Golden Lap lets you be a team boss in F1’s most glamorous - and risky - era

Modern-day F1 bosses have it tough - maybe they’ll say something over race radio that’ll get memed into oblivion, or perhaps the Drive to Survive film crew will catch them picking their nose. Decades ago in F1’s golden age though, it was a different gig. These were the masterminds behind the 160mph cigars on pram wheels who diced with disaster at every corner, and new management sim Golden Lap lets you get in on the action.

Made by the same developer behind Art of Rally, there’s a similar minimalist look to Golden Lap but a completely different proposition. You’re hiring drivers, crew chiefs and engineers and then managing their races from the pit wall. Think F1 Manager 24, but with more facial hair and a stronger aroma of cigarettes and aftershave in the air.

Formula One isn’t mentioned explicitly anywhere, mind you. That’s just what we’re getting from subtle clues like the team names - Ezzolini, Chapman, LaBrahn - and, er, a quote from Graham Hill at the start of the announcement trailer. Call it a stab in the dark.

That same trailer also shows a tyre wear system, tuning car setups, and managing pit strategies in changeable weather.

The management looks as deep as the visuals are minimal, then, and seems to take some cues from Motorsport Manager as well as Frontier’s officially licensed modern series. Since we’ve lost hundreds of hours to both, it’s a safe bet that we’ll be spending some time battling Messrs Ezzolini and Chapman when Golden Lap arrives at an as-yet unspecified date later in 2024.