Sports management games have been popular for years. It all started with Football Manager back in the 90s, which saw the gamer sign their best players, train them and then pick them for the games. It was only a matter of time before other sports caught on to this format, and one of those sports was Formula 1 racing.
F1 Manager 2023 was developed and published by Frontier Developments. It's a simulation game and the official racing management game of the 2023 Formula 1, 2 and 3 championships. It's only the second installment in the series after the success of the previous game, and has some all new features to bring it up to date. Choosing a team is, of course, an essential part of the game. If players want to succeed in their racing adventures, here are some of the best ones they can pick.
7 Alpine
Alpine does have great potential, as they aren't short of finances. In addition, they have really strong drivers in Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
Gasly is the better of the two drivers, with an overall rating of 86. He also has a control rating of 93, and a smoothness rating of 90. He is also highly adaptable, with a rating of 95. This is an increase of two points from last year, so it's clear that this team is improving all the time, and a good one to manage.
6 Mercedes
The obvious benefit to managing Mercedes is the ability to manage Lewis Hamilton, one of the best drivers of all time. His overall driver rating is 90, which matches up to his rating in last year’s game. With no improvements, but also no decreases in ability, Mercedes is a solid team to manage in F1 Manager 2023.
Mercedes has been having a torrid time of things in F1, but they were dominant a few years ago, so the challenge of managing them in the game is to get them back into the top 3. The player also has George Russell at their disposal, who is an ever-improving racer and will back up Lewis Hamilton very well.
5 McLaren
There is a lot of potential in managing McLaren in this year's game. The team has strong drivers, as well as the financial resources to build a better team.
Oscar Pisastri makes his F1 Manager debut this year with an overall rating of 76, racing alongside his teammate, Lando Morris, who has increased his overall ability to 87. The start of the season with them is tough, but once the player gets going, it can be a very exciting management opportunity.
4 Aston Martin
James Bond drives an Aston Martin, so surely that is a good enough reason to manage them on F1 Manager 2023, right? Not so fast. It might seem glamorous, but it's not quite as cinematic as it sounds.
Aston Martin will likely compete with Mercedes at the start of the season, and they marginally beat out the competition in terms of choosing which team to manage. It is Aston Martin after all and the car is quicker on most of the tracks. From a story point of view, it's exciting to follow the Aston Martin team as well. Still, there are even better teams players can pick.
3 Williams
Williams had an unfortunate season in 2022, finishing in 10th position in the table. The aim in F1 Manager 2023 is to steer them to an 8th place finish. It sounds fairly straightforward, but it isn't as easy as it might seem.
The cars at the player's disposal are average, and that's being generous. Upgrades will be needed to improve the overall performance and be a success in managing them, but winning with this team can be very rewarding.
2 Ferrari
There has been some inconsistency in recent years with Ferrari, but in the game, the player has two very good drivers at their disposal in Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. For those thinking about playing the long game, these two drivers would be a good investment if Ferrari is their chosen team on one of the best racing games of this year.
The top team from Italy is surprisingly strong at the start of the F1 season. Ferrari has the second-quickest car in the game, and as stated, Sainz and Leclerc are an excellent pairing as drivers. It might be tough work competing with the Red Bulls, but anything is possible in this fast-paced game.
1 Red Bull Racing
In the real world of Formula 1, Red Bull Racing is considered the strongest team around. Max Verstappen is the strongest player on the team with easily the fastest car, and this is the case in F1 Manager: 2023.
Only consistent podium finishes will satisfy the management, so its imperative that decisions are made carefully and correctly. There are massive resources in this team including the best members of staff, the best car, and a fully developed HQ. It's by far the best team to manage on the game this year.
F1 Manager 2023 is out now and available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S