F1 25 is just around the corner – OK, maybe it’s a chicane or chicken – with the latest entry in Codemasters’ long-running motorsport series set to arrive on the 30th of May for PS5, XSX|S and PC. While there are improvements over last year’s entry across the board, from extensive visual updates through to new systems and features that aim to bring the digital version of the sport closer than ever to the real thing, today’s focus is on the returning Braking Point, the F1 series’ central narrative mode, that drops you into the endless drama surrounding the fictional Konnersport team.
A dramatic event sees the Konnersport team thrown into chaos this time around, and given the real-world drama that surrounds F1, they’ve got plenty to draw from, whether its the loss of sponsorship, drivers moving to another team, rookies nope-ing out of contracts on social media, or some wide-reaching breach of the extensive rules and regulations. Either way, things aren’t looking good at Konnersport, and you’re stepping in here to steady the ship.
New to this year’s entry is branching or alternative storylines, and you can decide which of the Konnersport drivers you’re going to take control of, leading to bespoke objectives for that driver, and a unique storyline conclusion. Whether that means there’s a minimum of two endings, or even more, we’re excited to find out, but it’s great to see Codemasters heaping new content into a mode that’s well-liked, but previously hasn’t had the same mileage as the others. It looks as though you’ll want to play through it multiple times to see all of the possibilities, and that’s a great option for those who tire of the long seasons or the high adrenaline and inevitable crashes of competitive online racing.
That’s not where the story ends though, as once you’ve finished with Braking Point you can take your driver into Driver Career or take the position as their Team Principal in My Team, making them the 11th team on the grid. I especially like this, giving the whole storyline some serious longevity and impact, and there’s also some mirroring of Brad Pitt’s forthcoming F1 movie or upcoming Cadillac team, where they will take this 11th spot.
While the on-screen action is at the heart of Braking Point, the team has made some welcome changes to various technical aspects of the mode, including the appearance of an all-new Hard mode to ramp up the challenge, and updating and revising the facial capture for the drivers using Nvidia’s Audio-to-Face technology through the returning interview sequences, making sure that the drama and high-tension moments look better than ever before. It’ll also benefit from all of the other improvements across the board, making it feel as though this is an essential part of the F1 25 experience.
2025 looks to be an amazing year for F1 storylines, and F1 25 hopes to put itself at the centre of that with Braking Point. We can’t wait to finally get our hands on it in the near future.