Featuring a new cinematic story campaign and a long-requested online career mode, F1 2021 looks to the biggest iteration of Codemasters' annual racing series to date. It's set to launch on July 16 through two different editions, with players able to pick up a standard version of the game or a Digital Deluxe bundle complete with additional goodies.
When F1 2021 was revealed last month, Codemasters promised that the Digital Deluxe edition would include seven "iconic" drivers for players to recruit in the My Team mode, and today, the studio finally revealed who these legendary racers will be. The names announced hail from various different eras of Formula 1's long and storied history, coming complete with their official in-game ratings and the price it will cost to recruit them.
The highest-ranked racers are motorsport legends Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. For the uninitiated, the former was a Formula 1 icon, winning 41 races and securing 3 world championships in partnership with McLaren before his tragic death behind the wheel in 1994. As for Schumacher, he's often regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, securing a record-breaking 7 world championships and 91 wins over his illustrious career. The pair both claim an overall rating of 94, the highest of the Digital Deluxe Edition's roster of legends.
They'll be joined by Alain Prost, who was often regarded as Senna's biggest rival. The French racer managed to win four championships and 51 races during his stint with the motorsport promotion, earning him a rating of 93. Two other former world champions also show up in the roster, with Jenson Button garnering an overall score of 90 and Nico Rosberg ranking just below him, with an 89. The pair left a huge mark on Formula 1, with the former taking home the world championship in 2009 and the latter achieving the accolade in 2016.
The final two racers are British icon Michael Coultard and Brazilian legend Felipe Massa. The two were awarded an 87 and an 86 respectively. All seven racers join a stacked lineup of names currently slated for F1 2021, including Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen.
F1 2021 will be the franchise's first release since Codemasters was acquired by EA and looks to be loaded with fun additions. The "Braking Point" story mode will headline this year's entry, offering an action-packed narrative that sees players rise through the ranks of Formula 2 and Formula 1. It will be joined by the return of Real-Season Start and an online career mode, letting players compete to win seasons alongside a friend.
F1 2021 will be available on July 16 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: EA