Summary
- In F1 Manager 2023, players take on the role of a Formula 1 Team Principal, responsible for staff hiring, car development, and race tactics.
- Upgrading the Underfloor component early on is a smart move due to its impact on downforce and aerodynamics, but it is prone to damage.
- Optimizing the Front Wing and Sidepods for aerodynamics and cooling respectively can greatly enhance the car's performance on the track.
F1 Manager 2023 is Frontier Development's second installment in the series that sees players in the shoes of a Formula 1 Team Principal. As a Team Principal, players are responsible for the hiring of staff, the development of the car, and the specific tactics of race weekends.
The Design and Manufacturing section can be difficult to navigate at first. Players must first Design parts, selecting specifically which parts of their car they wish to upgrade. Once upgrades have been completed, they will then need to be built using the Manufacture option. It is usually worth manufacturing at least 3 of each part so that there is at least 1 component spare in the event of a driver accident.
6 Suspension
Suspension in Formula 1 is generated through the use of push-rods, pull-rods, and torsion bars to connect the Chassis to the wheels. While this is, of course, an essential component, it will have less of a dramatic effect on performance than some other Car Parts. The main areas altered by Suspension upgrades relate to Cornering and Downforce.
It is usually best to go with either a Balanced or Cooling focus here since other components will be able to make up speed more effectively. However, it can be useful to just max out on low-speed Cornering with the suspension and focus on cooling with another component. In general, this is not necessarily a high-priority upgrade, but given that drivers are likely to cause suspension damage in the case of a hard crash, it can be handy to manufacture spares anyway.
5 Underfloor
The Underfloor is a component that primarily gives the car a lot of its downforce, in addition to providing aerodynamic benefits. Upgrading this part early can be a good idea since it is quite likely to be damaged at some point throughout the season, particularly if drivers are getting onto the kerbs by pushing to a high pace.
The Underfloor will primarily affect Drag Reduction and Airflow Sensitivity, with minimal changes to Cornering speeds too. It is worth investing additional hours in the Wind Tunnel to improve the performance of this component, and working from the Optimized Aerodynamics preset is a good place to begin. This will provide the overall most solid build for the Underfloor since both Low and High Speeds can be improved more significantly with other components. It is also worth ensuring that the Underfloor has additional durability to avoid being cracked during Races and Qualifying.
4 Chassis
The Chassis is the main body from which all other parts of the car are attached, and as a result, it must be both lightweight and aerodynamically efficient. The Chassis will primarily affect Airflow Middle and Drag Reduction, and can also be optimized to improve Engine Cooling.
Minimal gains can also be made in Top Speed and Cornering of all speeds, but these are not the primary focus of the Chassis. The Race Performance preset is a good one to work from since not many other components have this available to them, and it can provide a significant advantage over other available builds. Increasing the Durability and Engine Cooling is also advised since both Engines and Chassis components can be very expensive to replace and may lead to grid penalties.
3 Front Wing
The Front Wing is a crucial component in a Formula 1 car since this will dictate Airflow throughout the rest of the car. Having a sleek, aerodynamic design can make all the difference between closing into DRS range or seeing the car in front pull away over the course of several laps.
The Front Wing is best optimized by working from either the High Speed Performance preset or the Optimized Aerodynamics one. While High Speed Performance can provide significant gains to the car's top speed, this will come at the expense of cooling and aerodynamics. Optimized Aerodynamics will provide the most benefit, but if the car already has a number of upgrades contributing to this (such as a strong Underfloor) it can be useful to prioritize Brake Cooling.
2 Sidepods
Sidepods are external radiator inlets that help to cool the extreme heat of Formula 1 engines. This will have implications for both cooling and Aerodynamics, with a healthy balance between the two being essential to extract maximum performance from the car.
Much like the Underfloor and Front Wing, it is worth spending additional CFD MAU and Wind Tunnel testing hours on this component. Sidepods can be customized to prioritize Engine Cooling, though this can come at the expense of a minor reduction in almost all other stats. By focusing on Cooling primarily and focusing other parts of the car on optimized Aerodynamics and other attributes, players will be able to gain the maximum possible cooling and therefore not have to worry so much about wear throughout a season.
1 Rear Wing
The Rear Wing is a crucial component of any Formula 1 car, but more so in the modern era than ever before thanks to the benefits of DRS. The DRS system allows cars to open their rear wing along certain straight sections of the track, allowing for cars within 1 second of the car in front to gain a small advantage with each straight.
Prioritizing High Speed Performance here is a good idea and will provide the best overall stat boost to all performance parameters. The biggest improvements will be seen in the DRS effectiveness, DRS Delta, and Top Speed. The Rear Wing can also be used inversely for Low Speed Performance, but we recommend addressing this by upgrading other components.
F1 Manager 2023 is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.