Thanks to F1 Manager 2022, fans of Formula One don’t just take the role of pilots and race their way to victory. Rather, F1 Manager 2022 gives players a new take on the Formula One franchise by giving them full control over an entire team. This doesn’t just mean picking drivers and upgrading their machines. Instead, the game gives players full control over the minutest of upgrades, the most specific of training plans, and even contracts of everyone in the training staff. In turn, whatever decision players make may drastically affect the team’s performance.
This doesn’t mean everything falls on the player’s hands, however. Beginners in the game may find solace in the fact that some F1 Manager 2022 teams do make it much easier for newcomers to maneuver their way around the title. However, just which teams in F1 Manager 2022 are best fits for beginners in the racing simulation title?
10 Alfa Romeo
- Rating: 2.2/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 5th, Podium Contender
- Starting Balance: Low
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 4th, 6th
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 7th, 9th
Players seeking a challenge for their F1 Manager 2022 experience should look no further than Alfa Romeo, seeing as they start their 2022 campaign in a bit of a sticky situation. While the team does start with a decent-enough car to earn them consistent achievements, odds are still stacked against Alfa Romeo’s favor in terms of statistics.
For one, their HQ and budget are by no means large, limiting the research and training capabilities of the team. Not only that but balancing machine development with driver training can certainly force players to make some tough calls throughout the season.
9 Williams
- Rating: 2.3/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 9th, Points Contender
- Starting Balance: Low
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 10th, 9th
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 9th, 7th
Although stuck in a bit of a rut for the past years, Williams is by no means a pushover in the F1 Manager 2022 experience. Because George Russell is a capable driver, Williams has managed to turn sticky situations into favorable odds in surprising ways. However, players have challenges to overcome to help Williams meet its full potential.
For one, drivers Latifi and Albon are two drivers on the lower end of the ranking spectrum, meaning players may have to replace them with new talents eventually. Secondly, new driver management may conflict with the need to manage cars to overcome the competition.
8 Haas
- Rating: 2.1/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 6th, Podium Candidate
- Starting Balance: Low
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 6th, 10th
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 5th, 10th
Players who want a realistic F1 Manager 2022 experience in a similar vein as the Williams but with a more manageable team may be able to do so with Haas. Compared to the former’s rather lackluster car, the Haas has a decent machine that may be able to earn points with the right approach to upgrades consistently. Not only that, but their drivers possess averaging stats that may be able to overcome the lower ladders with ease, provided they use the right strategy.
At its core, starting with Haas provides players with another challenging experience, especially to end in 6th this season. However, their take on an underdog setup makes Haas an appealing team to start with.
7 Alpha Tauri
- Rating: 2.5/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 6th, Podium Contender
- Starting Balance: Medium
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 5th, 8th
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 8th, 6th
Players enjoying the F1 Manager 2022 experience can fully explore the depth of the game’s development and upgrade system with the Alpha Tauri. Alpha Tauri has a considerable lack of anything truly “phenomenal” compared to other teams, as they start with a rather mid-build car, decent F1 Manager 2022 drivers, and a so-so budget.
However, players may look at this as a rather fresh slate that will fully rely on them to turn things around. Given their limited budget, players need to take a closer look at balancing driver training (or even replacements) with machine development and taking full advantage of the game’s other strategic components during matches.
6 McLaren
- Rating: 3.8/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 4th, Constructors’ Champion
- Starting Balance: Medium
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 7th, 5th
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 6th, 4th
In terms of teams in the F1 Manager 2022 experience, the McLaren is perhaps a rather decent take on a challenge run without too many constraints. While the team begins with a rather slow car, this gives players plenty of room to experiment with various F1 Manager 2022 machine builds they want to pursue throughout the season. Not only that, drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo may not be the cream of the crop, but they’re capable of turning the tide with the right training.
