F1 2017 Codemasters classic F1 cars compared to other PC F1 games

[VirtuaIceMan]

When F1 2013 was released, I thought about doing a screenshot comparison to compare how Codemasters versions of the classic cars compared to older PC F1 games of the past, to show how far we've come graphically/3D modelling wise. With the release of F1 2017 I decided to finally do this comparison.

Some notes:

1. I've only included games where the car is actually listed in the game, so no games like Automobilista/Game Stock Car, where the classic F1 car looks very close to the McLaren MP4/4 but isn't trying to be identical to it (for copyright reasons). There's one exception, but I'll get to it when I get to it!

2. To show the 3D modelling to best effect, I've used both various wrappers (a mix of nGlide and dgVoodoo2) to upscale the games to my monitor's native resolution (2560x1440), rather than capturing them at 640x480 and having blurry upscaled screenshots. I've upscaled software rendered screenshots to show the pixels in the image, so you can see how low-resolution they were (they can't be improved with wrappers).

3. I've captured all games at 2560x1440 resolution. For some this required black bars adding to the sides of the screenshot, so that they all sit in-line below. There were also some games that render at widescreen 16:9 resolutions, but if that meant they cropped the image top-and-bottom (losing cockpit detail) then I went for the original 4:3 resolution instead.

4. I managed to show each car at a unique circuit across all the games I captured, so you can compare circuit modelling/detail too!

5. Screenshots are taken from 3 angles; cockpit, front-left view and rear-right view.

6. Game names are based on the UK releases (where I am), hence the game being called Formula One Grand Prix, not World Circuit, etc.

7. No mods are included! Only original in-game cars (otherwise this comparison could go on forever!).

So, let's begin... click any screenshot to enlarge!

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1976 - Ferrari 312 T2:
This car only appears in F1 2013 if you add the extra 1990s DLC to the game. It's also available in Forza Motorsport 7, so let's compare the two. Circuit is Circuit of The Americas, USA.

F1 2013 - Ferrari 312 T2 (cockpit):

Forza Motorsport 7 - Ferrari 312 T2 (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Ferrari 312 T2 (front-left):

Forza Motorsport 7 - Ferrari 312 T2 (front-left):

F1 2013 - Ferrari 312 T2 (rear-right):

Forza Motorsport 7 - Ferrari 312 T2 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1980 - Williams FW07B:
This car only appears in F1 2013 on PC. In fact, it's the only game it's ever appeared in on any platform! Circuit is Bahrain.

F1 2013 - Williams FW07B (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Williams FW07B (front-left):

F1 2013 - Williams FW07B (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1986 - Lotus 98T:
Finally, a classic car that appears in multiple PC games! Let's see how they compare. Circuit is Brands Hatch, UK (note: F1 2013 has an approximation of the 1980s version, whilst other games have the modern version).

F1 2013 - Lotus 98T (cockpit):

Assetto Corsa - Lotus 98T (cockpit):

Project CARS - Lotus 98T (cockpit):

Project CARS 2 - Lotus 98T (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Lotus 98T (front-left):

Assetto Corsa - Lotus 98T (front-left):

Project CARS - Lotus 98T (front-left):

Project CARS 2 - Lotus 98T (front-left):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

F1 2013 - Lotus 98T (rear-right):

Assetto Corsa - Lotus 98T (rear-right):

Project CARS - Lotus 98T (rear-right):

Project CARS 2 - Lotus 98T (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1988 - Ferrari F1-87-88C:
This car appears in a handful of games. The older one, Grand Prix Circuit, only has in-car cockpit view in-game, so I used a couple of menu shots to illustrate other angles of their version of the car instead. Circuit is Monza, Italy.

