Generations and technology changes over the course of a few years in the Formula One series. We saw the change to a turbo-charged V6 back in 2014 with the last seven years being dominated by Mercedes and their drivers Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas. This year brings the biggest change to the sport in some time with not only new cars, but also major driver shake ups. Whenever the cars change in Formula One, performance varies across the board. F1 22 from Codemasters and EA is bringing all these aspects into the game and much more that was detailed in a hands-on virtual event.

The biggest focus here will be the racing as a new handling and tyre model has been implemented. What Codemasters has made sure to keep in tact was the approach to the game while upping the difficulty for the hardcore player base. For beginners, an adaptive AI has been implemented with the choices of Normal or Full. The Normal options simply adapts the AI drivers to the player's position on the track, while Full will tack on adapting their speed and competitiveness on top of the player's track position. Setting the game to expert and eliminating the assists, however, will truly test the players this year.

The new aero package on these turbo-hybrid cars means cornering will be more difficult. These cars have less downforce, which removes the grounded feeling of the previous cars. These cars are more unforgiving and in combination with the updated tyre models to match what is being provided in the sport this year, you will find that the back end is more prone to coming out. Sections of tracks that you could more aggressively attack previously will force you to find the perfect balance of throttle and grip. This won't be a game you can hop immediately back on and dominate as you'll be learning the intricacies of these cars. The real-life performance of these cars is also included, so Mercedes is a step back at this position in time. Each manufacturer also offers separate engine audio while racing.

More immersion has been added to each race via two different options. Players now have the choice to actually drive during the formation lap and into the grid spot. Pit stops will now require timing to enter the stall and doing this incorrectly can mess up the pit time. Lastly, players can also drive during the safety car. These options are available in the Immersion Style option for the races or can be reverted back to normal with the Broadcast Style. Speaking of broadcast, the presentation elements have received a boost with the addition of more commentators. This will help to mix things up as new pre-race dialogue and cutscenes have been added. F1 22 will also boast a new post-race celebration that includes the winner walking through the corridor up to the podium.

F1 22 will include every driver, circuit and manufacturer for the 2022 season. This includes the addition of the new Miami International Autodrome that was raced at this past weekend. Sprint Races are also being added to match what takes place during the 2022 season. Sprint Races determine qualifying positions at specific races throughout the season rather than going with a traditional qualifying. The PC preview build that was provided only included Grand Prix and Time Trials. The PC version of the game is getting a lot of attention. There will be a lot of visual options included NVIDIA DLSS, Ray Tracing and Dynamic Resolution that will offer a lot to tinker with. The biggest separation from the console versions comes in the way of including VR.

Many PC players have been asking for this and Codemasters has finally delivered with adding a virtual reality option to F1 22. Going hands on with the VR component, the immersion from it adds a whole new level to the game. If there is one genre that VR adds an advantage to, it's racing. Doubling down on this immersion in VR is the ability to race in wet weather conditions. You'll be able to use a wheel or a controller to do this with. Headsets that will be compatible with this are the HTC Vive and Vive Cosmos, Meta Quest 2 with the link cable, Oculus Rift S and Valve Index. The game allows Steam to launch with SteamVR.

There's currently a lot on the table for just the core of F1 22. Codemasters is including a new F1 Life that creates a space to show off supercars, trophies and more. Career Mode, My Team, F2, two-player splitscreen and online multiplayer will all return to the title. F1 22 launches on July 1 on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC via the EA App, Epic, Origin and Steam. Players can pre-order the Champions Edition which provides three days early access to the title.