Despite the undoubted quality of Codemasters’, F1 2019, I was utterly convinced that they would phone in the latest release of this now annualised racing series. Between the delay to the season itself and, y’know, all this COVID stuff going on, I thought this year’s addition would be little more than a roster update with a few minor bells and whistles added to help justify its existence.

Heck, even if you take the delayed season and the current bonkers state of the world out of the equation, this is the end of a generation, the point in which annualised games have already hit their technical limit and thoughts of true innovation have been pushed towards the release of Xbox Series X and PS5. Surely, F1 2020 was doomed to (relative) mediocrity from the off?

F1 2019 already had a great handling model, but if one were to be critical, perhaps the braking was a touch unforgiving and the handling a tad too twitchy. Well, some were critical (primarily actual F1 drivers – thanks Lando Norris), and thanks to their feedback, F1 2020 feels much more grippy and, from the outset, the cars far easier to handle. Don’t get me wrong, this is still an F1 game, and with the standard and more sim-based settings, it’s easy to find yourself in the wall or doing time on the grass, but going into the corners, you’ll have a lot more belief when it comes to pushing hard and breaking late. The breaking in particular allows you to stay on the gas until the very last second and turn into the apex with much more confidence. Supposedly, it’s much closer to the real thing (I’ll just have to take that opinion on faith, of course), but from a personal perspective, it makes racing much more fun and allows you to take a more aggressive approach when overtaking on the corners.

Speaking of which, potential overtakes have been made much simpler by the inclusion of what is essentially an overtake button after F1 drivers stated that it is actually much easier in an actual F1 car. It’s rare that games become more simplistic when it comes to chasing true authenticity, but by listening to the drivers, Codemasters have made aspects of racing feel quite a bit simpler, and for my money at least, a lot more fun. Buy The Formula 1 2020 Seventy Edition Game – PS4 online from Best price online from CELLULAR KENYA,Nairobi

As good as the new handling is (and it really is very good), and as welcome as the new casual handling model might be, the real game changer, and the primary reason that F1 2020 has to be one of the finest racing games out there, is the inclusion of the exceptional My Team mode. My Career was added last year and introduced an interesting, if occasionally cringeworthy narrative. It was a welcome attempt at a more personal single player racing experience. And while it remains here, and remains largely very good, it’s the all new My Team that invariably steals the show.

Of course ‘doing more races’ is the name of the game, but by allowing you to manage your own team while also racing for them, My Team adds a whole new, almost RPG-like element to F1 2020. From creating your own team, managing the finances and choosing a development path for your car to picking the correct sponsors and managing the progression of the team’s second driver (not to mention negotiating their deal or that of a superior replacement), My Team finally allows players to take part in just about every aspect of the true F1 experience. The level of detail can be a bit daunting at first, but the game does a great job of easing you into the everyday requirements of managing your team while also allowing you to automate certain day-to-day chores if you’re not so interested in the true nitty gritty of team management.