EA Sports has finally released the latest edition in the F1 franchise with F1 23. The series, which aims to replicate the real-life conditions of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing allows players to take to the track as any of their favorite drivers or teams, as well as create their own in MyTeam Career mode. As well as an array of new features introduced into this year's title, the designs and relative performance of each car have been altered to better reflect those that we see in real life among the sport's competitors.
The new edition of F1 23 also includes more supercars than ever before for players to use on "track days" and in the "F1 World" section, though it should come as little surprise to players that the purpose-built Formula 1 cars are the fastest in the game.
5 Alpine A523
Formerly the Renault team, and still powered by the Renault E-Tech engine, Alpine F1 Team's A523 is competitive in the upper end of the midfield of the 2023 grid. Capable of fast qualifying and race pace as exemplified by Esteban Ocon's P3 in Monaco, the A523 is a decent all-round car and certainly pulls ahead of its main rival this season, McLaren. While the car retains its blue and pink livery design of old, the car represents something of a fresh start for the team.
The A523 car can even give the front-runners a hard time on occasion, and it is a fun choice for any players looking to have a challenging Career Mode playthrough, without immediately dominating while also not having to progress from the very back of the grid.
4 Aston Martin AMR23
The AMR23 is by far the best car Aston Martin has managed to produce to date in Formula 1, scoring podiums in five of the first six races this year. At times proving to be quicker than even the Mercedes and Ferraris around certain circuits, the AMR23 stands in its own lane ahead of the midfield pack behind, though it really comes down to driver ability whether or not this car will score podiums and even race wins, or whether it will simply remain in the points.
Either way, this is a solid points-scoring car and can make for an excellent first choice in Career and online modes since it will not come with the pressure of winning every race, but will still be capable of performing to a very high standard. The emerald green aesthetic is also a unique touch and speaks to the class of the brand being represented here.
3 Mercedes W12
While some teams have made tremendous progress in their new car designs for F1 23, the Mercedes W12 retains some of the issues from last season and still ranks as a predominantly podium-placing team. Accustomed to finishing at the front of the pack in almost every race for nearly a decade, this is seen as something of a regression for the Mercedes team, although the car is certainly still competitive by any normal standards.
The car is certainly capable of challenging those ahead of it, with the W12 more often than not ranking among the Red Bull and Ferraris rather than lagging behind. It will not take much to elevate this car to race-winning performance, and even with the right driver, it will be capable of that from the outset.
2 Ferrari SF-23
Following on from a difficult 2022 season which saw the team throw away several race wins, the Italian constructors return this season with the SF-23. While still comparatively fast relative to most of the field, the performance of the SF-23 has, if anything, been a step back from last season, but it is still firmly in second place when it comes to the fastest cars on the grid. Equally suited to tight corners and long straights, the SF-23 is still more than capable of competing for race wins.
While the car has so far failed to compete with the likes of Red Bull, players will be happy to know that it is certainly achievable within the game, and with the game's new handling and physics overhaul, wheel-to-wheel racing is now more seamless than ever.
1 Red Bull RB19
Emerging as the dominant force in Formula 1 in recent years, it should be little surprise to fans of the sport to know that the RB19 is the quickest car in F1 23 by some distance. As well as unmatched straight-line speed and DRS advantage, the Honda-powered car is also capable of effortlessly gliding through both street circuits and racetracks alike. With top-rated driver Max Verstappen behind the wheel, players can expect to see Red Bull at the winning end of the field throughout most of their opening seasons in career mode, and can expect to dominate should they race for the Red Bull Racing Team.
The RB-19 is the perfect balance of top speed and downforce and should require little in the way of setup changes in order to meet the requirements of each circuit. Expect these to vanish quickly in online lobbies since players behind the wheel are sure to have a distinct advantage unless playing with equal engine settings.
F1 23 is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.