on the vital areas to keep an eye on in your first save – as well as a couple of tips for how best to manage them. Sitting comfortably, future Team Principals? Then we’ll begin…
1) RUN THE NUMBERS
At the start of your save, your initial budget will differ, depending on the team you take over. Generally, the higher your team finished in the 2021 Constructors’ Championship, the more money you will begin with. Your total finances will be shown on the main menu, in the bottom left corner, but you can use the Finances tab to see your season balance, projections, incomings, and outgoings to get a clear picture of how much scope you have to invest in your team. In the Board tab, the Board Budget option shows how much money your bosses are allowing you to spend this season.
On top of that, in line with real F1® regulations, every team has a ‘cost cap’ – a maximum amount of money that can be spent in a season on anything that may impact a car’s performance. This again differs for each team, with constructors lower down the order given a larger cap size to improve their pace on the track. Check your remaining cost cap budget to figure out how best to invest in car development through your first season.
2) STAY ON THE OBJECTIVE
As you’re getting your feet under the Team Principal desk, it’s a good idea to know exactly what’s expected of you. Every team has a Board, who set budgets and objectives for the team. Your job is to take those directives and deliver results, via clever strategy and management.
At the beginning of a save you’ll already have an objective for the upcoming season and a long-term objective to hit. If you’re running a team towards the back of the grid, a season objective could be finish 8th or above in the Constructors’ Championship, whilst your long-term objective may be to become a regular podium contender.
Be sure to check these objectives as soon as possible so you know exactly what you should be striving towards. Just to reiterate their importance, your objectives will always be shown on the Home screen, alongside the board’s current confidence in you. The two are, as you would expect, very closely connected…
3) SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE?
A key long-term aspect of F1® Manager 2022 is recruitment. You’ll be able to scout, negotiate with, and hire drivers and engineers for your team, including real-world talent from the F1®, F2™ and F3™ paddocks. Of course, you can also focus on working with and developing the personnel already on your team. Either way, forming your team will require careful management of contracts. On the Staff and Drivers and tabs, hovering over any member of your team will display key info, including the remaining time left on their contract.
If you’re keen to retain a member of staff whose contract is close to expiring, make sure to begin negotiations soon to try and tie them down to a longer deal. Conversely, let’s say you’ve got your eye on another driver you’d like to sign. Doing this will only be possible if a driver’s slot is empty – so either wait until a current driver’s contract expires, or pay a premium to ‘break’ the contract of your current driver before it runs out. Checking the contract lengths of your staff early in a save will help you retain top talent, or decide the best time to bring in a fresh face.
4) JUST IN CASE…
The ‘Cars’ tab in F1® Manager 2022 offers a plethora of information to help you understand the performance of your team’s machine, important areas of development, and how you stack up against the rest of the grid. As you progress through a save you’ll get acquainted with all of this – but in the early goings of your save, there’s one place in particular you should check out: the Warehouse.
Hovering over the ‘Warehouse’ option will show you how many parts you have stored for each area of your car. Making sure you’re stocked up on the likes of front wings and underfloors is important in case your fitted parts get damaged during a race weekend. So, before you jet off to Bahrain for the season opener, check in at the Warehouse. If you think you’ll need more of any part, select it and hit ‘Manufacture’.
5) RACETRACK RECCE
So, you’re stocked up on parts and know what’s expected of your team before race one in Bahrain. Great – but do you know exactly what’s waiting for you at the track? Head to the ‘Race’ tab to find out.
Whilst every Grand Prix Weekend will be capable of throwing up a surprise or two, this menu gives you a host of important track information, helping to lay the groundworks of your strategy. Check the tyre compounds selected by Pirelli for the GP. View the expected temperature and chance of rain from Friday to Sunday. See the track’s abrasiveness, grip levels, average time lost in a pit stop, and even the chance of a safety car, based on historic data. Hit the ‘Circuit Info’ option to get even more granular, viewing how the track layout is suited to your car’s performance, previous strategy info and much more, so you’re fully prepared for whatever Sakhir may throw at you.
