

The game also presents a new main menu, with Codemasters saying it is now easier to navigate around the video game. All of the drivers who played the game reported that the game was realistic enough for them to learn the circuit to the point where they were confident enough to set competitive lap times. As a demonstration, Codemasters approached several drivers - including Mercedes test driver Sam Bird and GP2 Series driver Stefano Coletti - at the real-life Young Driver Tests (for drivers who have never started a Grand Prix) in Abu Dhabi in November 2011, and asked them to drive the Yas Marina Circuit in F1 2012 instead of using the team simulators they would traditionally use to learn the circuit.


The game also features a brand-new "Young Driver Test" mode, a tutorial mode designed to introduce new players to the handling characteristics of Formula One cars as a prologue to the career mode. The game features all twelve teams and twenty-four drivers competing in the 2012 season (except for mid-season changes), as well as the twenty circuits and Grands Prix - including the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas - included in the championship.
