Video: F1 2017 includes new race formats as part of overhaul

While publisher Codemasters has put a lot of effort into an overhaul of the handling and performance of the F1 cars, extra work has been devoted to offering gamers all-new elements too.

Part of that will include the much talked-about chance to try out historic cars – which will be incorporated as invitational events in the career mode – but further chances have been made to try out new avenues.

This includes alternative circuit layouts – plus a night-time Monaco mode – as well as new race weekend rules.

In an exclusive video interview with Motorsport.tv, Codemasters' creative director Lee Mather said: "At the moment we've concentrated on doing some alternate circuit layouts, and that gives us a different style of gameplay. 

"We can do much shorter races, sprint races, but we've also changed some of the formats as well in the championships mode.

"So the players can do double header races, or a race where the qualifying for the first event is determined by the qualifying session and the second event by the result of the first race."

There has also been a huge overhaul of the car development aspect of the game, to offer those who are interested a more strategic element to the career mode.

Mather added: "This has been a huge-huge change to the game this year. Last year we had the R&D system in there which was quite a linear system and the player could choose the area of the car they worked on and they worked their way through the development, this year we are offering a really wider skills system - which is like an RPG element.

"Beyond that the players have to consider not just developing the performance of the car, but developing the reliability of the parts that are being delivered, working on the wear of the engine and gearbox.

"We have broken the engine down into multiple components so it is important to monitor which one you are wearing as a driver. I find I am wearing certain components more than others because of the way I am driving the car – so it is important that the player stays on top of those elements as well."

F1 2017 is released on Friday.