F1 2013 - Ferrari F1-87-88C (cockpit):

Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends - Ferrari F1-87-88C (cockpit):

Grand Prix Circuit - Ferrari F1-87-88C (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Ferrari F1-87-88C (front-left):

Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends - Ferrari F1-87-88C (front-left):

Grand Prix Circuit - Ferrari F1-87-88C (front-left):

F1 2013 - Ferrari F1-87-88C (rear-right):

Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends - Ferrari F1-87-88C (rear-right):

Grand Prix Circuit - Ferrari F1-87-88C (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1988 - Lotus 100T:
This is another car that appeared in F1 2013 and not really any other games (an obscure unlicensed top-down arcade machine game from Japan being the only other one). Circuit is Jerez, Spain.

F1 2013 - Lotus 100T (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Lotus 100T (front-left):

F1 2013 - Lotus 100T (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1988 - McLaren MP4/4:
Possibly one of the most desirable classic F1 cars, it's appeared in a few PC F1 games. As mentioned above, I didn't include Game Stock Car or Automobilista, as those versions are close but not officially licensed, so differ in a few areas. This comparison is the first to feature F1 2017. Circuit is Silverstone, UK.

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/4 (cockpit):

Forza Motorsport 7 - McLaren MP4/4 (cockpit):

SimRaceWay - McLaren MP4/4 (cockpit):

Grand Prix Circuit - McLaren MP4/4 (cockpit):

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/4 (front-left):

Forza Motorsport 7 - McLaren MP4/4 (front-left):

SimRaceWay - McLaren MP4/4 (front-left):

Grand Prix Circuit - McLaren MP4/4 (front-left):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/4 (rear-right):

Forza Motorsport 7 - McLaren MP4/4 (rear-right):

SimRaceWay - McLaren MP4/4 (rear-right):

Grand Prix Circuit - McLaren MP4/4 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1988 - Williams FW12:
This has only appeared in a couple of PC F1 games, of greatly differing graphical capabilities! Circuit is Suzuka, Japan.

F1 2013 - Williams FW12 (cockpit):

Grand Prix Circuit - Williams FW12 (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Williams FW12 (front-left):

Grand Prix Circuit - Williams FW12 (front-left):

F1 2013 - Williams FW12 (rear-right):

Grand Prix Circuit - Williams FW12 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1991 - McLaren MP4/6:
This appeared in a few F1 games on PC. A couple of notes: Formula One Grand Prix is technically an unlicensed game, but close enough to be considered authentic! However all cars in the game share the same weird green cockpit. Regarding Grand Prix Unlimited, the game covers the 1990, 1991 and 1992 seasons, but only uses one car model for all 3 years, so it's debatable whether they modelled the McLaren on the MP4/5 or the MP4/6 - it's hard to tell from so few polygons! Circuit is Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico.

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/6 (cockpit):

Formula One Grand Prix - McLaren MP4/6 (cockpit):

Grand Prix Unlimited - McLaren MP4/6 (cockpit):

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/6 (front-left):

Formula One Grand Prix - McLaren MP4/6 (front-left):

Grand Prix Unlimited - McLaren MP4/6 (front-left):

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/6 (rear-right):

Formula One Grand Prix - McLaren MP4/6 (rear-right):

Grand Prix Unlimited - McLaren MP4/6 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1992 - Ferrari F92A:
Apart from F1 2013, this has only appeared in Grand Prix Unlimited. As noted above, the game covers the 1990, 1991 and 1992 seasons, but only uses one car model for all 3 years. It appears that they actually modelled the 641 from 1990 or 642 from 1991, rather than the F92A from 1992. Circuit is Estoril, Portugal.

F1 2013 - Ferrari F92A (cockpit):

Grand Prix Unlimited - Ferrari F92A (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Ferrari F92A (front-left):

Grand Prix Unlimited - Ferrari F92A (front-left):

F1 2013 - Ferrari F92A (rear-right):

Grand Prix Unlimited - Ferrari F92A (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1992 - Williams FW14B:
This is the first comparison between F1 2017 and F1 2013, so you can see how far things have come in just 4 years, as well as comparing to older PC F1 games! A couple of notes: as mentioned above, Grand Prix Unlimited covers the 1990, 1991 and 1992 seasons, but only uses one car model for all 3 years. Here they appear to have modelled the FW13 from 1990. Nigel Mansell's World Championship (apart from being the first officially licensed F1 game on the PC) plays entirely from the cockpit view, so I showed a menu for one screenshot and a rival car from behind for another. Circuit is Hungaroring, Hungary.

