![]() Take Copse, Silverstone's mega quick right-hander that sits at the tail-end of the old pits complex. F1 2017 does its best to replicate that newfound speed - these things feel seriously quick, making mincemeat of corners that last year put up a formidable challenge. Female avatars are available - I believe for the first time - so I'm campaigning as my daughter at the moment, while also making the point that a 15-month-old baby would be a better use of the second Ferrari seat than Kimi Raikkonen.Ģ017's cars are certainly the most handsome for a while, their wider tires and lower profile a knowing throwback to the icons of the sport in the 80s and early 90s, and they've proven effective in bringing lap times tumbling. They're short, sharp arcadey counterpoints to the sprawl of a season's campaign, and so detailed, in-depth and exacting is that latter part of the game, it's enough to convince you that maybe modern Formula 1 isn't so bad after all. It's a small shame not to have classic tracks to enjoy such vintage machinery around, but they're at least more thoughtfully woven into F1 2017's main career mode than before, appearing as occasional invitationals that showcase each car in one-off events. ![]() The V12 howls just as it should, the V10 in the back of Hakkinen's MP4-13 capable of a very different but just as fearsome scream, and they all look as sublime as they sound. Those sounds are spot on, and enough to send a shiver down the spine of anyone old enough to have stood on the verge of Silverstone's Becketts corner at a time you knew what car was coming as soon as it was in earshot. The last V12, for one, and the last F1 car from Maranello to bear the iconic number 27 as well as the last Ferrari campaign before a slightly more bloodless regime was ushered in with Schumacher's arrival the following year.Īll of which is a very long-winded way to say how emotive these vehicles can be for a certain vintage of F1 nerd, and how beautiful they are to behold in F1 2017. My pick, though? Ferrari's 412 T2, not a great car by any means - it notched up just one victory, which would also prove to be Jean Alesi's sole win, the occasion proving so emotional for the French Sicilian that in the final laps his tears would splash against the inside of his visor every time he braked - but one that marked the end of an era. It's a shame that there's no classic tracks - or classic drivers, for that matter - but places such as Interlagos have retained most of their 90s charm. The MP4/6 that gave Senna the last of his F1 crowns in 1991, or the R26 that gave Alonso the last of his eleven years ago - or how about the MP4-23 that took Hamilton to the title on the last corner of the last race in 2008. There are the cars that dominated entire seasons - McLaren's MP4/4, Williams' FW14B and Ferrari's F2002 and F2004 - and others that took centre stage in memorable campaigns. They're a diverse, expertly picked bunch, hero cars from the last 30 years of Formula 1 and each one with a legend of its own. What a treat, then, to be reminded of the din and drama of a different age in F1 2017, the latest in Codemasters' official series that reintroduces the classic cars last seen in 2013's entry. Stand trackside at a modern Grand Prix circuit and you're more likely to make out the sound of Hamilton and Vettel whining than the whispered drone of their power units. Say what you like about the current state of F1, but I can't imagine any 12-year-old fan of the sport as it is today coveting a recording of the thin whistle of the modern V6 hybrid. There's the tech and groan of a Renault V10, the sonorous roar of a Hart V8 and - of course - the urgent scream of the Scuderia's V12. It's the variety that delights a multi-layered chorus of thundering cylinders and ear-piercing pistons. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |