In the run up to this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, we’re extremely proud to announce F1™ 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ to the world.

F1 2016 will include the most immersive career mode we’ve ever featured, and will release onto PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam) this summer.

F1 2016’s new career mode spans 10 seasons and will take you deeper into the world’s most glamorous, exciting and prestigious motorsport, both on and off the track. The life-like recreation of the sport will be further enhanced by the addition of the sport’s iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car, which have been written from the ground up, as well as the introduction of the challenging new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE.

Here’s what Principal Game Designer Lee Mather said-

“F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise. The new career mode sits at the heart of the game and allows gamers to create their own legend over a career that can span for up to a massive ten seasons. Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming, F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.”

For the first time, the practice development programme allows you to take advantage of the tests done by the teams on a grand prix weekend. Master each circuit with our track acclimatisation tests, test your tyres and hone your race strategy to perfection, all whilst gaining valuable Research and Development points to spend on upgrading your car.

Mather continued: “With the re-introduction of the Safety Car as well as the addition of the Virtual Safety Car for the very first time, we are creating the most complete F1™ experience ever. This, combined with several features that are yet to be announced, should excite fans of the game and FORMULA ONE™.”

In the new career mode, you’ll be able to select an avatar to represent you within the game world, as well as choose a number to take with you through your career. You’ll be able to single out the helmet for you, and colour it however you choose. You’re then free to choose from any of the FORMULA ONE teams, all with different goals and expectations. You might decide to go down the more challenging route and start further down the grid, but it will also be easier to exceed your team’s expectations. You can earn contracts and move from team to team, or choose to develop your favourite team into a championship contender.

To complement the on-track experience, and to expand the realism of the Career mode, we’ve included stunning hospitality areas for each team that will act as your game hub. In this area you’ll work with our new, fully captured and voice-acted Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop your progress both on and off the track. Earn Research and Development credits from all your sessions, from practice, to qualifying and the race, to spend on upgrading your car, and get ahead of the teams around you. To make it even more immersive, you’ll also be able to spot other key figures from the paddock within the hospitality areas.

This season’s already been an exciting one, and what could make it more so than the latest addition to the FORMULA ONE calendar, Azerbaijan, with capital city Baku playing host to what could very well be the fastest street circuit of the season.

We’ve also got some early screenshots for you to show off our new time of day editor, which allows you to dramatically customise the visuals of your race experience. The brand-new Haas F1 Team makes their debut in the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, and in the process become the first all-American-led F1 team in three decades.

We’ll be releasing further details very soon, so follow us on Twitter and Facebook for future updates.

Oh, and here’s our brand new boxart. What do you think?