F1 25 Hands-On Preview Part Three: Upfront Drama with Braking Point 3 in a Drive To Survive Style

The Braking Point modes in the F1 series have always offered a unique dive into the sport’s drama, evolving as the real-life F1 antics get more theatrical. If you’re a purist seeking hardcore simulation or thrive on the thrill of racing laps, this mode might not hit the mark for you. However, it undeniably has its own niche audience.

The allure of drama has always been a massive pull for F1 fans, and it seems to be becoming even more central to how we experience race weekends. Whether that’s a blessing or a curse depends on your perspective, but if a touch of theatricality is how you like to spend your Sunday afternoons, the latest installment, Braking Point 3 in F1 25, seems quite promising.

Reflecting on its evolution, when Braking Point first introduced characters back in ’21, and then the Konnersport team in ‘23, authenticity was a key focus, as creative director Gavin Cooper explained. “It seemed improbable to have our characters emerging as champions right off the bat,” he said, setting the stage for this year’s narrative.

In Braking Point 3, that narrative takes a turn. Konnersport has moved to the front lines after securing fresh investments and demonstrating promising results in early tests, ready to battle the current F1 elite. Cooper hinted at a pivotal event early in the story that sends the team into chaos, with a familiar dramatic thread from the Butler family poised to weave through the narrative.

The story continues with Aiden Jackson and Callie Mayer behind the wheel, and you’ll have the choice of racing as either of them in pivotal events. Codemasters emphasizes that player choice is more influential this time, offering varied on-track objectives and narrative pathways based on your chosen driver. With alternate endings influenced by your choices, replaying to explore these pathways could be enticing.

I chose Mayer for my initial experience, tackling her first tasks, including a testing session in Bahrain, which was about familiarizing yourself with the car and hitting specific lap times. The real excitement came at Imola, where after a collision with a certain Dutch Red Bull competitor—a nod to Codemasters’ realism—you find yourself having to claw back to podium contention.

Starting from seventh place, the mission was to reclaim a podium spot and accrue bonus points by overtaking Verstappen at a set lap. Given this was my first taste of the game, I aimed to get a handle on the car with minimal driving aids on a challenging difficulty.

Admittedly, with the leaders already distanced, catching up felt like a struggle. However, easing off the difficulty made the goal attainable, illustrating how the AI’s peak performance caters to either those heavily relying on aids or the most skilled players out there.

Codemasters has reportedly refined difficulty settings, adding a fourth level to cater to varying skill ranges. Yet, during my brief playthrough, the gap between too challenging and too easy felt stark; striking that perfect balance might need finetuning, as player performance inherently shifts with track conditions.

Returning to Braking Point’s narrative, the new investment in Konnersport comes courtesy of the affluent Davidoff Butler, father to both Callie Mayer and Devon Butler, the latter now serving as an advisory role following his BP2 retirement. Alongside Jackson and team boss Casper Akkerman, the dynamics between Davidoff and his children seem likely to fuel much of the unfolding drama.

While the overarching storyline hasn’t captivated me fully thus far, I am curious about Mayer’s journey, given her status as a fictional trailblazer—the first female F2 champion—making her full F1 debut. Real-world F1 hasn’t seen a female driver compete in a race weekend since 1992, though women like Jamie Chadwick and Jessica Hawkins have contributed via testing roles recently. Let’s not forget the F1 Academy, an all-female racing series which has become a staple in the F1 support lineup over recent years.

To enhance storytelling, Codemasters has employed Nvidia Audio2Face technology, elevating the realism of press engagements by allowing players to see the drivers articulate their responses. Post-story, you can even integrate your Konnersport team into MyTeam 2.0 mode, extending your managerial prowess beyond the Braking Point storyline.

Whether the latest Braking Point adventure will engage players enough to continue or leave them satisfied with its dramatic close is yet to be seen. Whatever the outcome, it’s clear there’s plenty on offer for those fond of blending their racing simulation with some juicy behind-the-scenes storytelling.