F1 2020 lets players build and run their own racing team for the first time, and that single change alters the whole game.
Trailer, via EA SPORTS F1.
My Team Mode
The new My Team mode lets players build a team from the ground up. Players pick a backer, hire a second driver, manage a budget, and arrange contracts while also racing every round of the calendar. It gives the career mode a sense of weight that past entries lacked.
Running a team is not just record-keeping. Choices about upgrades and staff affect car performance across a season, and poor budget management can leave a team stuck near the back of the grid.
The Full Grid
F1 2020 includes every driver and team from the 2020 season, plus the full calendar of tracks. The handling model has been adjusted again, aiming for a balance between ease of control and the demands of driving an actual Formula 1 car.
Weather and tire wear still play a large role in race strategy. Safety car periods and pit stop timing can decide a race as much as raw pace.
Split-Screen Racing
Split-screen multiplayer returns, letting two players race on the same screen. It’s a small feature, but one that adds a social choice missing from many current racing games.
Loading Times
Not everything about F1 2020 is smooth. Load times between sessions can be long, breaking up the pace of a career mode that already asks for a serious time investment.
The presentation, though, remains sharp. Team garages, team areas, and broadcast-style race presentation all help sell the sense of being inside a real F1 weekend.
Career Depth
Between My Team and the standard driver career, F1 2020 offers two distinct long-term paths. One puts players behind the wheel of an established team; the other has them building one from nothing.
That range gives the game unusual depth for a yearly sports-style release. It also means the amount of content on offer here is larger than in previous entries in the series.
“My Team mode is exactly the sort of new mode this franchise needed.”
That is my own view of the mode. It is the clearest sign of ambition in this year’s release.
Final Lap
F1 2020 doesn’t remake the sport it stands in for, but it expands what a Formula 1 game can be. My Team mode, the full 2020 grid, and split-screen support combine into the most complete package the series has offered.
Long load times are a real annoyance. They don’t undo the strength of everything built around them.
F1 2020 earns its place as one of the series’ strongest entries yet, backed by real ambition in its design rather than just roster updates.
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