I know next to nothing about Formula 1 racing, but Phil Iwaniuk does and scored last year's outing an impressive 88. Phil's review of F1 2017 is informative but accessible, which makes me think this year's offering is on the right track. I'll let you decide, though, by having a look at F1 2018's first in-game footage:

Guiding us round the Circuit de Monaco, 20-year-old professional racer Charles Leclerc narrates the above with enthusiasm. "I love playing the F1 game," he tells Codemasters in this blog post. "As soon as I get out of the car, I miss racing. So, when I am back home, I play for fun. This is the closest I can get to driving a Formula 1 car outside of the track, so it is always very enjoyable to play.

"I was amazed at how realistic the scenery was. Being born in Monaco, I know the circuit very well. Well done for visualising the track so nicely in the game. My favourite part is the last sector because there is a great rhythm to the drive there."

Read more: F1 2018 review

Speaking of realism, F1 2018 has revised lighting, new skies and clouds—with more realistic cloud formations and jet trails—and "atmospheric systems", which amplify depth to create "stunning vistas".

Moreover, F1 2018 has improved its car physics system with a new player-managed Energy Recovery System. Here's game director Lee Mather on that: "The inclusion of a player-managed Energy Recovery System (ERS) has been added to vehicle physics for F1 2018 as we always strive to give as authentic recreation of the sport as possible.

"Augmenting the powerful internal combustion engine, the player will have multiple deployment modes to choose from. The inclusion of the ERS will not only give the player an even more authentic Formula 1 experience, but will serve to create even more varied and exciting races."

Codemasters promises more information on F1 2018 soon, including a reveal of its classic cars and more on its Career mode.