I remember growing up playing the formula one games on my friend’s PS3, the Monaco circuit would be our favourite with damage on. That would be one difficult race to win. Well since that time I have always loved the official formula one games.

I write this post as the latest game in the series ‘F1 2011’ is launched and yes it includes the new Buddh International circuit at Noida. Its coded by codemasters and is marketed by Zapak in India.

The game has a number of new gameplay options, one of which is the much awaited co-op mode, you and your friend compete as formula one racing partners for a team. I have just got my review copy and cant wait to play it out. If you are looking for features, they are all listed here. You can also view the release trailer here, the graphics look simply awesome ! Am awaiting my Xbox copy to really see the HD graphics

The game is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

F1 2011™ is the sequel to the BAFTA winning FORMULA ONE™ videogame from Codemasters®, the developer and publisher of award-winning racing games. Developed under Codemasters’ exclusive worldwide agreement with Formula One   World Championship Limited, F1 2011 will come complete with all the official drivers, teams and circuits featuring in the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE World Championship™. Zapak Games, the licensing & merchandising arm of Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd. will distribute the title in India.

Developed using Codemasters’ EGO Game Technology Platform F1 2011 will deliver an unrivalled FORMULA ONE experience that puts players into the heart of the world’s most exciting sport, powered by cutting edge graphics, advanced physics systems and integrated network play.

· Go Compete!  F1 2011 builds extensively on the multiplayer options from F1 2010. Split-screen racing is included for the first time in a high-definition FORMULA ONE title. Competitive online racing is extended with 16 players going head-to-head in GRAND PRIX™ with up to 8 AI drivers added to simulate the full grid of 24 drivers. An innovative new co-op Championship enables two players to lead their favourite FORMULA ONE team to Driver and Constructor glory across the course of a FORMULA ONE season. These enhancements are complimented by additional quick fire modes including Time Attack.

· New Circuits for 2011. Two stunning new additions to the race calendar extend the number of circuits to feature in F1 2011 to 19. Players will be able to debut ahead of the drivers on the Buddh International Circuit, the home of the first FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF INDIA and players will be able to test themselves on the iconic Nürburging circuit for the first time in High Definition, as this legendary track returns for the 2011 season.

· Be the driver, live the life.  From the paddock to the track, F1 2011 takes players closer to the experience of being a FORMULA ONE driver than ever before. A new Parc Ferme area, an expanded and revamped Paddock, new Pit Lane, celebration and reaction cinematics and an enhanced media interaction system fully immerse players in the glamour, pressure and excitement of being a FORMULA ONE driver. Players progress from rookie to FIA FORMULA ONE DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPION in an extensive career mode where gamers fight to become priority driver and shape the development of the car by performing well in races and earning performance upgrades.

· All the cars, all the stars. Fully licensed, F1 2011 features all the drivers set to contest the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. All 2011 teams are represented including Ferrari, Red Rull Racing, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Lotus Renault GP in their iconic black and gold livery.

· KERS, DRS and more! F1 2011 includes all the new rule changes set to make this year’s season the most exciting yet. F1 2011 debuts DRS (Drag Reduction System) – the new system which enables drivers to adjust the rear wing on the car to give a boost of up to 10km. KERS also returns, giving players an extra 80BHP for up to 6.67 seconds, enabling drivers to blast past rivals. Combined, these systems encourage close wheel-to-wheel racing with new options for both defence and attack. This season’s new Pirelli tyres are faithfully simulated in the game, and if players push their car too hard they may experience a range of authentic new damage failures.

· Full Day / Night Racing. The 2011 FORMULA 1 ETHIAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX comes alive with a full day/ night transition which recreates the special atmosphere at this unique track. Every one of the existing circuits from the 2010 roster has been given a complete visual overhaul. New atmospheric effects, including dynamic clouds, compliment a weather system which features an advanced rain model that affects on-track grip.  Powered by the EGO Game Technology Platforms, F1 2011 pushes forward the graphical standard of what can be achieved in a racing game.

· The world’s greatest cars, the most exciting racing. Building on the heritage of producing award-winning racing games for over a decade, Codemasters is uniquely placed to realise the spectacle and exhilaration of racing 200MPH+ FORMULA ONE cars for all fans. F1 2011 can be tuned for players from a wide range of skill levels, from the casual gamer to the hardcore simulation enthusiast and those in between, with a range of differing skill levels. A huge range of vehicle variables can be tuned to suit each player’s unique driving style, or drivers can entrust their Race Engineer to set their car up and head straight onto the track. F1 2011 will support a comprehensive range of racing wheels for the ultimate racing experience.

