F1 25 2026 Season Pack is a DLC for the main F1 25 game that brings new cars, new teams and new drivers to this year. Unlike previous F1 games, Developer Codemasters decided to make this years game DLC Content rather than a brand new standalone F1 Game.
They have made this decision to focus on next years F1 27 game which will have an updated graphics engine and expanded gameplay updates. Since it’s not a standalone game, it costs half the price at £24.99 on Consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X) and £21.99 on PC. This makes the Content pack cheaper and more attractive to fans of the F1 Games. The new cars may not be for everyone however as they are completely different to previous F1 Cars.
New Car Regulations
The 2026 Cars are different mostly because 50% of the power comes from the battery. A lot of real life F1 drivers have to lift and coast a lot more than they would have done in previous seasons , otherwise they will be going half as fast as they could be if they run out of battery. The word “Super Clipping” has been used a lot this season by commentators and drivers.
It means that the car is siphoning power to recharge the battery on long straights so drivers even at full throttle will be losing speed. The cars have got a lot of criticism this season, especially from 4 time world champion Max Verstappen who called the new cars, “Formula E on steroids”.
The F1 game has done a brilliant job at replicating this mechanic and it means that players will have to be very careful with their battery usage. Most people who have played previous F1 games may struggle to get to grips with the new cars as you can’t always drive flat out at most of the circuits. Knowing when to use boost mode which uses more of the battery to make you go faster and when to lift and coast around corners varies widely from track to track.
The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is the worst offender for battery management as there are so many straights and drivers can pass you so easily if you run out of battery you will be laughing at the screen when 6 cars pass you on one straight. If you save the battery however, you can easily pass those 6 cars back making a yo-yo effect. Go slower to go faster is not something anyone would think would be in a racing game but it is with F1 in 2026.
Complex Changes
Instead of DRS, Drivers can now gain “Overtake Mode” which lets them use more battery and recharge more accordingly. This will be indicated when the battery icon changes from yellow to blue. You always have overtake mode active during practice and qualifying but in the race drivers can activate it when they are within a second of the car ahead. Unlike DRS which could only be activated on some straights in the circuits, overtake mode is active for the entire lap. “Straight mode” is manually activated by the player and will light up with a purple semi-circle at the Bottom. The player is prompted to activate it when they can hear a “Beep” sound.
It’s used to open both the rear and front wings for more aerodynamic efficiency and more speed down the straights. Corner mode is hidden from the player and is automatically activated at every corner which maximizes downforce to provide the grip needed for the corners. Whilst I personally don’t mind the changes too much and have got used to them, the new cars may not be for everyone as they more complex and have battery management issues. Although the battery management is not a flaw with the game but the regulations for this year’s cars.
Lighter and Nimble
Although i do find the new cars to be more fun to drive overall especially around circuits with lost of corners and places to divebomb as they are lighter and thinner compared to last years cars which were like giant boats in comparison.
Overtaking is so much easier with these new cars and the Ai has improved as they now have more issues like Tyre wear which makes them more prone to mistakes. They also do try to overtake in corners more often and are generally more aggressive than they were before.
New Teams
New Teams such as Audi Revolut F1 Team and Cadillac Formula 1 Team have entered the sport this year with Audi replacing the Kick Sauber team from last year. Audi have also made their own engine to try and compete with the top teams such as Mercedes and Ferrari in the coming years. They have retained the driver lineup of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortolleto from last year.
In terms of the teams current performance in the game, they are a strong midfield team which is faster than Haas or Williams but not as fast as Mclaren or Red Bull. Their livery looks really good with a grey silver as the main colour and orange for the Audi symbol.
Cadillac are F1’s Newest team and brings the amount of drivers in F1 from 20 to 22. They have a Ferrari engine making them the 2nd customer team for Ferrari and have brought back two old F1 Drivers. Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez who have been in the sport for 14 and 16 seasons respectively.
As seasoned veterans of the sport, Cadillac will be hoping that the bring the team closer to the midfield pack. The are currently the slowest team on the grid (Except for Aston Martin) so this season will be more about finding their feet and seeing how they can improve in the future. Their car looks beautiful with black and white livery and the Cadillac Logo on the side.
New Engine Supplier
Aston Martin have also chosen to leave Mercedes and go with a Honda engine which no one else has so far chosen. And that decision seems to be wise from the other teams as the Honda engine so far has proven to be the slowest and most unreliable engine in F1 this season. Aston Martin themselves are woefully bad and want to desperately improve their car. The Game doesn’t reflect this however as you will sometimes be surprised to see Fernando Alonso in the top ten despite his real life car being lapped by Audi at the British Grand Prix.
New Drivers
There are two returning F1 Drivers and one new F1 Driver. As mentioned before, Bottas and Perez have returned to the sport after a few years away in the Cadillac team and rookie Arvid Lindblad has replaced Isack Hadjar at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB). The young rookie who is British and Swedish but races under the British flag has so far impressed this season with consistent points finishes and being very close to and sometimes beating his teammate. You can play as all these new drivers with the content pack.
New Track
The New Madring Circuit has been added to the content pack as well, giving players a chance to experience it long before the real life race starts in September. It takes over Barcelona as the official Spanish Grand prix and blends public roads with sections of track. It features a banked corner similar to the Dutch GP, two main straights and a steep 8% incline section.
As it is a street circuit, it’s very easy to hit the barriers and isn’t easy for new players as a result. I myself have crashed serval times on this circuit and the F1 game labels this circuit as “very hard” . I definitely agree with this as i personally find Monaco easier to drive.
Career Modes
My team Career Mode makes a return for this year where players can create their own teams and become the team principal. They can choose which engine to put in the car and how many upgrades they can start with. You can also choose how long the season is, with the options being a full 24 race season, a 16 season or a 10 season race.
The player also has to collect resource points to spend on upgrades for the car and buy facility improvements in: Engineering which involves upgrades about the car, Personnel which is about managing your drivers and staff and corporate which is about improving your finances and marketing. The player chooses two initial rookie drivers and can later negotiate with them or get a new driver for next season. You can choose which driver you want to play as for each race. Overall the mode hasn’t changed from last year.
Driver Career also makes a comeback with the player deciding which team they want to drive for and creating their own driver or driving as a real life racing driver. They set a goal at the beginning of their career with what driver rating they want to aim for by the end of the season. Driver ratings can be improved if the player does well in races and qualifying. Like in My team, the player can make car upgrades using resource points gathered from the practice sessions. Overall, There haven’t been any changes from last years game in driver career.
Sadly Two player career cannot be played with the new cars which is a shame for players who’d want to compete with their friends in career mode with the content pack.
F1 world remains and continues to be chaotic with PVP gameplay that will quickly make you want to go back to single player. Some players do behave themselves whilst others just slam into you during online races. I personally do not like F1 world and much prefer career mode.
Verdict
This year’s F1 Game may not be a standalone in the series but it makes up for it with cars that feel completely different to last year and a new F1 Track. Also at half the price of a full standalone game it is definitely worth the money for long time F1 Fans and Fans of the F1 game series like myself. I hope that in the future, Codemasters will allow players to drive the new cars in two player career mode. Although players may struggle to adapt to the new cars i think they are worth trying out.
