This has good bones, but definitely has issues at launch which need addressing. If you are a fan of previous F1 games, you will enjoy most of what is on offer here. But under the umbrella of EA, this game has released with numerous bugs and bloated features like supercars which don't add much to the game, and "F1 life" which amounts to nothing more than a reason for you to spend more money on premium currency to customize a virtual living room. EA really thinks I want to spend $2 to see a lamp on my main menu screen? No thanks.

On track, AI seems WAY more difficult than in previous iterations. In fact, I had to lower my usual difficulty by about 15% just to be relatively competitive or even complete the challenges given to me during practice sessions. In its current state, AI seems to be significantly faster than you even in the same car, unhampered by traction around corners, tire temperatures, etc. This is discouraging for sure, but isn't a gamebreaker if you lower your difficulty accordingly. I think that this is likely a bug and will be tuned over the life of the game.

Other bugs range from minor to major. On the minor end, you have delta times not displaying on your HUD, skin textures not loading on the podium screen, and other visual bugs that don't necessarily hamper gameplay. On the major end, I've seen a lot of people reporting the following issues, but have not experienced things like: poor performance on VR, drivers ignoring the safety car and being disqualified, your car crashing while being controlled by the AI during an outlap, etc. Again, I've seen evidence of these issues, but have experienced none of them firsthand, so your mileage may vary.

Do I recommend this game? If you are new to the series or looking to get into F1, I would start with F1 21 or wait until this game receives some post-launch patches. If you are a die-hard fan, the bones of whats here are good! The racing is fast and fun. The challenge of learning the new cars and tracks is fantastic. The game for the most part looks fantastic. I like it enough to recommend, but know that you'll face some issues along the way, and you'll frequently be reminded that EA had their hands on this game.