F1 2013 – F1 Classics line-up revealed, developer Q&A

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We’re going to start this blog post with a big F1 Classics reveal. We’ve been teasing a few details since announcement, but today we’re very happy to confirm the big names and legendary cars that will feature in F1 2013, plus the extra content you’ll find in F1 2013 Classic Edition.

F1 Classics is a fictional racing series that allows you to race F1 cars, drivers and circuits from the 1980s and 1990s. The teams are represented by two drivers, the original that raced in the team’s specific car and the team legend that has represented the team during a different era.

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We’re incredibly excited to have 10 iconic world champions feature in F1 Classics including Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost. Between those and the five F1 2013 champions they’ve won an incredible 29 World Driver’s Championships between them:

1980s (F1 2013 and F1 2013: Classic Edition)
1980 Williams FW07B – Alan Jones & Alain Prost
1986 Team Lotus 98T – Mario Andretti & Emerson Fittipaldi
1988 Ferrari F1-87/88C – Gerhard Berger & Michael Schumacher
1988 Team Lotus 100T – Satoru Nakajima & Mika Hakkinen
1988 Williams FW12 – Nigel Mansell & Damon Hill

1990s (F1 2013: Classic Edition only)
1992 Ferrari F92 A – Jean Alesi & TBC
1992 Williams FW14B – Nigel Mansell & David Coulthard
1996 Ferrari F310 – Michael Schumacher & Gerhard Berger
1996 Williams FW18 – Damon Hill & Jacques Villeneuve
1999 Ferrari F399 – Eddie Irvine & Jody Scheckter
1999 Williams FW21 – TBA & Alain Prost

And let’s not forget about the classic circuits! You’ll be able to race all of those cars on Brands Hatch and Circuit De Jerez. F1 2013 Classic Edition owners will also have access to the legendary Estoril and Imola circuits too.

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Today’s a good day to be an F1 fan as we’re not stopping there. For the past couple of days we’ve been asking you for your F1 2013 questions on Twitter and we’ve had them answered by the game’s Creative Director Steve Hood!

Which classic car from F1 2013 is most popular in the Codemasters offices and why? – _AJX
Steve Hood: Hmm, good question! I honestly don’t believe there is a ‘most popular’. I for one love the 1999 Williams, the FW21. Sure, it wasn’t the fastest car but it not only sounds immense with its glorious V10 engine, but it drives so well. Special mention should also go to the black and gold Lotus 98T, the famous ’86 car. That looks amazing but that crazy turbo engine is hard to tame.

How will the classic content work – will it be races or time trial? – Dyldo77
Steve Hood: There are Classic Races, online and offline. So you can play versus your friends or against the AI. In fact you can mix and match by adding AI opponents into an online race. You can also drive these Classic cars in Time Trial, Time Attack and another soon to be announced mode.

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When racing against classic cars is it a full grid? – Darrengage666
Steve Hood: The ’80s grid is made up of 10 cars and the ’90s grid of 12 cars.

Are the pit stops completely different for the classics cars – as in duration and the way they pit? – Sprat914
Steve Hood: The pit-stops are unique to each era with distinct animations, pit-crew clothing and timing. It’s fair to say the teams became more efficient over the years!

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Has the AI for online races/Co-Op season been tweaked in any way to prevent (majority of) crashes at the corners? – @JoshA_93
Steve Hood: The system in our Formula One games is incredibly advanced for it has to deal with a great number of autonomous vehicles paired to distinct AI drivers. The speed at which decisions are made is crucial as is the number of decisions made. More effort has gone into improving it for this year and it’s now more adept at racing, let alone driving. It also deals with a variety of cars with very different characteristics – cars from the ’80s with low downforce and super-powerful engines through the ’90s era of grooved tyres up and into today’s highly efficient aero-monsters.

What will make F1 2013 different from the previous games? – @PhilipClappison
Steve Hood: No doubt the inclusion of Classic cars and tracks – this is the key differentiator for this year but beyond that the refinements to what we believe to be class leading weather (much better balance, stronger visuals) and AI systems (improved racing and car control). There’s also the updated calendar and team roster which will of course feature all the high profile moves (Hamilton to Mercedes etc.) and the return of the Nürburgring circuit.

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Will we see cars experience technical failures in F1 2013? – @Square_Digital
Steve Hood: Technical failures can occur in terms of temporary DRS faults and the like but we do not include random terminal failures. We prefer the players driving style to influence bigger faults and we have that in mind for the future.

Does slipstreaming give the player more of an advantage in F1 2013 than F1 2012? – @HamiltonTheBest
Steve Hood: The slipstream effect is better balanced this year though it’s nothing to the effect you’ll get from DRS which seems to dominate races today. Your car setup can determine the effectiveness of slipstream and DRS. Just the other day I managed to keep a chasing human player at bay down the straights with a very low aero setup. He didn’t have DRS at that time and slipstream wasn’t enough. The other way around I would probably have breezed past!

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Have you included in-game saves? – @RobJenkins79
Steve Hood: Yes! Finally I’m hoping more people will get to experience the magic that is a long race… the drama, strategy, the story come race end. It’s been too much to expect people to commit the time required to experience this in one sitting. The in-game save means you can save during practice, qualifying or race and come back when you are ready. Hurrah!

Is there a World Championship where you can use any driver and use the settings you want like F1 2011? – Jharrold1995
Steve Hood: Grand Prix Mode returns in this year’s game so you can pick your hero driver and play out the full season calendar or one of your making.

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We hope that the Q&A has revealed more about the game and its new features. If you have any other questions on F1 2013 feel free to post them

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