F1 2016, the only official mobile game of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, is now available on the Google Play Store, allowing Android users the chance to recreate the whole season, including the tense finale at the 2016 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Following the recent chart-topping release for iPhone, iPad and AppleTV, F1 2016 is now available on the Android platform, and features all of the official content, stunning visuals, multiple game modes and pick up and play controls, perfect for gaming on the move or at home.

All 21 of the official Formula One circuits from the 2016 season, including the thrilling new Baku City Circuit and icons of the sport such as Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit De Monaco and Silverstone Circuit, are faithfully recreated in unprecedented detail on a mobile device, and are all available in quick race, full season, custom season or time trial.

Race as one of the world’s best drivers including Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s Lewis Hamilton, Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, McLaren-Honda’s Fernando Alonso, Sahara Force India F1 Team’s Sergio Perez and many more, with 22 of the world’s greatest drivers and all of the 11 teams from the 2016 season represented.

Ian Flatt, Executive Producer of the Formula One videogames at Codemasters, commented: “Following the great success of F1 2016 on the iOS and tvOS platforms, both in terms of user feedback and chart position, we are delighted to be bringing the same fantastic experience to Android users. This version of F1 2016 has been developed specifically for mobile devices but continues to deliver a console quality experience in terms of gameplay and graphics. Every car model and every circuit has been optimised from the full console game to ensure the highest quality experience, and we have pushed the technology to the absolute limits. Whether you want a quick race on your favourite circuit or an entire season of races containing practice sessions, qualifying and full length race sessions, it has been designed for playing on the go with flexible game modes that allow you to get straight into the action. The F1 2016 mobile game is great to play whether you are commuting, waiting for friends or sat at home on the sofa.

“There are four different control schemes as well as a full suite of driver assists and in game options that let you create the experience that suits you,” continued Ian. “Whether you are new to racing games or have been playing them for years, you can find your ideal gameplay experience in F1 2016.”

F1 2016 is now released and downloadable for Android and Apple smart devices.

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What does it mean to enter into a franchise for the first time well into its maturity?

That’s the question I continued to ask myself while reviewing F1 2016. Let’s be clear – while I have enjoyed racing games for many years, I am not a connoisseur of the finer details of traction control nor aerodynamics. So this review won’t be about the fine differences between F1 2016 and its predecessor from last year. Instead it will be more of an impressions piece from someone who is utterly new to the franchise.

And what I it feels like is something special, albeit one that feels somewhat foreign. F1 2016 is a true tour de force, with a huge raft of small details that give you the impression that the developers Codemasters both recognised what an F1 racing game should have, and actually implemented it.

If you were looking at the game at your local store, one of the first questions that would need answering is where the game falls on the spectrum between arcade racers and immersive simulation? I had always thought that Gran Turismo and the Forza series were simulation-like games. But playing and experiencing everything in F1 2016 has completely redefined what that means to me. The simulation off and on the track is impressive and fully featured, at least to my eyes. An entirely faithful recreation of the entire F1 experience is here – teams, logos, race tracks, the minutiae of how the garage works, an impressive achievement.

For example, you have to carefully manage the clutch manually to ensure you get off the line quickly – there’s no simply holding A to go forward. For those looking for a quick and simple race in five minutes, F1 2016 won’t be the game for you. Yes, you can do a short three lap race, but in this game every second is a do or die moment. But once you start learning the tracks, which you will fairly quickly, it all becomes familiar. It’s not like, for example, a platformer, where you must not only master the core mechanics of jumping around, but also have to be adept at facing new challenges in new environments each Level. In F1 2016, you come to know both the car (the mechanics) and the tracks (the environment) intimately. The limited number of tracks in the whole of the F1 sport is an advantage in that regard.

The flipside of that is small mistakes, small deviations from the ideal path are punishing. That’s because F1s don’t handle like a normal car, and the game is intensely aware of all the variables which make that so and the extreme speeds at which you drive. F1 2016 is one of the few games that truly makes it feel like you are moving at the speed the speedometer says you are.

This is the type of game that you buy extremely expensive accessories for. Very quickly you come up against the hard limitations of driving by game controller, especially I found in terms of acceleration. The gamepad simply doesn’t have the nuance required to play F1 with ease. For a quick blast around a track it’s fine, but if you plan on spending a great deal of time with the game then I would strongly suggest investigating a wheel and pedals. And if you’re playing on PC and only have a keyboard and mouse – best rectify that. Being able to have analogue control over the acceleration is a must, and the binary on/off nature of keys are not well suited to the task.

Not all is peaches and cream though, especially for newcomers to F1 racing and this series. There is a large amount of assumed knowledge and familiarity with the hugely complex rules of F1 racing. I appreciate the tutorials, but they are lacklustre, non-interactive and hard to find. There is a fair amount of waiting around at times, such as coming back into the pit, waiting for animations to play out. While I appreciate the dedication to accuracy, a skip button would have been nice.

I also would have liked to see Codemasters play with the whole sport a little more – it doesn’t really verge off the serious track. Perhaps it is not the game for it, but I would have liked to see some “fun” modes or even a bit of humour in the commentary.

If you want an F1 game, you have no need to wait to buy F1. It’s everything you could want and probably more. If you are at all interested in racing sims, F1 2016 should be on your radar. And if you’ve found other racing games too easy, or you’re looking to stretch out of your comfort zone, then I also recommend this game. It will test you, no doubt, but at the end is a huge sense of achievement and reward in managing to aptly handle such powerful and wild machines.

F1 2016 requires much of you, but in return delivers much back in ways that will impress and delight any and all F1 racing fans. That said, if you wanted a more casual or laid back game, this one is probably not for you. Fortunately, there has been a virtual renaissance of quality racing games recently and you have plenty of options to choose from all along the arcade to simulation spectrum.

F1 2016 is not for everyone, and I’m fine with that. It has a clear vision, perfectly and exactingly executed.