F1 24’s ‘final’ seasonal update signals the end of the road

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EA SPORTS and Codemasters’ ‘final tailor-made season’ for F1 24 is upon us, with several new items available for Podium Pass holders alongside new Shop items.

Six new F1 World Events have also been added across PC, PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game, representing moments of high drama from the pulsating 2024 Formula 1 season.

These include getting behind the wheel of Daniel Ricciardo’s Racing Bulls car at the Singaporean Grand Prix, in what turned out to be the affable Australian’s final F1 race (for the moment, at least).

Another of the five-lap races sees players committing George Russell’s Mercedes W15 to a bold one-stop strategy to ultimately win the race… before being disqualified. Hmm.

Apart from these additions, some graphical issues have also been resolved (the full changelog for v1.18 is below), as EA and Codemasters apparently switch focus to their next F1 title. Fans hope it will be released before F1 24’s May launch window and avoid its initially controversial handling model.

With EA SPORTS holding the licence to produce F1 games until the end of 2025, ‘F1 25’ could be the final instalment from the American publishing giant. However, the agreement, signed way back in 2019, also had a conditional two-year extension clause, as reported by Autosport.

In reality, there are few other developers and publishers with the resources and workforce to take on the F1 license, something British studio Frontier Developments knows only too well thanks to the reported cancellation of its F1 Manager series due to poor sales.

As the real-world drivers prepare for the first round of the season on 16th March, do you think the F1 licence should stay with Codemasters and EA beyond 2025? 

Let us know in the comments below.

F1 24 v1.18 Patch Notes

• Added Season 6 content, including new Podium Pass and Shop items
• Two new customisation sets in Podium Pass: X-Gear and Degradation (VIP)
• Four new customisation sets in the Shop throughout Season 6: Performance, Arrow Trinity, Retrotalgic, Vortex
• Added six new F1 World Events, spread out randomly across Season 6, each one representing the exciting moment from the 2024 F1® season as five lap races (updated weekly)
• Zhou Guanyu at Qatar
• Zhou Guanyu earned his first points of the 2024 season at Qatar. Can you repeat his achievement?
• George Russell at Spa
• Employing an unexpected one-stop strategy, George Russell managed to get his Mercedes W15 home and win the race before being disqualified. Take control and navigate George to the top of the podium
• Yuki Tsunoda at Brazil
• After an unbelievable performance, Yuki Tsunoda qualified 3rd for the Brazillian Grand Prix. Can you beat his finish of 7th?
• Alex Albon at Baku
• Both Williams cars started the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in the top ten. Can you beat Alex Albon’s 7th place finish?
• Daniel Ricciardo at Singapore
• The end of an era. Experience Daniel Riccardo’s final race at Singapore
• Hulkenberg at Silverstone
• Recreate Nico’s amazing 6th place finish at the British Grand Prix
• Fixed an issue which could sometimes cause graphical problems when changing the shutter speed in Photo Mode
• Fixed an issue which could case vehicle liveries to appear incorrectly when viewed at a distance (PS4® Pro only)
• Added the ability to rotate and scale the Unity Badge Emblem
• Added a new XP reward for completing your first Race of the Day
• This change will apply following the online services update on March 4