· Unprecedented authenticity. Codemasters has used its unprecedented access to the world of FORMULA ONE to connect the development team directly with FORMULA ONE teams and tyre manufacturers. Extensive consultancy has taken place with a range of FORMULA ONE professionals, including race engineers, mechanics and drivers. This has been combined with real world data including CAD and on-board telemetry to deliver a race experience complete with authentic handling, accurate circuits and precisely modelled racing cars.

· EGO powered FORMULA ONE. F1 2011 is being developed on the EGO Game Technology platform, evolved from the award winning EGO engine. Enabling Codemasters development talent to share tools and technology across Studios and Central Technology teams, the EGO Game Technology Platform empowers Codemasters game designers to realise their creative visions across multiple platforms featuring cutting edge graphics, powerful AI, advanced physics systems and integrated network play.

A lot of folks have been asking about the offline availability of Indian Grand Prix Tickets, here are the details we received from the organizers of the Indian Grand Prix :

Jaypee Sports International Limited (JPSI), which had launched the online sale of tickets for the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India earlier this month, is pleased to announce that tickets for the event are now also available offline. In addition to www.bookmyshow.com, tickets for the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India are now available at selected Café Coffee Day outlets and Mercedes-Benz (the official automotive partner for Buddh Interntional Circuit) dealerships. These outlets are:

Café Coffee Day
Gurgaon: Cyber Green
Mumbai: Andheri, Matunga, Clanfield – Lokhandwala
New Delhi: Ajmal Khan Road, Club Road – Punjabi Bagh, PVR Saket
Noida: Great India Place   

Mercedes-Benz
Bangalore: 107, Kasturba Road
Mumbai: Kotian Nirman, Ground Floor, New Link Road, Andheri (West)
Mumbai: Rajan House, Ground Floor, Appa Saheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi
New Delhi: Plot no.212, Okhala Industrial Estate, Phase 3 

The day we were all waiting for is here, the Indian Grand Prix tickets are going to be released tomorrow , we will update soon with the details

When the British media collectively goes up in arms, its either due to the fact that some celebrity was caught holidaying on a beach in the Bahamas or its just that it was a slow news day and they needed to cook up something. From what I understand half of the formula one races next season would be shown on free TV. This has got the British press and fans scared about the future of formula one.

BBC has made a deal with SKY in which Sky gets to show all the races whileBBC only gets some of them as Live, BBC has already taken Monaco, Silverstone and the last race in the 2012 formula one season. Now its going to be Russian Roulette style with BBC choosing 3 races then sky chooses three races and this will continue till no more races are left.

But wait, in India its always been on paid TV, Star Sports and ESPN who are known for their more than generous amount of subscription fee have been the sole owners of the F1 feed for quite some time now. I do remember some races being simulcast on Ten Sports a few years ago but without Chris Goodwin and Steve Slater, no one watched those. However despite paid TV and increases in fee by Start Sports and ESPN, formula one as a sport has only grown in India.  When I was in middle school, telling someone that you watched formula one in India was equivalent to social suicide, now it’s a cool thing. People sling Ferrari and Vodafone bags, sip from Red Bull sippers all over the place. The penetration of formula one has been awesome in India despite the paid TV thingy.

The only loser in this deal would be BBC in my opinion, no ones loves watching half the season on TV and no one would like to keep switching back and forth between Sky and BBC, so most will subscribe to Sky and would dump BBC anyway. Fans also lose out a little as a few of them would not be able to afford Sky and would only get to watch half the races. This number might be big as a percentage of Britain, but it would be interesting to see this number as a percentage of the world population.

As this was progressing a scandal has also emerged. Channel 4 apparently had agreed to match the bid by BSkyB but formula one bosses did not consider it in a move that many speculate was to prevent formula one from going to BBC’s terrestrial rival.

It remains to be seen what would be the impact of all of this, all we can do is wait and watch, or we can protest, if the Bahrain Grand Prix can be cancelled, surely this decision too can be reversed if there is enough consumer pressure.

With the recent demise of News of the World (Max Mosely would be happy), we have decided to get into our very own tabloid mode.

Lewis Hamilton isn’t the smartest bee in the hive, but why does he have to show it again and again via his quotes ? Was reading this piece on the Telegraph and couldn’t help but share the joy.

The Brit champion now has a problem with the length of the British National Anthem and wants a longer extended National Anthem. He ‘urged’ the UK for a longer version. Here are the quotes, straight from the horse’s mouth :

“I am massively proud to hear the national anthem.

“When you’re growing up and you see Olympians standing on the podium and you see the greats, you dream of yourself being up there and having the national anthem playing.

“The only thing is everyone else’s is much longer than ours so I would urge the UK to make our national anthem much longer.

“When I stand up there and Felipe Massa has won, theirs is like ten minutes long and when I’m there it’s less than half a minutes.”