F1 24 shows off its improved tracks and driver likenesses

It’s all change in the world of Formula One, apparently. Not only do we have to try to wrap our brains around the sight of an orange car taking the chequered flag at Miami and Daniel Ricciardo awakening from his slumber to remind the world he can take a VCARB to P4, barely 48 hours later we’ve got to process the fact that Pastor Maldonado is now considered an icon of the sport.

We’ll get to the PDVSA pay driver’s appearance in F1 24 shortly, but let’s not bury the lede: Codemasters would like to alert to your attention that it’s reworked several tracks for the new game including Spa and Silverstone (whisper it: the best ones), Jeddah, and Lusail.

In the never-ending quest for ultimate realism, the latest deep-dive video shows that car and driver likenesses have been updated in higher fidelity too. CAD data’s been used to capture every baffling aero fin of the modern machines, and hang on – that looks like Ray-Traced Dynamic Diffuse Global Illumination technology being used to enhance the lighting, shadows, and reflections! Let’s just check the press release.

“The cars of all 10 teams have been meticulously recreated using detailed CAD data, coupled with Ray-Traced Dynamic Diffuse Global Illumination technology to enhance lighting, shadows, and reflections.”

Knew it. We can spot Ray-Traced Dynamic Diffuse Global Illumination technology a mile off.

The driver likenesses themselves enjoy a bit of a spruce-up, with full hair rendering (we’ve heard unconfirmed reports an entire team was recruited for Carlos’ locks alone) and improved skin and eye shaders.

Onto the icons bit. This is where we wave a nostalgic yellow flag at our old friend Pastor Maldonado, who joins the biggest roster of driver icons ever to feature in an EA F1 game. A roster that also includes Jamie Chadwick, 1976 world champion James Hunt, and the incorrigible Juan Pablo Montoya.

Since it’s now possible to embark on a Driver Career mode using not just the current drivers but icons too, we’ll admit it’s an enticing proposition to take Mr Maldonado or Jamie Chadwick to WDC greatness with the likes of Red Bull or McLaren.