How real-life F1 drivers inspired F1 23's handling and physics changes
With F1 23 out now on all platforms, players will soon be able to experience the game's handling and physics overhaul, and they've got real-life F1 drivers and teams to thank for it.
F1 23 includes a bunch of new features including the narrative story mode Braking Point 2, Precision Drive for controller players, two brand-new tracks (Las Vegas and Losail) and a league racing overhaul. But by far the biggest change for this year is the handling and physics overhaul, which were first revealed in early May along with the release date. Mirror Gaming was also able to try a preview of the gameplay before release.
The F1 cars in F1 23 have more traction in low speed corners and more stability in medium and high-speed corners, representing how F1 cars actually handle in real life. The handling changes, combined with the plethora of game modes and experiences culminated in us giving F1 23 a five-star review, as the most complete F1 game ever made.
Ahead of the launch of the official game of the Formula 1 2023 World Championship, Mirror Gaming caught up with Lee Mather, senior creative director at EA Sports and Codemasters, who told us how real-life F1 drivers and teams inspired the gameplay changes that feature in F1 23, with former F1 driver Anthony Davidson playing a big role.
"Earlier in the year we were able to take an early build down to the [F1] teams to try," Mather told Mirror Gaming.
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"We had two versions of the handling; one was where we were at, and one was where we knew we could get too but we weren't achieving it in the way we needed to at the time.
"To achieve that was significantly more work, but we knew that was probably going to be the preferred outcome. They tried both, and that was the preferred.
"And that's what we got to, so we were really, really pleased that we achieved that.
"It's difficult when you get feedback that's so bang on and we know what we need to achieve and we can't make it that year, but this year we've hit all our goals with the handling.
Mather also went into technical detail about the handling changes, delving into the specific areas of feedback from F1 drivers and teams and how they used that to influence their gameplay adjustments.
"It came about through a conscious decision to make a change of direction in not only how we did things with the physics but the things we were trying to achieve.
"The feedback from the community played a big part, feedback from the F1 teams, the esports drivers.
"One of the resounding things were we getting back was that traction was unrealistic, and it was difficult to manage. That it was causing drivers to spin and have issues.
"We always were told by Anthony Davidson that traction in a Formula 1 car is phenomenal, and that he found using medium traction control in the game was more akin to a real F1 car.
"So we set out to build a more stable car, a car with a more predictable rear end with better traction, but by achieving that we also wanted to work on the front end of the car as well, obviously with Formula 1 cars it's all about balance.
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"We've found that balance this year, and it was really a fundamental decision to change the direction that the physics was going. We knew some areas that we needed to improve and to achieve this it was a number of things.
"So first up, it was relationship between longitudinal and lateral slip on the tire. So when they spin up, they don't lose all their lateral and they don't just spin round.
"We worked on the inertia level of the wheel and tire because again, it's quite a heavy object. And then similar with the body of the car as well. So again, when it's in its rotation, how that that feels and how it moves.
"We also rebalanced the aero significantly again, this was based on some fantastic data we got from some of the [F1] teams where they showed us traces of how a Formula 1 car achieves its time and how our cars achieve their time.
"So some of it comes from mechanical grip, obviously, then there's a point where aero becomes overwhelming, and we've got that balance. And then finally the final piece of the jigsaw was in the way that the engine delivers its torque.
"So torque in a Formula 1 car these days is enormous, being turbocharged. And we've now got engaged torque maps that allow us to manipulate that, so that it's more realistic and akin to what a Formula 1 car does.
"So all of those things – which is a lot, and there are a few other little bits and pieces – gave us a car that's stable more realistic, more predictable, easier to drive and actually, more realistic."
F1 23 is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
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