F1 2017 game UK release date and news: New gameplay trailer shows Max Verstappen race at Silverstone

Curtis Moldrich Read more May 22, 2017

The F1 2017 championship has just reached the Summer break, and it’s already one of the best championships we’ve seen in the hybrid era. Ferrari and Mercedes are in a titanic struggle for supremacy, and they’re also having to constantly watch out for the charging Red Bulls – which are just as fast on twister tracks such as the Hungaroring.

So, the 2017 F1 season is pretty exciting, and the even better news is that we’re just we’re just months away from driving it for ourselves. F1 2017, the official game of this year’s Formula One championship will be out on August 25th, and Codemasters just released the first gameplay trailer of the new title.

In the trailer, Max Verstappen drives around Silverstone in the 2017 Red Bull Racing RB13, but also the 2010 Red Bull Racing RB6 – a car that brought Sebastian Vettel his first world championship. The graphics look pretty similar to last year’s game, to be honest, but as Verstappen points out, the biggest difference in this year’s game will be the way the cars handle.

2017 cars have more grip and downforce than last year, so gamers can expect to find them harder and more demanding to drive this time around. Verstappen says that precision on apexes will also be more important than before, mainly because corner speeds are so much higher this year.

But the best bit? Because F1 2017 now features several retro cars, gamers will be able to sample the regulations and feel of cars back to back. In the video, it’s interesting to see what Verstappen sees as the main differences between his car, and one made seven years ago – and now gamers will be able to virtually compare eras, too.

Release date

Codemasters says the new F1 game will be released on PS4, Xbox One and Windows on 25 August 2017, with no Nintendo release planned right now. That means the next Formula 1 game will appear just after this season’s halfway mark, on the same weekend as the Belgian Grand Prix.

New career mode and retro cars

Codemasters says there’ll be an even deeper career mode, new multiplayer enhancements, more track layouts and even a new Championship mode. However, I’m most excited about the game’s inclusion of vintage cars.

As well as the new machines, Codemasters says F1 2017 will feature classic racers from the sport’s past – something that was first done in F1 2013. “After an extremely successful year with the highly acclaimed F1 2016, we are delighted to be announcing F1 2017 and re-introducing classic F1 cars back to the series,” said Paul Jeal, game director at Codemasters. “Classics were incredibly well received when we included them in F1 2013, and in F1 2017 they’re back and better than ever.” f1_2017_game_uk_trailer_release_date_2

Codemasters says you’ll be able to use the cars in most parts of the game, such as multiplayer and time-trial modes, but it also says you’ll be invited to drive them in the game’s career mode. Hopefully, it’ll take the form of an invitational race, or even one of the many PR commitments drivers have to take part in nowadays.

“For the first time ever, F1 2017 fully integrates the classic experience into the main career mode,” explains Lee Mather, creative director at Codemasters. “As part of your career, you will be invited to race in modern-day, invitational events in the different classic F1 cars throughout the season.”

However, there is one catch. The 1988 McLaren is free and exclusively downloadable for those who pre-order the Day One version of F1 2017, but it will need to be purchased at a later date if you don’t pre-order.