There have only been two licenced Formula 1 games on Nintendo consoles in the past 15 years, until now.
In 2009, Codemasters farmed out the creation of an F1 driving game to handheld experts Sumo Digital for the original Wii, and then kart racing spin-off F1 Race Stars hit the Wii U a decade ago.
Staggering, but true, especially when you consider that its contemporary machine, the Switch, has sold over 140 million units and the sport itself is going through a purple patch.
Still, Electronic Arts remains steadfast in its ‘blinkers on’ approach to the Japanese hybrid device.
With the door wide open, Frontier Developments has stepped right through with more confidence than Max Verstappen with F1 Manager 2024 – announcing that its latest strategy title would also land on the diminutive device just four weeks before its release.
To recap…
For the uninitiated Switch player, F1 Manager 2024 sees you take the role of Team Principal for one of the 10 existing real-world teams – or new for this year, creating your own fictional 11th entry – across multiple seasons, using actual drivers on the proper circuits.
You do not drive the cars yourself, the AI does, but you oversee race strategy, driver performance, car upgrades, funds, sponsors and personnel.
In essence, it’s your job to be less Guenther Steiner and more Ayao Komatsu. If you didn’t get that reference, this may not be the game for you, fair warning.
The games in this series are on a yearly release cycle, although unlike the official F1 driving games, they are priced at a reasonable £29.99/$34.99/€34.99. Created by Cambridgeshire’s Frontier Developments, ‘24 is the third game in the series, although the first available in portable form alongside PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
Switch version differences
If you are new to the franchise on Switch, comparisons such as these may not be relevant for you – just know that the core gameplay is engrossing and therefore, it’s worth reading on.
Those who are already invested in F1 Manager, but are perhaps looking for a convenient version to play on planes, trains and automobiles must know the following.
Understandably, the visuals have taken a hit compared to its siblings, but the ‘downgrade’ is still palatable. Only the broadcast camera angles can look a little awry, with a noticeably low level of detail and cars that appear to levitate.
Otherwise, the onboard cameras – including inside a driver’s visor – pull off an authentic look to the point where someone peering over your shoulder on public transport may think you were watching a race.
Driver’s hair can be comically fuzzy, but when most of your time is spent in menus and sped-up sequences, the chances are you won’t mind.
All major features are present and correct too. This means a lengthy career mode, including Create A Team should you choose, alongside race scenarios in the form of ‘race replays’ after each race in this season’s races.
Upgrading a car, seeing your fortunes rise (or reach bankruptcy, oops) and helping a young star become a world champion is alluring.
You can save mid-session, simulate races and replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson immediately instead of waiting until 2025. It’s all here, a fully fleshed-out official F1 management game.
A slower pace
While the in-race action is sublime for such a diminutive device, the menus in between races can be cumbersome.
The font is sometimes too small – a Switch-specific user interface is absent, instead relying on a copy and paste of the bigger siblings – you cannot use the touchscreen and the stick is often too imprecise for most selections.
The latter point is mercifully avoided by simply using the directional buttons.
What can’t be avoided is the Minardi-like pace of the calendar in between rounds. This is pivotal, as you must skip days often once your main car upgrade admin tasks have been completed.
It takes upwards of 10 seconds to load each day, and considering you cannot skip several at once the glacial pace can be offputting.
Switch it up
These imperfections aside, the team management and race day experience are new yardsticks for Switch owners. I hope a patch can improve the calendar, then there could be a resurgence analogous to Mercedes.
F1 fans now have the option of an engrossing few seasons of team progression out and about, and while it may lack some of the granular details seen in the likes of Grand Prix Story, the licenced razmataz and lengthy races are a boon.
With EA recently shuttering F1 Mobile Racing, this is the most involving portable experience that represents the pinnacle of single-seater racing. The fact that the entire game, with a few irks, has been boiled down onto Nintendo’s device is remarkable.
You can also read our PC, PlayStation and Xbox version F1 Manager 2024 review, plus watch our beginner’s tips and tricks guide.
| Developer | Frontier Developments |
| Release date | 23rd July 2024 |
| Available platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S |
| Version/s tested | Nintendo Switch |
| Best played with | Joy-Con |
Full disclosure: A game code was provided by the developers for review purposes. Here is our review policy.
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