Five things we learned after an F1 2017 binge

DriveTribe was invited to the pre-launch of F1 2017, where we got our hands on a copy of the game. After a long weekend of gaming graft, we managed to complete a season of Career Mode and explore the other aspects of the game fully.

With a large emphasis of the game being on the introduction of a bunch of classic racing cars from the '80s and '90s, there has been a slow build of hype around F1 2017. With teaser trailers showing us what could be in store, we set about investigating what the latest offering from Codemasters had to offer.

The visuals are top notch

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The graphics team at Codemasters have obviously put some serious effort into the game's look and it has definitely paid off. I went for Torro Rosso for my 2017 career and the livery sprang off the screen as it would in a photography studio. The classics aren't quite up to scratch aesthetically with the modern cars but the iconic shapes put in front of you make up for it.

I've played games with better graphics - I personally think that Assetto Corsa provides a slightly more realistic spectacle - but independently, you won't be left wanting for a couple more pixels here and there.

It needs a sound upgrade

Where the game struggles most is in the audio department. Especially evident when driving the V8, V10 and V12 classics, the soundtrack coming from the cars is simply too restrained. If you are used to watching onboard footage of the likes of Senna, Prost and Mansell from back in the day, the loud pedal simply doesn't provide the screaming engine notes that you expect.

I struggled to find decent onboard footage of the McLaren MP4/4 seen above for a comparison, but you can get the overall gist through this trailer:

It's not as obvious in the 2017 cars simply because they have less to shout about. Codemasters will have been stifled by the reality of the noise emitted from today's machines therefore you won't be cranking up the volume for the fully immersive experience any time soon. The whole audio package just needs to be a bit more visceral to really pull in true F1 fans to race for hour after hour. An expansion package early next year? Let's hope so.

The force feedback will have you sweating

At the launch, the programmers behind the game emphasised the work that had gone into the stock force feedback settings. I've had some sweaty gaming experiences just through sheer nerves before but the effort to drive for 25 laps around the fastest and most rugged of circuits in this game takes proper effort. Your forearms will be wrecked after a full race around Interlagos, with the undertray thumping the deck on the way into the start/finish straight, reverberating right through to your shoulders and abs.

It becomes a properly engaging experience through the tug on the steering wheel and it hints at the physical strength that modern drivers now possess. If you plan on an F1 2017 binge, bring a room fan, plenty water and only wear and vest and shorts. I can think of worse ways to lose weight.

Even as a bot, Sebastian Vettel is extremely hot headed

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The driver personalities are spot on in career mode, meaning that Vettel and Verstappen are absolute demons when it comes to overtaking and shoulder barging. Vettel has swiped my back end at 180mph down the Baku main straight due to being overtaken somewhat aggressively at the previous corner. Verstappen is also more than happy to rub tyres through the downforce-dependant Becketts - the guy is a nutter.

So I have to give the guys at Codemasters a pat on the back for adding an additional dimension to the racing in career mode that could easily have been a little lifeless. Raikkonen won the championship we completed though...maybe this game knows something we don't.

It could do with a longer car list

F1 games always struggle against their less-niche competitors simply due to the lack of car choice. Although F1 2017 has done its best to change this through 12 classic F1 machines from yesteryear, there aren't enough cars to keep things interesting past a couple of games. After you've raced against the exact same classic field three or four times, it starts to lose its appeal and - apart from time trials - the best racing can only really come from the current crop of cars.

The programmers will be constrained by having to release a game every year but to keep up with the likes of Gran Turismo, Project Cars 2 and Assetto Corsa, entire fields of older cars need to be available. Individual car lists from the days of Fangio to Schumacher would really push the game into the territory that would see it barge its rivals out of the way, rather than it simply being the best F1-based game.

Despite this, all you have to do is rid the game of assists and the McLaren MP4/6, Ferrari 412 T2 and Williams FW18 become some of the most engaging machinery I've ever had the pleasure of gaming. I tried all of these at Monaco in the wet with no traction control or anti-lock brakes - never again.

After spending around 18 hours playing the game, I can say that Codemasters have done a decent job with F1 2017, backing up the strong performance with Dirt 4 earlier this year. As a niche game it can be wholly justified as a purchase but being a petrolhead with a variety of tastes, I'd go for a game that has both F1 options along with a plethora of other cars.

With the game being released on August 25th, will you be investigating to see if it lives up to the hype? We'll be using it as an office time trial challenge, so if there are any car-track combinations you think we should explore further, drop it in the comments below!