The depth and detail on offer in F1® Manager 2022 means you’ll have an array of important information and options at your disposal, as soon as you jump into the game from August 25th. Taking on the role of Team Principal for one of the official F1® teams, you will have more data and choices at your disposal than ever before – from your finances, to the status of your facilities, to specific data points of your team’s car.
Whilst all of these options are great to have, we know that if you’re new to management games, or getting to grips with the world of F1®, it will take time and practice to understand how to manage it all successfully. From spending big to saving up, signing superstars to nurturing young talent, there are all kinds of ways you can play F1® Manager 2022, but some options available to you will always remain key.
In this article, we’re offering guidance on the vital areas to keep an eye on in your first save – as well as a couple of tips for how best to manage them. Sitting comfortably, future Team Principals? Then we’ll begin…
1) RUN THE NUMBERS
At the start of your save, your initial budget will differ, depending on the team you take over. Generally, the higher your team finished in the 2021 Constructors’ Championship, the more money you will begin with. Your total finances will be shown on the main menu, in the bottom left corner, but you can use the Finances tab to see your season balance, projections, incomings, and outgoings to get a clear picture of how much scope you have to invest in your team. In the Board tab, the Board Budget option shows how much money your bosses are allowing you to spend this season.
On top of that, in line with real F1® regulations, every team has a ‘cost cap’ – a maximum amount of money that can be spent in a season on anything that may impact a car’s performance. Check your remaining cost cap budget to figure out how best to invest in car development through your first season.
2) STAY ON THE OBJECTIVE
As you’re getting your feet under the Team Principal desk, it’s a good idea to know exactly what’s expected of you. Every team has a Board, who set budgets and objectives for the team. Your job is to take those directives and deliver results, via clever strategy and management.
At the beginning of a save you’ll already have an objective for the upcoming season and a long-term objective to hit. If you’re running a team towards the back of the grid, a season objective could be finish 8th or above in the Constructors’ Championship, whilst your long-term objective may be to become a regular podium contender.
Be sure to check these objectives as soon as possible so you know exactly what you should be striving towards. Just to reiterate their importance, your objectives will always be shown on the Home screen, alongside the board’s current confidence in you. The two are, as you would expect, very closely connected…
3) SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE?
A key long-term aspect of F1® Manager 2022 is recruitment. You’ll be able to scout, negotiate with, and hire drivers and engineers for your team, including real-world talent from the F1®, F2™ and F3™ paddocks. Of course, you can also focus on working with and developing the personnel already on your team. Either way, forming your team will require careful management of contracts. On the Staff and Drivers and tabs, hovering over any member of your team will display key info, including the remaining time left on their contract.
If you’re keen to retain a member of staff whose contract is close to expiring, make sure to begin negotiations soon to try and tie them down to a longer deal. Conversely, let’s say you’ve got your eye on another driver you’d like to sign. Doing this will only be possible if a driver’s slot is empty – so either wait until a current driver’s contract expires, or pay a premium to ‘break’ the contract of your current driver before it runs out. Checking the contract lengths of your staff early in a save will help you retain top talent, or decide the best time to bring in a fresh face.
4) JUST IN CASE…
The ‘Cars’ tab in F1® Manager 2022 offers a plethora of information to help you understand the performance of your team’s machine, important areas of development, and how you stack up against the rest of the grid. As you progress through a save you’ll get acquainted with all of this – but in the early goings of your save, there’s one place in particular you should check out: the Warehouse.
Hovering over the ‘Warehouse’ option will show you how many parts you have stored for each area of your car. Making sure you’re stocked up on the likes of front wings and underfloors is important in case your fitted parts get damaged during a race weekend. So, before you jet off to Bahrain for the season opener, check in at the Warehouse. If you think you’ll need more of any part, select it and hit ‘Manufacture’.
5) RACETRACK RECCE
So, you’re stocked up on parts and know what’s expected of your team before race one in Bahrain. Great – but do you know exactly what’s waiting for you at the track? Head to the ‘Race’ tab to find out.
Whilst every Grand Prix Weekend will be capable of throwing up a surprise or two, this menu gives you a host of important track information, helping to lay the groundworks of your strategy. Check the tyre compounds selected by Pirelli for the GP. View the expected temperature and chance of rain from Friday to Sunday. See the track’s abrasiveness, grip levels, average time lost in a pit stop, and even the chance of a safety car, based on historic data. Hit the ‘Circuit Info’ option to get even more granular, viewing how the track layout is suited to your car’s performance, previous strategy info and much more, so you’re fully prepared for whatever Sakhir may throw at you.
6) CREW LOVE
Whilst you can individually manage your team’s drivers, Technical Chief, Head of Aerodynamics, and two Race Engineers, F1® Manager 2022 also includes the ability to manage your wider engineering team. These are the designers, researchers, and builders that turn your development decisions into reality, so checking in with this team early on is imperative.
In the ‘Staff’ tab, head to ‘Engineering Team’ to view the size of your team and their current assignments. Increasing the size of your engineering team will come at a cost, but also increases your capacity to develop multiple parts at a time. Investing in Design Centre upgrades will also increase the maximum capacity of your team and how many parts can be worked on. If you decide to develop your car in any way before the season’s first race, make sure your engineering team are ready to get the work done.
Pre-order F1® Manager 2022 on Steam to get five days’ early access, beginning August 25th!