Alongside a medium budget, the McLaren team will test the player’s management skills, especially in both securing the right upgrades and adjusting to situations on the field. On top of that, players will appreciate the slight pressure from the board, being able to score more points when satisfying their needs.
5 Alpine
- Rating: 3/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 4th, Constructors’ Champion
- Starting Balance: High
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 5th, 4th
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 4th, 8th
Players looking for a real challenge in F1 Manager 2022 without racking their brains out would want to try raising Alpine to become eventual podium finishers. With two-time champion Fernando Alonso still at the player’s arsenal one more time for this season, players have some real handicaps to deal with that still have a lot of room to make Alpine their own team.
For instance, players need to decide quickly whether they want to score the likes of Oscar Piastri to replace Alonso for his exit or scout fresh talent. Not only that, they have to ensure their new talents are capable enough to compensate for still-developing vehicles, which is not an easy feat for a long-term championship goal.
4 Aston Martin
- Rating: 2.6/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 8th, Points Contender
- Starting Balance: High
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 9th, 7th
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 10th, 4th
Replacements and upgrades are the names of the game in the F1 Manager 2022 experience, especially when choosing Aston Martin as a starting team. On top of its remarkably slow car is a subpar Formula One staff, meaning players need to get more tactical in choosing the right upgrades and replacements to turn the tide around so early in the season.
Thankfully, ambitions are high for the points contender considering their high budget and decent headquarters stat. With the appropriate first batches of upgrades, players may be able to set a proper baseline and perform consistently to achieve the team’s goals.
3 Red Bull
- Rating: 4.5/5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 1st, Constructors’ Champion
- Starting Balance: High
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 2nd, 2nd
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 2nd, 1st
Although Red Bull has yet to dominate the Constructors’ Championship for quite some time, today might just be their lucky day. With Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez being among the world’s highest-rated drivers, and on top of a stellar budget, Red Bull has got what it takes to invest in their personnel and their machines.
However, Red Bull’s goal to race to the top does pose some challenges. For one, they have to compete with the likes of Sainz and Leclerc from other teams, which Verstappen can surely handle but not necessarily Perez, at least in terms of statistics. Secondly, other teams will likely have Red Bull in their crosshairs, as dominating Red Bull indicates they have what it takes to compete with the big leagues in the Formula One game.
2 Mercedes
- Rating: 5
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 3rd, Constructors’ Champion
- Starting Balance: High
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 3rd, 1st
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 3rd, 2nd
Although Mercedes had hit a rut in 2022’s actual Formula One competitions, players may be able to turn the tide in F1 Manager 2022 with the right approach. Its cars may need a bit of tweaking as it starts third for the season, but drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell rated the highest among the drivers across the teams, meaning players have what it takes to turn the tables with the right upgrades.
Players need to consider some challenges with regards to expectations, as while the board expects the team to finish third for 2022, it wants Mercedes to be Constructor’s Champion. Thankfully, a high starting budget and a decent staff can give plenty of breathing room regarding training and upgrading specs.
1 Ferrari
- Rating: 4.1
- Season Objective/Long-Term Objective: 1st, Constructors’ Champion
- Starting Balance: High
- Car Performance/Driver Performance: 1st, 3rd
- Staff Performance/HQ Quality: 1st, 3rd
With Ferrari perhaps being the most recognizable Formula One team to newcomers in the franchise, it makes sense for F1 Manager 2022 beginners to trust in the brand as a starting group. Not only that, many of the odds seem to be in Ferrari’s favor, especially with the starting statistics. This leaves Formula One players with a lot of wiggle room to play with various parameters that are often met with budget and time constraints in other departments.
For instance, the team immediately begins with the highest-performing car in the game thus far, giving players a safety net to get used to the ropes. Besides that, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc placed third in driver metrics, he’s got more than enough fuel to ease players into the game’s mechanics. While the board does expect Ferrari to score first this season, the starting balance gives players a lot of room to make this happen with car adjustments.
F1 Manager 2022 is playable on the PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5.