The summer break is in full swing, but Formula One fans at least get a new F1 Replay scenario to play in F1 23: The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is now available for players to recreate the final 2023 F1 race to date that Max Verstappen did not win. Meanwhile, the update to v1.1 is due to launch in August still - will it fix some long-standing issues?
Image credit: EA Sports
The Baku event marked the first time Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took pole position in 2023, although the Monegasque driver could not convert it into a victory, finishing in third behind winner Sergio Perez and Verstappen. Players can choose to recreate the results of the race or change them by taking control of any driver on the grid.
These issues have been around since at least v1.05, and are marked as being under investigation in the Community-Raised Issues thread that usually serves as a good indication on what is to come in future updates. The only bugs in the "Awaiting Patch" category at the time of writing this article concern blurry textures on PC and incorrect overalls on drivers when Equal Performance is active in Grand Prix mode in F1 World.
Difficult conditions for owners of certain hardware: Patch 1.09 did not fix F1 23's FFB issues, players are hoping for the next update. Image credit: EA Sports
A date for the next update has not been given yet, the thread does state that it is still due in August, however. The summer break ending on the Dutch Grand Prix weekend from August 25th to 27th would make for a good time for F1 fans being able to enjoy the game properly again.
Image credit: EA Sports
The Baku event marked the first time Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took pole position in 2023, although the Monegasque driver could not convert it into a victory, finishing in third behind winner Sergio Perez and Verstappen. Players can choose to recreate the results of the race or change them by taking control of any driver on the grid.
Piastri Gains Driver Rating
Alongside the scenario, new driver ratings have also been released. Unsurprisingly, Oscar Piastri has seen the biggest improvement of all drivers after his recent upturn in form. The Australian gained three overall rating points, while Lance Stroll has suffered the biggest hit to his overall rating, dropping to from 83 to 81. You can find the full list of driver ratings below.| Driver | Rating | Experience | Racecraft | Awareness | Pace |
| Max Verstappen | 96 (+1) | 85 (+1) | 97 (+1) | 86 (+1) | 98 (+1) |
| Fernando Alonso | 93 (+1) | 99 | 93 | 80 (+2) | 93 (+1) |
| Lewis Hamilton | 93 (+1) | 97 | 94 (-1) | 89 (+1) | 92 (+1) |
| Charles Leclerc | 89 | 78 | 91 | 82 (-4) | 90 |
| Lando Norris | 89 | 77 | 88 | 79 (+1) | 92 |
| Carlos Sainz | 88 (-1) | 85 (+1) | 92 (+1) | 79 | 88 (-1) |
| George Russell | 87 (-1) | 77 | 90 (+1) | 81 | 88 (-1) |
| Sergio Perez | 87 (-1) | 92 (+1) | 94 | 87 (+1) | 83 (-2) |
| Alexander Albon | 86 (+1) | 76 | 84 (+1) | 79 (+2) | 89 (+1) |
| Pierre Gasly | 86 (+1) | 79 (+1) | 89 (+1) | 77 (+1) | 86 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 86 (-1) | 88 | 84 (-1) | 96 (-1) | 86 |
| Esteban Ocon | 85 | 78 | 92 (+1) | 76 | 84 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | 83 (+1) | 71 (+1) | 79 (+1) | 74 | 87 |
| Nico Hülkenberg | 82 (+1) | 86 | 78 | 81 | 83 (+2) |
| Lance Stroll | 81 (-2) | 80 | 88 (-2) | 76 (-1) | 79 (-2) |
| Kevin Magnussen | 80 | 82 | 78 | 82 (+1) | 81 (+1) |
| Zhou Guanyu | 80 | 66 (+1) | 81 (-2) | 79 (+5) | 81 |
| Oscar Piastri | 79 (+3) | 56 (+1) | 78 (+3) | 82 (+1) | 82 (+6) |
| Logan Sargeant | 71 | 57 (+2) | 75 (-2) | 74 | 70 |
| Nyck de Vries | 70 | 56 | 82 (-1) | 75 | 65 |
FFB Fixes Overdue
However, many fans of the series are likely looking forward to the next update more than a new scenario: Since F1 23's release, the updates advanced the version number by .01 to its current v1.09 state, so v1.1 should be a bit more substantial than the latest smaller patches. Owners of Logitech and Thrustmaster gear in particular are still waiting for fixes regarding Force Feedback issues of their wheels.These issues have been around since at least v1.05, and are marked as being under investigation in the Community-Raised Issues thread that usually serves as a good indication on what is to come in future updates. The only bugs in the "Awaiting Patch" category at the time of writing this article concern blurry textures on PC and incorrect overalls on drivers when Equal Performance is active in Grand Prix mode in F1 World.
Difficult conditions for owners of certain hardware: Patch 1.09 did not fix F1 23's FFB issues, players are hoping for the next update. Image credit: EA Sports
Update in Time for Dutch GP?
As we have argued before, the FFB issues should be high on EA's and Codemasters' priority list to fix, as a significant amount of Thrustmaster T300 and Logitech wheels are used by sim racers worldwide, which makes it a bit baffling that they are still waiting to have these issues resolved almost a month later - especially since "other various Force Feedback issues across multiple platforms" has also joined the list in the meantime.A date for the next update has not been given yet, the thread does state that it is still due in August, however. The summer break ending on the Dutch Grand Prix weekend from August 25th to 27th would make for a good time for F1 fans being able to enjoy the game properly again.
