F1 25 review – nailed-on realism, even when you drive the wrong way round

Codemasters/EA Sports; PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X
This Formula One racer is the most convincing yet, even as you tackle three circuits unconventionally, while fictional hooks include the chance to drive as Brad Pitt in a future movie tie-in

Formula One aficionados are famously fanatical, but they still need a few good reasons to splash out on the annual instalment of the sport's officially licensed game. Luckily F1 25 - crafted, as ever, in Birmingham by Codemasters - has many. There's the return of Braking Point, the game's story mode; a revamp of My Team, the most popular career mode; a tie-up with the forthcoming F1: The Movie; and perhaps most intriguing of all, the chance to race round three tracks in the reverse direction to normal.

F1 25 feels like something of a culmination - last year's F1 24, for example, introduced a new physics model which required tweaks after launch, but has now been thoroughly fettled, so F1 25's essential building blocks of car handling (and tyre wear) plus state-of-the-art graphics (this year, Codemasters has moved on from previous-gen consoles) are simply impeccable.