F1 2017 - Williams FW14B (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Williams FW14B (cockpit):

Grand Prix Unlimited - Williams FW14B (cockpit):

Nigel Mansell's World Championship - Williams FW14B (cockpit):

F1 2017 - Williams FW14B (front-left):

F1 2013 - Williams FW14B (front-left):

Grand Prix Unlimited - Williams FW14B (front-left):

Nigel Mansell's World Championship - Williams FW14B (front-left):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

F1 2017 - Williams FW14B (rear-right):

F1 2013 - Williams FW14B (rear-right):

Grand Prix Unlimited - Williams FW14B (rear-right):

Nigel Mansell's World Championship - Williams FW14B (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1995 - Ferrari 412 T2:
This is the first classic car which has a 3D accelerated game from "back in the day" (Formula 1). Amusingly (though it makes sense here), all the drivers in Formula One have Jean Alesi's helmet design! Power F1 has limited angles to view from, so I did the best I could to make it similar! Circuit is Montreal, Canada.

F1 2017 - Ferrari 412 T2 (cockpit):

Formula 1 - Ferrari 412 T2 (cockpit):

Power F1 - Ferrari 412 T2 (cockpit):

F1 2017 - Ferrari 412 T2 (front-left):

Formula 1 - Ferrari 412 T2 (front-left):

Power F1 - Ferrari 412 T2 (front-left):

F1 2017 - Ferrari 412 T2 (rear-right):

Formula 1 - Ferrari 412 T2 (rear-right):

Power F1 - Ferrari 412 T2 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1996 - Ferrari F310:
Here's where my comparison includes a non-licensed game. Prost Grand Prix is meant to be based on the 1998 F1 season, yet the rival cars are all exact 3D models of the cars from the 1996 season, and are so close I thought I'd include it for comparison here. In fact, despite the fact there's the Prost team in the game, there's also one based loosely on Ligier too (which Prost took over)! Also, note that Prost Grand Prix is using 3Dfx Glide rendering but you would hardly know it, as only the sky was bilinear filtered (we do gain anti-aliasing and the ability to upscale the graphics compared to the software version though)! F1 Racing Simulation used the same (poor) 3D model for all the cars in the game (compare to the Willaims FW18 below), it also doesn't upscale via a Glide wrapper particularly well, with wobbly polygons in the distance. Circuit is Nürburgring, Germany.

F1 2013 - Ferrari F310 (cockpit):

Prost Grand Prix - Ferrari F310 (cockpit):

F1 Racing Simulation - Ferrari F310 (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Ferrari F310 (front-left):

Prost Grand Prix - Ferrari F310 (front-left):

F1 Racing Simulation - Ferrari F310 (front-left):

F1 2013 - Ferrari F310 (rear-right):

Prost Grand Prix - Ferrari F310 (rear-right):

F1 Racing Simulation - Ferrari F310 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1996 - Williams FW18:
Here's the ultimate 3 generations comparison of Codemasters racing games, as we can compare F1 2017 to F1 2013 and ToCA Race Driver 3, as they all feature the FW18. Of course (due to Pirelli-only restriced licensing in modern F1 games I expect), only the ToCA game has Goodyear logos on the car tyres. Regarding ToCA Race Driver 3, there's no angled cameras in the game, meaning I had to spin-turn the car into the right angle, which looks a bit odd on the rear-right view, but it was the best I could do! Also, I know ToCA Race Driver 3 allows 16:9 widescreen, but it does so by cutting off the bottom of the screen, which loses a lot of the car cockpit view, hence sticking to 4:3 aspect ratio here. As mentioned above: Prost Grand Prix is unlicensed (but close enough to compare), whilst F1 Racing Simulation uses the same (poor) 3D models for all cars in the game, it also doesn't upscale via a Glide wrapper particularly well, with wobbly polygons in the distance. Circuit is Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

