Did you miss the following details in the latest trailer for F1 22? Here are some that you should definitely be aware of.
Image credit: Codemasters / EA
The latest Formula One game by Codemasters is also the first to be fully developed under the gaze of EA. F1 22 releases 1 July, or 28 June for players who pre-ordered the Champions Edition. Players can get the game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
There’s a lot of new and exciting features coming with the game this year. Virtual Reality, crossplay, manually lining up on the grid and a feature called F1 Life which will allow you to drive sports cars from the four major performance brands in F1. All of this and more was showcased in a new features trailer, and there were more than enough details that we found interesting.
But, there were a few details hidden away in the background that gave us more valuable information about F1 22. So, what were they?
Earning the Supercars
In this upcoming F1 Life mode, plenty was shown in the trailer. It would appear that players can gain access to a high-rise apartment and customise it. There are also options for clothing items outside of the driver overalls, gloves and helmet. But, there is one aspect of F1 Life that the player base is most excited for: the supercars.
We predicted that the supercars that are coming with F1 Life were going to be accessible through the Podium Pass. Or if not, at least some element of monetisation would be involved. We believed the glory days of playing the game to earn access to items were gone, and it would a case of needing to buy all the cars.
However it’s not the case, as this leaked image from Reddit would seem to confirm.
As shown in the image above, the two safety cars have their icons paired up with a shopping trolley. Every other car has a paddle lock on their icon. Does this imply that whilst the Merc and Aston safety cars are acquired through microtransactions, every other car can be earned without parting with any money?
We don’t know exactly what will be involved in unlocking all the cars. But once unlocking them, it also appears in the trailer that they can be parked around the apartment. Although it seems there could be a limit on the number of parking bays that can be used. Let’s hope this doesn’t impact the ability to drive all the cars.
New My Team Drivers in F1 22?
When showing off the immersive broadcast options, during the Safety Car segment, eagle eyed viewers were able to spot something. A familiar combination of three letters near the bottom of the timing graphic.
With 22 cars on the grid, it’s clear this takes place in a My Team career mode race. On F1 2021, it was possible to hire legends of the sport such as Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Jenson Button. More were promised for F1 22, but none have been confirmed nor do we know what constitutes a legend.
Well this should provide some answers. The driver that can be found in 21st place, with the letters HUL.
Could this mean what we think it does? Nico Hülkenberg? Surely it does. Whilst not a champion or a race winner, the German driver is a hugely popular figure in the world of F1. He raced full time from 2010 to 2019, and has since done super-sub duties for COVID-stricken drivers from the Racing Point/Aston Martin team.
Many fans considered his untimely departure an injustice. So with the option there, many players will be tempted to be the ones to give the Hulk a seat back in the sport. But with Hülkenberg there, which other recently inactive drivers could appear? Maybe Romain Grosjean, Antonio Giovinazzi, or Kimi Räikkönen will be included.
Portimão is back!
In the initial announcement, Codemasters seemed to promise the inclusion of old favourite circuits. This could be happening as post-launch content, just like the three new additions to F1 2021 in the form of Imola, Jeddah and Portimão.
Speaking of those circuits, the first two retained their places on the F1 schedule for the 2022 season. The Portuguese Grand Prix circuit however did not carry over to 2022, so questions were asked as to whether this undulating track would be included in F1 22. Well we now have a firm answer.
Like in F1 2021 which featured the Chinese Grand Prix circuit despite not currently holding a place on the schedule since 2019, the Portimão circuit is selectable after all the circuits on the 2022 schedule. With all the flags denoting each Grand Prix circuit in the same order as on the F1 schedule in a row, China and Portugal are both noticeable on the top right.
Any of the potential future additions that Lee Mather alluded to will also be found in the top right. It seems from the trailer that these races can be applied in whatever order and in the quantity the player wants. Potentially, that could mean players don’t have to stick to a 10, 16 or 22 race season for their career modes.
Are there any new F1 22 details that we missed? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
