F1 25: 2026 Season Pack Review — New Cars, Active Aero & Overtake Mode Are Incredible, But Is It Worth $30?

No F1 26 this year. Just DLC — and it’s complicated. 1For 2026, Codemasters has opted to release an expansion DLC for last year’s F1 25, adding all the teams, drivers and tracks of the current season alongside F1’s radically different ruleset. 16For the first time since 2009, there won’t be a new annual Formula 1 game this year.

The F1 25: 2026 Season Pack launched on June 3, 2026, and it’s the most divisive release in the franchise’s history. 1The new DLC does a solid job of bringing the 2026 F1 season to life, with its depiction of the new rules and regulations feeling impressively authentic. But at $29.99 for what’s essentially a glorified expansion — with several key modes locked out — the value question is brutal.

Here’s everything you need to know before buying.

What’s in the 2026 Season Pack?

The Three Game-Changing Mechanics

The 2026 real-world F1 regulations are the biggest shake-up since 2014 — and Codemasters has translated them remarkably well into the game.

1. Active Aerodynamics — The DRS Killer

6 The Drag Reduction System (DRS) is out in favour of an Overtake button, while Active Aerodynamics see the front and rear wings of the car moving between straight and cornering modes.

14 It provides real-time adjustment of front and rear wing angles to match track conditions and corner trajectories.

2. Overtake Mode — The 470hp Electrical Nuke

14 It gives a massively powerful 350kW (470hp) electrical boost for overtaking — far stronger than 2025’s old Overtake mode to compensate for DRS being removed in 2026. 2 When you’re within one second of another driver, the mode automatically activates, giving you access to a significant power boost. 2 The result is more attacking opportunities and some genuinely exciting wheel-to-wheel racing.

3. Energy Management — Lift & Coast Returns

15 Whereas energy would be restored passively in F1 25, in the 2026 Season Pack you’ll need to adapt your driving style to maximise the rate at which your battery charges. Under braking is still a crucial way to restore spent energy, but partially lifting off the throttle early before cornering is just as vital.

How Do the 2026 Cars Feel?

2 “Overall, the new machines feel lighter, more agile, and a little less planted. The difference is noticeable in overall speed, handling, and grip.” 4 The cars are smaller and lighter, and you can see that in the way they’re racing, with the AI utilising smaller gaps and making moves where they wouldn’t have in the 2025 cars. It feels more fun, and more lively, and the AI do seem to be more likely to make mistakes than they did before.

MADRING — The Star of the DLC

17 The 2026 season also introduces MADRING, a brand-new circuit in Madrid. As you learn this track, you’ll find a mix of high-speed sections and technical corners across its 5.4 km layout. 1 La Monumental is an incredible, steeply-banked turn that can be driven flat-out. After just a few laps in-game, I can already tell this will be a driver favourite, thanks to blind crests, high speeds, and the incredible La Monumental banked right-hander.

6 That extra bit of responsiveness proves invaluable on the MADRING Circuit, which is a remarkably challenging street track, boasting tricky S-bends and sharp corners that seemingly come out of nowhere.

The Updated Grid — All 11 Teams & 22 Drivers

1 Cadillac boosts the grid to 22 cars (24 if you create your own outfit in My Team), the Madring joins the circuit roster, and Sauber is rebranded as Audi.

What Modes Support the 2026 Cars?

This is where the controversy begins. 8The new cars are not usable in Ranked Multiplayer, Co-op Career, F1 World Series, Leagues or Challenge Career. They are available in My Team, Driver Career, Unranked Multiplayer, Time Trial and Custom Grand Prix.

2 However, the lack of meaningful updates to Career Mode, the absence of new Braking Point content, and the update’s limited support across other modes leave the package feeling thinner than it should for a $29.99 expansion.

The Critical Save Transfer Problem

14 You will keep your 2025 Driver Career and My Team save games. However, the 2026 versions of these modes are separate game modes. To play with the 2026 cars, teams, and calendar in Driver Career or My Team you will need to start a new save file and choose the 2026 season at the beginning.

This means hundreds of hours of My Team development — staff, facilities, car upgrades — are effectively worthless in the 2026 mode. You start completely fresh.

“The Movie” Mode — A Small But Welcome Addition

3 The 2026 DLC doesn’t add anything significant to the narrative structure of F1 25, but it does add a small cinematic experience through The Movie mode. It works best as a light, self-contained diversion rather than anything that expands Breaking Point or the core career storytelling.

What the Reviews Say — The Verdict Roundup

So Is It Worth $29.99? — The Honest Answer

✅ BUY If:

• You’re a casual F1 fan who wants to experience the 2026 regulations without waiting until 2027
• You haven’t bought an F1 game recently — the Season Edition ($49.99 for base + DLC) is excellent value
• You primarily play Driver Career, My Team, or Time Trial
• You want to race MADRING before the real Spanish GP in September
• You have EA Play Pro — it’s included free

❌ SKIP If:

• You primarily play Ranked Multiplayer, Co-op Career, or F1 World
• You’ve invested hundreds of hours in your 2025 My Team save
• You’re willing to wait for the “reimagined” full game in 2027
• The $29.99 price feels steep for what amounts to a roster + rules update

1 “If you’re an F1 fan who hasn’t purchased an EA/Codemasters F1 game for quite some time, or if this is your introduction to the series, the Season Edition is an easy recommendation. For everyone else, I’d say hold off until 2027.”

Pricing Breakdown — Best Way to Buy

What’s Coming Next — The 2027 Full Game

1 The F1 25: 2026 Season Pack could be viewed as a stopgap solution until a “deeply authentic” and “reimagined” game appears in 2027. 11 It effectively acts as a soft reboot for the game, aligning it closely with F1’s new technical era while laying the groundwork for EA’s next full release in 2027.

16 Ahead of its release, a deep-dive gameplay video details what to expect in the season pack. For those on the fence, this DLC is a preview of where Codemasters is heading — but the full vision won’t arrive until next year.

For a complete history of the Formula 1 game franchise and its evolution, visit the official F1 (video game series) Wikipedia page.

The Bottom Line

3 F1 25: 2026 Season Pack succeeds in changing how races feel through the regulation changes, the addition of Boost and Overtake, and a denser grid that constantly keeps you under pressure. The on-track experience is genuinely excellent — lighter cars, smarter AI, no more DRS trains, and the MADRING circuit is a future fan-favorite.

But 1even as a $29.99 DLC expansion, the price seems steep given how many modes are locked for the new cars. If you play mainly offline in Career or My Team, it’s worth every penny. If you live in Ranked Multiplayer or Co-op — this DLC has nothing for you.6 As a proof of concept, that you can plug in an update to a sports game without having to resort to a full release, the F1 25 2026 Season Pack simply works. Whether that’s enough for $30 is entirely up to how you play.

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