F1 2019

F1 2019 is considered one of the high points of Codemasters' official Formula 1 game series, and on Xbox One it offered a sophisticated combination of realistic handling and an accessible sporting experience. The game faithfully modeled all the season's tracks and factory teams of the time, including newcomers, and for the first time in the series added Formula 2 races, which served as a career springboard for a rookie driver and offered their own season with rivals striving to move up to the top class. The physics model tried to capture the behavior of real single-seaters, from tire wear through aerodynamics to pit-stop strategy, and players had to adapt these decisions to the current course of the race.

The career mode was among the most extensive in the series – the player progressed from F2 to their dream F1 team, negotiated contracts, oversaw car development, and faced politics within the team, including comparisons with their teammate. There was also multiplayer with leaderboards and a so-called esports environment, which in the following years became an important part of the official F1 scene. The game also offered scalable difficulty and driving aids, which made it accessible to both simulation enthusiasts and casual players who mainly wanted to experience the atmosphere of the top racing category without years of practice on the wheel.

On Xbox One the game ran stably and used the console's power for detailed car and track models as well as realistic weather that changed during the race, including showers affecting tire choice. Reviews at the time often called F1 2019 the best installment of the series to date, emphasizing the depth of the career mode and its fidelity to the real sport. Even years later it's a title that represents well what the peak official Formula 1 simulation looked like at the end of the Xbox One generation.

Why play it: Anyone looking for the peak official Formula 1 simulation from the end of the Xbox One generation will appreciate F1 2019's depth of career mode, realistic dynamic weather, and fidelity to the real sport.