“F1 Esports has never had an equal playground”: Codemasters Esports Coordinator sheds light on car performance

Dan Hawkins, F1 Esports Coordinator at Codemasters, has revealed that the F1 Esports scene has never featured an equal playing field due to the characteristics of the sim racing franchise’s physics models.

As a result, specific in-game cars performed better than others, offering some drivers an advantage while competing in the official esports series of the Formula One World Championship.

With F1 25 nearing the end of its cycle, Hawkins revealed that the F1 Esports cars have never used equal performance since the series launched in 2017. As a result, the drivers of certain cars have an upper hand over their opponents.

In addition to physics playing a role in influencing performance, the game engine used in F1 titles is tied to the frame rate generated. A lower frame rate often results in a reduced feeling of bumps and cornering forces.

“F1 Esports has never had an equal playground,” wrote Hawkins in a social media post.

He later added: “There’s a reason why a Haas will never feel the same as the current dominant car in-game. But you can fix this by setting your FPS to 50, and the game is easy.”

For 2026, the F1 franchise will not receive a standalone release. Instead, F1 25 will receive a paid expansion, featuring the eleven teams and drivers competing in this year’s world championship. As an expansion, it remains to be seen whether the advantage influenced by its physics model will remain if esports competitions continue.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 F1 Sim Racing season, won by Jarno Opmeer, EA Sports and its subsidiary Codemasters haven’t shared information on what the future of the series has in store.

Last year’s event saw 30 drivers competing for a $750,000 (~£549,345) prize pool across 12 rounds that took place at ESL‘s Stockholm studios.