F1 24's new Career Mode will let you net Lewis Hamilton his eighth World Championship
F1 24 is getting a brand new Career Mode this year, letting players take control of one of the 20 drivers that currently reside on the grid - or even a legacy icon, too.
In previous iterations of Codemasters’ F1 series, players have been offered the choice of either the Braking Point story mode, or MyCAREER - a more strategy-focused representation of the F1 world. For 2024’s release, the team is letting players step into the race suit of an actual F1 driver, taking their racing career into their own hands.
Drive to survive
Whether you’re a fan of Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, or even a classic face like Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna, F1 24 will let you play out their career from the 2024 season and beyond. This will involve taking part in the usual calendar of races and fighting for pole position as you develop both your driver's reputation and the team they reside in.
From what we’ve learned of the new Career mode so far, it seems to unite a few areas of F1 gameplay under one roof. Your chosen driver will have a starting driver score which you’ll need to develop as the season progresses. You’ll also need to consider your team’s research and development, developing relationships with your mechanics to deliver the upgrades you need on a speedy time scale.
There’s even a rivalry system built into the mode. Building upon the likes of Hamilton vs Verstappen, or Hunt vs Lauda, if there’s a particular driver that the game thinks you’re butting heads with, it’ll work that into the gameplay. You could be in a rivalry with your teammate over who’s the best in equal machinery, or you could be in a championship battle with someone who’s hot on your heels for first place.
Perhaps one of the most exciting new features is the ability to hold secret meetings with other teams. Emulating the sleuthing and excitement of the silly season, you can choose to enter secret discussions with other teams to discuss potential contracts and team switches.
However, you’ll need to be careful. If a secret meeting is discovered it could end badly for your driver's reputation, and ultimately hurt your career.
Of course, you can still choose to start a new character as a blank slate, but let’s face it - we’ve all fantasised about seeing Hamilton take that eighth World Championship. Like it or not, the new F1 24 Career mode might just be the closest we get to realising those fantasies.
F1 24 is set to launch on May 28th for PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.
