How F1 24 gives voice to the Max Verstappen in you

F1 24 is another step forward in the racing series that feels fresher than ever.

F1 24 / Electronic Arts

Formula 1 is one of the few sports that stays fresh. Every season gets new features in terms of regulations, and even the visual side of it has some love when it comes to liveries. An official video game such as F1 24 takes this annual aspect very much to heart, building an experience that’s truly authentic.

In a virtual presentation, senior creative director Lee Mather showed us the latest innovations we can expect on the upcoming F1 24. These include changes to tracks and drivers, new cars, and a brand new mode allowing you to show support for one of the 20 on the grid.

As for the tracks, a big focus has been placed on Silverstone, the home of British motorsport. "This year you'll see a track that looks visually stunning — it flows beautifully, very realistic, and you'll certainly get to feel the difference with the new F1 24 handling model," Mather said. 

F1 24 / Electronic Arts

A revamp to the iconic Spa-Francorchamps has been at the top of gamers' wishlists “for several years”, and now it finally reflects the real version, which just so happens to have received noticeable changes in the real world this year as well. "It's one of my favorite tracks - in fact, it is my favorite track,” Mather explained. “It’s a track I've been lucky enough to drive in real life, and it doesn't disappoint."

These updates affect not only the visuals, but also the "layout [which] has been refined to match the real life one perfectly — it's beautiful to drive and the car flows perfectly," he told us. "Visual updates and minor changes" were also made at Lusail and Jeddah circuits, thanks to Codemasters being able to visit all the tracks. This allowed the team to add details that "were there in real life, but not in the CAD data, or weren't there when we initially built them."

F1 24 / Electronic Arts

As for the drivers, the most notable addition consists of real drivers' voiceover, with the team radios now being part of the races. We've already seen that happen in F1 Manager, but this is a first when it comes to the EA Sports series. "It's something we've wanted to do for some time," Mather said, but Codemasters wanted to wait for the right opportunity. 

"When you're playing as yourself, it didn't make sense. We had the default voices that you could use. But now, if you play as Lewis Hamilton, you wanna hear those comments when he crosses the finish line. You wanna hear those Max [Verstappen's] celebrations?," asks Mather. You can do so on F1 24. Team radios will start whenever you come across "key moments throughout the race": incidents, crossing the finish line, "moments of glory, moments of commiseration."

The drivers were also subject to tweaks so that the game would enjoy the "most faithful characters" in a racer." The dev team took advantage of "the technology that's available within Electronic Arts" to take their rendition to the "next level," thanks to the opportunity to use the same tech as other EA Sports titles.

F1 24 / Electronic Arts

Codemasters brought its rig to the circuits, "and we've had the opportunity to capture really high quality data, which has allowed us to represent those characters within the game. So you'll see them in cutscenes, in the season intro, and you'll certainly see them in the new driver career intro, where you sign the contract in a balcony over Monaco." And that extends to the Icons as well.

This year's game also introduces a new way to show support for a team or driver. With Fanzone, a new tab in the F1 World hub, you'll be able to compete in one of the available modes with our favorite athletes and racers, thus contributing to their fanzone. But "this isn't a popularity contest — it's which driver's got the most capable fans". By racking up points and achievements, you'll grab prizes such as a gold license and a range of rewards showing "your love of a particular driver and a particular team."

On top of that, new CAD data has allowed the car models to be updated for F1 24. “We’ve continued to refine the engine technology, so you'll see that the lighting is fantastic,"  Mather said. This enabled cars to look more believable when lying in the track environment, so "whether it's a rain-soaked Spa or a beautifully lit Jeddah, the cars will always shine and look beautiful."

F1 24’s release date is slated for May 31 on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. You can get 3-day early access by pre-ordering F1 24’s Champions Edition. Stay with us for an in-depth review later this month.