6) CREW LOVE
Whilst you can individually manage your team’s drivers, Technical Chief, Head of Aerodynamics, and two Race Engineers, F1® Manager 2022 also includes the ability to manage your wider engineering team. These are the designers, researchers, and builders that turn your development decisions into reality, so checking in with this team early on is imperative.
In the ‘Staff’ tab, head to ‘Engineering Team’ to view the size of your team and their current assignments. Increasing the size of your engineering team will come at a cost, but also increases your capacity to develop multiple parts at a time. Investing in Design Centre upgrades will also increase the maximum capacity of your team and how many parts can be worked on. If you decide to develop your car in any way before the season’s first race, make sure your engineering team are ready to get the work done.
Pre-order F1® Manager 2022 on Steam to get five days’ early access, beginning August 25th!
F1® Manager 2022 | Developing Your F1® Car | FEATURE FOCUS
This gameplay video from our 'Feature Focus' series for F1® Manager 2022 looks at car development, and the ways you can take complete control over the improvements and changes to your F1® car.
Work closely with your engineering team to design and manufacture parts for your car - an essential task to keep your team competitive over the course of a season. Take a look at how real-world F1® regulations are incorporated in the game to keep the grid competitive, and the incredible detail on offer when designing parts.
F1® Manager 2022 launches from August 25 on Steam - pre-order today for five days' early access, beginning August 25, and a 10% discount!
F1® Manager 2022 Driver Ratings – Plus Deep Dive on Development and Potential
F1® Manager 2022 gives you more detail and insight than ever before into the ability of not just your drivers, but also key members of your team off the track. Identifying talent, nurturing potential, and setting up your personnel to perform at their best will play a key role in any long-term success you achieve in our official F1® management game, launching from August 25.
Today, we’re pleased to confirm the final starting ratings for all drivers in F1® Manager 2022, which includes the current F1® grid, teams’ reserve drivers, and drivers from the current F2™ and F3™ line-ups. Every overall rating is listed at the bottom of this page.
On top of this, we’re excited to share details on how these ratings only scratch the surface of tracking performance and potential in the game. A nuanced and dynamic development system gives all F1® Manager 2022 players the challenge of unearthing and recruiting top talents, making tough decisions between instant ability and long-term potential – no matter how many seasons you play through.
Attributes in F1® Manager 2022: Drive Your Team’s Ability
The performance of drivers and key staff members is indicated by their overall rating – but this is far from the only reference point you will have to understand their ability.
Every driver, Race Engineer, Head of Aerodynamics, and Technical Chief has a range of attribute ratings that contribute to their overall ability. Drivers will have attributes like cornering, braking, and consistency, whilst other staff have attributes such as communication and pit crew feedback.
All of these attributes have a direct effect on the performance of your team. A driver’s smoothness and control will help their management of tyres, whilst high ratings for overtaking and defending will help them win on-track battles for position. Strong staff ratings, meanwhile, will help your team gather data and confidence with the car and track at every race weekend.
As you progress in F1® Manager 2022, drivers and staff will gain experience, generating development points to improve any of their attributes.
In general, the more successful your results, the more your staff will be able to develop. Upgrading certain Facilities can also increase their rate of development – improving your race simulator, for example, increases the experience gained for drivers, helping them develop faster. Reserve drivers can also receive a boost in development by driving in the first free practice session of a weekend. Working closely with your team on their experience and development will be key to keeping your team competitive on the track, as every other team’s drivers and key staff will also be improving over time.
Even your pit crew will have a selection of attributes that dictate their overall performance. In the Staff area, you can change the training focus of your pit crew, to try and improve their performance in a specific area of pit stops. Reflecting the constantly competitive nature of the F1® paddock, you’ll need to find ways to continuously improve the ability of your team, or risk being left in the rear-view mirror.
Performance vs Potential: Recruitment in F1® Manager 2022
However, every driver and staff member will develop and improve their skills at varying speeds. Just like the real world of F1®, there will be breakthrough stars, veterans reaching the twilight of their careers, and all kinds of dynamic nuances within how ratings change in F1® Manager 2022.