F1 2017 - Williams FW18 (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Williams FW18 (cockpit):

ToCA Race Driver 3 - Williams FW18 (cockpit):

Prost Grand Prix - Williams FW18 (cockpit):

F1 Racing Simulation - Williams FW18 (cockpit):

F1 2017 - Williams FW18 (front-left):

F1 2013 - Williams FW18 (front-left):

ToCA Race Driver 3 - Williams FW18 (front-left):

Prost Grand Prix - Williams FW18 (front-left):

F1 Racing Simulation - Williams FW18 (front-left):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

F1 2017 - Williams FW18 (rear-right):

F1 2013 - Williams FW18 (rear-right):

ToCA Race Driver 3 - Williams FW18 (rear-right):

Prost Grand Prix - Williams FW18 (rear-right):

F1 Racing Simulation - Williams FW18 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1998 - McLaren MP4/13:
There were a couple of F1 games from the past with this car in. Grand Prix 3 is shown below in hardware-accelerated mode, with the well-known "pink stripes" bug on the front wheels, where the Bridgestone logos are a bit out-of-place; this issue doesn't occur with the software rendered version (which incidentally has stronger lighting effects on the circuit and scenery). Grand Prix 3 also has no angled cameras, so I had to spin-turn the car into the right angle, which is why there's so many skidmarks! Also, as I'm using dgVoodoo2 to upscale the graphics, there's a tiny graphical bug on the front-left view, where the rear wing is appearing black (it's fine in the rear-right view). Official F1 Racing was originally developed around the 1995 season, under the work-in-progress name of "Power F1 for Windows 95", so the graphics look pretty poor when it was finally released in 1998 with that season's cars and circuits, even when using a 3Dfx Glide wrapper, as shown below. Fun fact: in software mode there are some features missing in 3D mode, like working in-car mirrors and even a reflection on the driver's helmet! Circuit is São Paulo, Brazil - note that the wall on turn 1 no longer exists, making comparisons a bit more tricky here.

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/13 (cockpit):

Grand Prix 3 - McLaren MP4/13 (cockpit):

Official F1 Racing - McLaren MP4/13 (cockpit):

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/13 (front-left):

Grand Prix 3 - McLaren MP4/13 (front-left):

Official F1 Racing - McLaren MP4/13 (front-left):

F1 2017 - McLaren MP4/13 (rear-right):

Grand Prix 3 - McLaren MP4/13 (rear-right):

Official F1 Racing - McLaren MP4/13 (rear-right):

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

1999 - Ferrari F399:
The 1999 season was represented by no fewer than 4 PC F1 games in the past. Let's compare them. F1 Challenge '99-'02 I used an edited executable that allowed higher resolutions, but kept it at 4:3 aspect ratio, as at 16:9 the bottom of the cockpit is cut off, which I didn't want to lose. F1 World Grand Prix is essentially a higher 3D modelled, better textured version of Official F1 Racing (above). Formula 1 99 has no angled cameras, so I parked the car and waited for AI cars to drive past to get screenshots! Circuit is Imola, Italy.

F1 2013 - Ferrari F399 (cockpit):

F1 Challenge '99-'02 - Ferrari F399 (cockpit):

F1 Racing Championship - Ferrari F399 (cockpit):

F1 World Grand Prix - Ferrari F399 (cockpit):

Formula 1 99 - Ferrari F399 (cockpit):

F1 2013 - Ferrari F399 (front-left):

F1 Challenge '99-'02 - Ferrari F399 (front-left):

F1 Racing Championship - Ferrari F399 (front-left):

F1 World Grand Prix - Ferrari F399 (front-left):

Formula 1 99 - Ferrari F399 (front-left):