It’s only the second series of qualifiers in the 2024 Formula One season of Frontier Developments’ new management title, but the undercurrent of tension is undeniable. After opting for Meteor Materials, starting with a cool $50 million starting balance, Acheron Racing (my team name, and no I won’t elaborate further) had it good. The best drivers with Hamilton and Verstappen. Top-notch staff. Some excellent cars and somewhat middling facilities. Meteor sought a spectacular debut and a “meteoric rise to the top” – surely we could deliver.

However, things have been far from ideal. Both drivers had a low affinity with their racing engineers – I swapped out Hamilton’s and eventually opted for a change in strategy with Verstappen’s going for more racing expertise. To say that they weren’t too thrilled with the facilities and car performances, thus affecting their Mentality, would be an understatement. Work began immediately on manufacturing new parts, though I wasn’t confident in my design process and upgrading various facilities, from our Suspension Simulator and CFD Simulator to the Team Hub and Weather Centre.

"Its most significant new feature, Create A Team, mirrors the trials and tribulations of trying to make an impact on the usual ten-team season as a new 11th team, whether you’re fine-tuning the performance of cars or monitoring your drivers. "

Car development isn’t cheap, however, ranging in the tens of millions for a handful of upgraded facilities. Thankfully, we had a sponsor who wasn’t too hung up on our performance; however, Potential funding from Engagement and Race Day couldn’t be ignored. Having optional sponsors also helped, but they could affect driver Mentality and development (because neither likes Lumiura technology or whatever they presumably have to offer). Then there’s scheduling all the Engagement Activities, from sponsor events to factory tours. These were necessary, but depending on which I chose, there would be consequences for our Mentality, Pit Crew Fatigue, Staff Performance Rating, etc.

Regardless, once we got through the first round of Practice sessions and Qualifiers, it was time for the opening race of the season. Each driver’s confidence seemed reasonably decent, but in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have left my staff to handle everything. We emerged with sixth and eighth positions – exactly the Race Targets slotted for each to earn that extra dough.

However, our technical chief informed me that neither met performance expectations; we should have at least hit fifth place, which didn’t happen. A quick look at the race stats and it seemed we should have gone for a Two-Stop. Max’s confidence also wasn’t looking too great – truly the biggest tragedy in all of this. Back to the drawing board, utilizing manufactured parts to improve DRS Effectiveness while waiting for our facilities to be improved. Maybe we could look at what Red Bull is doing with their Medium Speed to perhaps bolster our own.

F1 Manager 2024 requires accounting for many scenarios, which makes sense – managing a Formula One team is far from easy. Its most significant new feature, Create A Team, mirrors the trials and tribulations of trying to make an impact on the usual ten-team season as a new 11th team, whether you’re fine-tuning the performance of cars or monitoring your drivers.

"It sounds like a lot to take in but despite presenting a plethora of information, the user interface is fluid enough to navigate on PS5."

The plethora of options from the outset, allowing you to opt for different starting balances, powertrain manufacturers and varying levels of quality for each core aspect also adds some spice to each career start. You could utilize Phoenix’s refined facilities to effectively help it “rise from the ashes” and re-establish its past dominance or opt for a technological marvel like Flamepoint, who possess incredible cars and staff but pathetic facilities and little money.

Of course, even with all the resources, you need to pay close attention to the condition of aerodynamic car parts, the state of your facilities (which require refurbishing over time), and the Mentality of your staff and drivers to ensure optimal performance. While simulating the various practice sessions isn’t the worst idea, jumping in during a qualifier or two is advised to see each driver’s lap times and monitor the fuel levels, temperatures and tyre degradation. Are the drivers getting used to the track? Are they satisfied with the car set-up? If not, you need to figure out what needs changing.

The weather can also be an X-factor, influencing the material type of tyres. You can also adjust tactics for each driver (including whether they should interfere with each other), and outline options before sessions, like whether they should keep a nice even pace, reduce energy usage, or alter their fuel consumption for the sake of lap times.

It sounds like a lot to take in but despite presenting a plethora of information, the user interface is fluid enough to navigate on PS5. Though it takes a bit of getting used to (and could have been pared down a bit to cut back on navigation), switching between tabs and examining different bits of information is fairly straightforward.

"The Contracts system is also baffling, especially when counter offers aren’t received, and grid penalties can apply when swapping out powertrain parts."

Swapping back and forth between both drivers during a race while fast-forwarding and pausing for different purposes also required a bit of practice, but eventually became easier. Cycling through different camera perspectives also feels smooth, whether you’re keen on watching the action through icons on a track map or getting right into the cockpit.

The latter highlights the presentation well, from the track details and textures to the lighting and cars. It’s not on the level of fidelity of F1 24 (not that it has to be), but still impressive in its own right. The likenesses could have used a bit more work yet they get the job done, though I would have appreciated some more life in my pit crew. That is unless they’re fatigued from having very little time off, which is on me.

Of course, there are other more fundamental issues with the gameplay. Sometimes, your driver will communicate things that don’t match with on-screen events, hurling insults for something that another driver did when there’s no one around. Affiliate Drivers also feel nonexistent, and the Mentality system, much as it encourages catering to your team’s needs, could stand to feel a little less harsh in some scenarios.

The Contracts system is also baffling, especially when counter offers aren’t received, and grid penalties can apply when swapping out powertrain parts. Both are already confirmed to be fixed in an upcoming patch, but that they should make it into the game is odd. It remains to be seen if something is done about crash physics and sprucing them up. There are also bugs like radio chatter outright not playing at times.

"Like its predecessor, F1 Manager 2024 could use more work to truly shine, but it still offers an enjoyable experience. It lets you delve into the bones of outfitting a Formula One team and keeping it competitive."

Those who already own last year’s edition may wonder if it’s worth picking up a whole new game to fulfill their Formula One management fantasy. While some improvements feel more iterative, Create A Team is definitely worth checking out despite its issues. Race Replay also returns, inviting you to change real-world results for pre-selected teams. It’s as enjoyable as before and offers a much-needed change of pace.

Like its predecessor, F1 Manager 2024 could use more work to truly shine, but it still offers an enjoyable experience. It lets you delve into the bones of outfitting a Formula One team and keeping it competitive. There are tense moments and more than a few sacrifices to be made, offset by bizarre occurrences and issues. Nevertheless, I was keen on getting back in there, working on my drivers and team, searching for areas to improve and one day standing tall among the rest. Maybe, just maybe, we could instill a little more confidence into young Max as well.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.