Quite often, younger drivers and staff will develop more rapidly than their older counterparts. Keep a close eye on the ratings shown in the driver and staff markets to see who is improving the fastest – and may well be a future star worth recruiting. On the flip-side, older drivers and staff are unlikely to see their ratings improve as quickly as their younger counterparts. They may be close to, or have already reached, their full potential. For the drivers contracted to your team, you’ll be able to see their growth potential in the Drivers area. Scouting other drivers in the market will also uncover this information.
So, whilst older figures in F1® Manager 2022 may have a strong rating, there’s the possibility of younger talents surpassing their ability over time. As a Team Principal, it’s up to you if you want to focus on established stars and instant performance, or up-and-coming figures with the long-term potential to become a legend of F1®.
You’ll have to carefully track a target’s development to judge their potential. These variables will also apply to the fictional drivers and staff that are added to the markets, as real-world figures retire in the game. So, even if you’re 50 seasons into your F1® Manager 2022 save, with a database of mostly fictional figures, you’ll still have the test of identifying top talent.
We can’t wait to see how players attack the challenge of recruiting and nurturing a championship-winning team in F1® Manager 2022, which launches from August 25. Pre-order the digital version for early access, beginning August 25, and a 10% discount!
Driver | Overall Rating
Lewis Hamilton | 90 George Russell | 85 Max Verstappen | 90 Sergio Perez | 87 Charles Leclerc | 88 Carlos Sainz | 87 Lando Norris | 86 Daniel Ricciardo | 84 Fernando Alonso | 85 Esteban Ocon | 85 Pierre Gasly | 84 Yuki Tsunoda | 77 Sebastian Vettel | 82 Lance Stroll | 79 Alexander Albon | 80 Nicholas Latifi | 73 Valtteri Bottas | 87 Zhou Guanyu | 79 Kevin Magnussen | 80 Mick Schumacher | 76 Nyck de Vries | 74 Sebastien Buemi | 72 Antonio Giovinazzi | 78 Stoffel Vandoorne | 72 Oscar Piastri | 75 Liam Lawson | 68 Nico Hulkenberg | 76 Jack Aitken | 66 Robert Kubica | 69 Pietro Fittipaldi | 66 Amaury Cordeel | 50 Ayumu Iwasa | 66 Calan Williams | 66 Cem Bolukbasi | 56 Clement Novalak | 63 Dennis Hauger | 69 Enzo Fittipaldi | 61 Felipe Drugovich | 68 Frederik Vesti | 71 Jack Doohan | 72 Jake Hughes | 63 Jehan Daruvala | 73 Juri Vips | 70 Logan Sargeant | 70 Marcus Armstrong | 66 Marino Sato | 60 Olli Caldwell | 64 Ralph Boschung | 71 Richard Verschoor | 71 Roy Nissany | 68 Theo Pourchaire | 71 Alexander Smolyar | 59 Arthur Leclerc | 59 Ayrton Simmons | 44 Brad Benavides | 37 Caio Collet | 55 David Vidales | 47 Enzo Trulli | 33 Frederico Mavestiti | 32 Francesco Pizzi | 51 Franco Colapinto | 50 Gregoire Saucy | 62 Hunter Yeany | 39 Ido Cohen | 46 Isack Hadjar | 59 Jak Crawford | 59 Juan Manuel Correa | 50 Kaylen Frederick | 51 Kush Maini | 56 Laszlo Toth | 50 Nazim Azman | 41 Oliver Bearman | 65 Oliver Rasmussen | 48 Pepe Marti | 42 Rafael Villagomez | 41 Reece Ushijima | 37 Roman Stanek | 57 Victor Martins | 56 William Alatolo | 44 Zak O'Sullivan | 46 Zane Maloney | 64
The second of our 'Feature Focus' series for F1® Manager 2022 dives deep into more key features you'll control away from the track: Facilities, Sponsorships, and Finances.
Invest in improving and maintaining a huge range of facilities to improve your team's potential, and manage sponsorship obligations to generate income whilst managing driver and staff performance. All of this will affect your budget, which you'll need to handle carefully to keep your team moving forward - and keep the board happy!
F1® Manager 2022 launches on August 30 on Steam. Pre-order the game to receive a 10% discount and five days early access, so you can play from August 25.
