Formula One (1985 video game)

Formula One
Formula One cover (ZX Spectrum, original release)
Developer(s)	G.B. Munday B.P. Wheelhouse
Publisher(s)	CRL Group PLC
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
Release	1985
Genre(s)	Sports Management
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer (hotseat)

Review scores
Publication	Score
Amstrad Action	72%
CVG	6.5/10 (average)
Sinclair User
Computer Gamer
Your Computer
Amstrad Magazine (FR)

Formula One is a Formula One racing management videogame published in 1985 by CRL Group PLC, developed by G.B. Munday and B.P. Wheelhouse for the ZX Spectrum, and converted to Amstrad CPC by Richard Taylor.

The game sets the player as the Formula One team manager on a team of choice, starting on the season of 1985 and onwards. The player is in charge of all the decisions regarding drivers, sponsors, budget management, chassis and engine improvements, tires selection, among others, during the sixteen races comprised. The game was conceived with a hotseat mode for up to six players to play simultaneously, each managing a different team, and five different levels of difficulty for the CPU-controlled teams.

Formula One was one of the first games of its genre, following in the footsteps of its predecessor Grand Prix Manager by Silicon Joy, and was in overall well received by the critics, with review ratings of four and five out of five stars from several publications of its time.

The game starts by asking the player to choose a team to manage from the six teams available (Brabham, Ferrari, Lotus, Williams, McLaren and Renault), and two sponsors, from a list of thirteen, for the whole season which comprises sixteen races. With limited funds, the player is asked to hire up to two drivers (from a list of twenty four available), and prepare the race car(s). After each race the player is awarded a money prize for participation and also an extra sum if its drivers rank in the top places. The sponsors also contribute to the team in varying amounts after each race. The funds have to be managed in order to repair or upgrade the cars, or even hire new drivers for the following race. The goal is to lead the team to win the constructors championship, and if possible the drivers championship too. The game is virtually endless, in the sense that after a season finishes a new one starts again, and the player has to hire new drivers, prepare new cars, and repeat the cycle of management.