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F1 25 2026 Season Pack review: an F1 game that's not an F1 game

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F1 25 2026 Season Pack review: an F1 game that's not an F1 game | Top Gear

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F1 26 arrives in budget-priced, expansion pack form

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F1 25 2026 Season Pack review: an F1 game that's not an F1 game

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F1 26 arrives in budget-priced, expansion pack form

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F1 26 arrives in budget-priced, expansion pack form

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F1 25 2026 Season Pack review: an F1 game that's not an F1 game

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F1 25 2026 Season Pack review: an F1 game that's not an F1 game

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F1 25 2026 Season Pack review: an F1 game that's not an F1 game

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F1 26 arrives in budget-priced, expansion pack form

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Another year, another Formula One game, right? Except this year's F1 game isn't an F1 game at all. Codemasters is focussing on a totally revamped instalment for next year, so instead of a full-fat F1 26, replete with new features, what we're getting instead is a bare-bones expansion for the previous game, F1 25, at a more modest £25 quid price tag.

Which, given that 2026 represents the biggest shift in Formula One car design regulations in over a decade, makes this the most unfortunate timing since Abraham Lincoln suggested a Friday night trip to the theatre.

Still, if you already bought F1 25 at full price last year this might be a blessed relief. There's no denying that, if you're only paying the cost of the expansion, this is a much more affordable way than usual to get behind the wheel of some fascinating new machinery.

The new spec cars themselves are recreated in all their baffling glory, and unless you opt for the nannying assists, you'll be attempting to wrap your head around straight-line aerodynamic mode, battery deployment, overtake mode and super-clipping all while battling for Grand Prix victory. It's a bit like trying to do your maths homework in a NASA centrifuge.

Also present is the entirely new Madring circuit, which clearly takes the 'mad' part of its name to heart. Blind corners, a tight uphill chicane and a truly outrageous NASCAR-style banked turn make this one of the most rollercoaster tracks on the calendar and we're grateful for the chance to blast around it long before the real drivers get their go in September.

This expansion pack approach to this year's release might have its fans, but it brings with it some strange quirks as well. Crucially the 2026 cars are only playable in certain modes, such as Driver Career and unranked multiplayer. If you were hoping to use the current machinery in ranked multiplayer, the co-op career mode or F1 World Series, for example, you're out of luck. It's probably a result of licensing constraints understood only by a team of eye-wateringly well-paid lawyers, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

The appeal of the F1 25: 2026 Season Pack, to give it its official name, really depends on whether you previously bought last year's game. If so, it's well worth the price of admission to line up on the newly bolstered 11 team grid in a car that will be a genuine challenge to learn.

If not, you'll be paying £50 for the bundled version and likely wondering why half the content can only be played with out-of-date cars. So the answer to whether we recommend it or not is 'maybe', which is a fittingly weird verdict for a very strange release...

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Another year, another Formula One game, right? Except this year's F1 game isn't an F1 game at all. Codemasters is focussing on a totally revamped instalment for next year, so instead of a full-fat F1 26, replete with new features, what we're getting instead is a bare-bones expansion for the previous game, F1 25, at a more modest £25 quid price tag.

Which, given that 2026 represents the biggest shift in Formula One car design regulations in over a decade, makes this the most unfortunate timing since Abraham Lincoln suggested a Friday night trip to the theatre.

Still, if you already bought F1 25 at full price last year this might be a blessed relief. There's no denying that, if you're only paying the cost of the expansion, this is a much more affordable way than usual to get behind the wheel of some fascinating new machinery.

The new spec cars themselves are recreated in all their baffling glory, and unless you opt for the nannying assists, you'll be attempting to wrap your head around straight-line aerodynamic mode, battery deployment, overtake mode and super-clipping all while battling for Grand Prix victory. It's a bit like trying to do your maths homework in a NASA centrifuge.

Also present is the entirely new Madring circuit, which clearly takes the 'mad' part of its name to heart. Blind corners, a tight uphill chicane and a truly outrageous NASCAR-style banked turn make this one of the most rollercoaster tracks on the calendar and we're grateful for the chance to blast around it long before the real drivers get their go in September.

This expansion pack approach to this year's release might have its fans, but it brings with it some strange quirks as well. Crucially the 2026 cars are only playable in certain modes, such as Driver Career and unranked multiplayer. If you were hoping to use the current machinery in ranked multiplayer, the co-op career mode or F1 World Series, for example, you're out of luck. It's probably a result of licensing constraints understood only by a team of eye-wateringly well-paid lawyers, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

The appeal of the F1 25: 2026 Season Pack, to give it its official name, really depends on whether you previously bought last year's game. If so, it's well worth the price of admission to line up on the newly bolstered 11 team grid in a car that will be a genuine challenge to learn.

If not, you'll be paying £50 for the bundled version and likely wondering why half the content can only be played with out-of-date cars. So the answer to whether we recommend it or not is 'maybe', which is a fittingly weird verdict for a very strange release...

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F1 26 arrives in budget-priced, expansion pack form