Compared to usual Formula One titles, it’s F1 Manager 2022 that lets players experience just what it’s like to manage the very teams behind the super-machines racing fans grew to love. As such, instead of the usual Formula One experience of riding cars, F1 Manager 2022 allows players to manage a team from the start of the 2022 Season and beyond. Things from car upgrades and driver training to even staff growth fall in the hands of the player.
While some players may find these elements a bit overwhelming, fans and newcomers to the racing simulation genre may see this level of flexibility rather liberating. Not to mention, this kind of flexibility also opens up a ton of tactical opportunities to fully tinker with the game experience. With that in mind, just what are some best beginner tips players should take note of when starting their F1 Manager 2022 experience?
10 Take Time To Study Finances
In a management simulator like F1 Manager 2022, it’s important to remember that numbers are everything - especially when even races can be simulated. When players start their F1 Manager 2022 game, they might notice that their initial budgets will be different based on the team they plan on controlling. A huge part of this concerns the 2021 Constructors’ Championship results. However, the starting budget isn’t the only thing players should consider when looking into a team.
For instance, players should also look at the Incoming and Outgoing tabs to determine which aspects of the team are likely to need spending. Another factor is the Board tab which determines how much the company’s board is willing to shell out. Lastly, the Cost Cap is the budget limit for performance-based upgrades.
9 Remember The Objectives
Given how the F1 Manager 2022 experience will have players miss being in the front seat of a Formula One vehicle in F1 game titles, it makes sense for some players to crave finishing first. However, winning first isn’t always the priority in the heavy business realm of F1 Manager 2022. For players to truly stay in the game, they must perform according to management's directives.
Players can look at the Home tab to see how the board currently sees the team and their current objectives. It helps to pay attention to these objectives and how best to achieve them to secure bonuses and other rewards. Some of these objectives involve the upcoming season, such as finishing a particular place, or the long-term such as becoming a frequent member of the podium.
8 Upgrade Basic Parts As Soon As Possible
Considering how F1 Manager 2022 allows players to be more in-depth regarding the management aspect of Formula One races, it helps players to “get ahead” of the other competing teams. For players aware of what they’re doing, F1 Manager 2022 sessions allow players to boost their team’s performance as early as before the season’s first race in Bahrain. In that regard, players may want to start commissioning their first designs immediately so their cars can get better stats from the get-go.
Ideal first parts to upgrade early on are larger, more relevant parts such as the underfloor and the chassis, as they impact overall driving performance more evidently. Additionally, it can help allocate testing time to these projects to get the most optimal and long-lasting results. In this regard, players may want to avoid upgrading their suspension, though, as the first race immediately rewards an upgraded suspension unit to players.
7 Pay Attention To Upgrade Constraints
While the upgrade options in F1 Manager 2022 and its gameplay can immerse franchise fans in the specifics of car improvements, the game also strives to be as realistic as possible. In turn, the game not only sets a particular budget for upgrades throughout the season (Cost Cap) but also limits how often players can test these components.
In turn, players need to pay close attention to how they want their cars to perform throughout the season and in the long term. They also need to weigh whether it’s worth investing in getting a car to maximum optimum performance by upgrading its lower-performing components or bank on higher-performing parts by upgrading them further. Knowing this balance and adjusting parameters based on the track can help players secure the most advantages.
6 Practice Makes Perfect
While the above adage may be an age-old trope in most games, F1 Manager 2022 not only helps players secure the win in races more efficiently with practice. Rather, the game even provides additional bonuses to players who compete in races after doing prior practice sessions. Although players can use AI to monitor the track, it may help at least do three (3) to five (5) practice sessions of 15 laps each using different drivers.
Players can have F1 Manager 2022 drivers use yellow or white tires while traversing them and listen to their radio feedback. Their input throughout the race can provide interesting insights to players, as they can adjust individual components such as set-up values within the race parameters to perform better in the live competition. Players may even earn up to 15 performance bonuses, where teams get rewarded for knowledge of car parts, track acclimation, and confidence in car setups.
5 Attack Mode Works
When players begin their F1 Manager 2022 journey, the game will orient them to racing strategies that they can implement at the start of sessions. These strategies modify the drivers’ approach in combat, be it aggressively or passively.
However, in this regard, players and their teams may benefit when setting their driver settings to full aggression on the get-go. Aside from races being more explosive and entertaining to watch, this setting also allows drivers to maximize the car’s settings. These include using push moves, aggressive tire use, and ERS overtaking. This is especially useful when players unlock DRS (drag reduction system), which allows cars to accelerate or decelerate much faster.
4 Maximize The Fuel Gauge
Unlike other racing games where fuel is virtually unlimited, the realism component in F1 Manager 2022 means even fuel is an important element in races. Similar to real-life Formula One races, cars need to conserve fuel and ensure they get to pit stops early in order to get repairs and replacements. As such, it’s natural for players to panic once they notice their fuel gauge is on low and might want to conserve fuel. Unfortunately, doing this will likely have other cars zoom past them.
However, it may help players to push the fuel gauge at its limits to maintain momentum throughout the race. While it’s true that this makes lighter cars run faster at the expense of fuel gauge, the game will automatically compensate for this once DRS becomes unlocked later in the game.
3 Accept, Secure Sponsor Goals
As with real-life motorsports and other sporting events, sponsors also provide many budgeting options to teams to improve their performance in exchange for better exposure. Such is the case of F1 Manager 2022, where sponsors can offer additional budgets to players provided they perform certain goals in Formula One races.
While these sponsors do impose penalties if players fail their challenges, the benefits reaped from accomplishing these goals can give players more worthwhile bonuses. Players starting with a rather low-budget team may want to pay more attention to making sponsors happy to ensure guaranteed income while players build a stronger team for a steadier income flow.
2 Adapt To Outlast Foes
It makes sense for players to freak out a bit when things in an F1 Manager 2022 race don’t go according to plan, especially after practicing and even using optimal settings. However, a little setback doesn’t mean players should reset the race immediately. Rather, this is the perfect opportunity to try out the game’s more RTS-esque component - pausing the Formula One game and looking at the bigger picture.
When something unexpected happens, such as an unforeseen weather condition, an accident, or the like, it may help players to pause and rethink their overall approach. For instance, an ordinary lap could be dedicated to a pit stop once players notice their tires are about to give out.
1 Pay Attention To Drivers
Aside from the vehicles themselves, their drivers serve as the other half of a team’s success in the Formula One race. After all, these drivers and their settings maximize a car’s performance in a match. However, in an F1 Manager 2022 session, some drivers may have long-term and short-term contracts, and players need to pay attention to these to capitalize on a driver’s skills.
At its core, players need to consider whether a driver on a short-term contract is worth the extension or the replacement. In that regard, players may want to secure a contract months or years before the end of the initial contract to avoid any complications. Likewise, players who don’t plan on extending a driver’s short-term contract may want to send their scouts to find prospects months ahead, so there are drivers on the ready.
F1 Manager 2022 is playable on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5