F1 25 Hands-On Preview Part Three: Braking Point 3 Delivers More Drive To Survive-Style Drama Up Front

The Braking Point modes in the F1 series have consistently evolved, gaining nuance alongside the increasing theatrical flair of the sport itself. If you’re craving the raw simulation or prefer spending most of your time on the track, it might not be your cup of tea. Yet, there’s undeniably a specific audience that enjoys this dramatic spin on racing.

Drama has always been an integral part of motorsports’ allure, and it’s becoming ever more central to our viewing experience. Love it or hate it, this emphasis on drama is persistent. For those eager to inject some excitement into their Sundays, the third installment of Braking Point in F1 25 promises just the right mix.

When introducing this year’s Braking Point mode, Creative Director Gavin Cooper reflected on its authenticity. “When we introduced characters in 2021, and later the Konnersport team in ’23, authenticity was key,” Cooper mentioned. “It wouldn’t have been believable for them to win championships straight away.” This year, however, Konnersport is now a formidable contender, thanks to fresh investments and a strong start to the season. A pivotal event early in the story sets the team into turmoil, continuing the saga of the Butler family, which veteran players will remember well.

Following Braking Point 2, the narrative now focuses on drivers Aiden Jackson and Callie Mayer, allowing players to choose who to race as for significant events. This year, Codemasters has leaned into offering more player choice, integrating “different on-track objectives and narrative elements” depending on your character selection, complete with alternative endings based on your choices.

During my hands-on preview, I chose Mayer for my playthrough, engaging in two events. One in Bahrain was a standard car test, working on lap times and familiarization. The real fun kicked off in Imola, where mid-race chaos following a collision with a Dutch Red Bull driver sets the stage. Starting from seventh, my mission was to reclaim a podium finish and score extra points by overtaking Verstappen before a set lap.

Initially, I struggled to make progress against strung-out competitors, but adjusting the difficulty made it achievable. This experience highlighted the game’s newly adjusted difficulty tiers, designed to better accommodate varying player skills. Despite this, finding an intuitive sweet spot between too hard and too easy remains a challenge, given players’ diverse paces and skills across tracks.

In the off-track narrative, the storyline includes an investment from Davidoff Butler, whose complex dynamics with his children––Callie Mayer and now advisory figure Devon Butler––promise a wealth of drama. While my personal investment in Braking Point’s ongoing story has been modest, witnessing Mayer’s journey is intriguing. Celebrated as a fictional trailblazer, Mayer’s transition from female F2 champion to F1 driver adds a compelling layer, highlighting the sport’s progress and representation evolution, mirrored in-part by real-world initiatives like the all-female F1 Academy series.

Codemasters has introduced Nvidia Audio2Face tech to enhance facial animations during press events, where players can watch their characters articulate chosen responses—adding depth. Upon completing the storyline, players can transfer their Konnersport team into MyTeam 2.0 mode for extended gameplay, should they crave further drama beyond Braking Point 3’s narrative. Whether the experience will captivate players enough to extend their involvement remains to be seen.