''Formula One 2003'' is a 2003

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic raci ...

developed by

Studio Liverpool Psygnosis Limited (; known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Het ...

and published by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

. It is a sequel to the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

'' Formula One 2002'' and was based on the

2003 Formula One World Championship The 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2003 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 2003 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contes ...

Gameplay

The game features all ten teams and twenty drivers competing in the 2003 Formula One World Championship (except for mid-season changes), as well as the sixteen circuits and Grands Prix that formed the championship calendar. The game also includes the new one-shot qualifying rules and points system introduced for the 2003 Formula One World Championship, as well as the alterations to the

Hungaroring The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtai ...

and Suzuka circuits. There are eleven game modes available for single and multiplayer, including single-player arcade and simulation single race, time trial and championship modes, multiplayer for up to 4 players and a non-interactive spectator option. Online connectivity is not supported. The game features all the drivers and tracks from the 2003 Formula One World Championship, but does not represent the replacement drivers that featured in the real

, therefore

Nicolas Kiesa Nicolas Kiesa (born 3 March 1978) is a Danish former racing driver of Italian descent. He participated in five Formula One Grands Prix in the 2003 season, scoring no championship points. Previously, he had won the 2003 Formula 3000 race at Monaco ...

Zsolt Baumgartner Zsolt Baumgartner (born 1 January 1981) is a Hungarian former racing driver who raced for the Jordan and Minardi teams in Formula One. He remains the only Hungarian driver to have competed and to have scored a point in Formula One. Career Baumg ...

Marc Gené Marc Gené i Guerrero (born 29 March 1974) is a Spanish professional racing driver. He is best known as a tester for Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Williams and Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari in Formula One, Minardi Formula One driver and factory ...

and

Takuma Sato is a Japanese racing driver, who competes part-time in the IndyCar Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato competed in Formula One from to . In American open-wheel racing, Sato is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 a ...

are not featured.

Development

''Formula One 2003'' was announced in a press release from Sony Computer Entertainment in June 2003 with a July release date. The game was the first in the ''Formula One'' series to have an exclusive license from the Formula One Administration (FOA), which is responsible for the commercial rights and promotion of the Formula One world championship. The exclusive license granted

the sole rights to the ''Formula One'' series for four years. The game was officially launched in London ahead of the 2003 British Grand Prix with model

Jodie Marsh Jodie Louisa Marsh (born 23 December 1978) is an English media personality, model and bodybuilder. She has appeared on numerous reality television shows, including '' Essex Wives'' (2002), ''Back to Reality'' (2004), '' Love on a Saturday Night ...

acting as the face of the game.

Circuits

The game features 16 official

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

circuits based on the

: * Albert Park Circuit; Australian Grand Prix * Sepang International Circuit; Malaysian Grand Prix * Interlagos; Grande Prêmio do Brasil * Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari; Gran Premio di San Marino * Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya; Gran Premio de España * A1-Ring; Grosser Preis von Osterreich * Circuit de Monaco; Grand Prix de Monaco * Circuit Gilles Villeneuve; Grand Prix du Canada * Nürburgring Großer Pries-Strecke; Grand Prix of Europe * Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours; Grand Prix de France * Silverstone Circuit; British Grand Prix * Hockenheimring; Großer Preis von Deutschland * Hungaroring; Magyar Nagydíj * Autodromo Nazionale di Monza; Gran Premio d'Italia * Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix Layout; United States Grand Prix * Suzuka International Racing Course; Japanese Grand Prix

Covers

Similar to the FIFA series, ''Formula One 2003'' has different cover art depending on the region. David Coulthard's McLaren MP4-17D is used on the European/Global release. Fernando Alonso's Renault R23B was used on the Spanish release. Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F2003-GA is moved from the second car to the leading car for the Italian release. Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Sauber C22 is featured on the Swiss and Dutch releases. Mark Webber's

Jaguar R4 The Jaguar R4 is a Formula One car with which Jaguar Racing competed in the 2003 Formula One season. It was driven by Mark Webber, Antônio Pizzonia and Justin Wilson. After three years in Formula One, and amid a turbulent atmosphere that had ...

is used on the Australian edition.

Reception

''Formula One 2003'' gained mixed to positive reviews upon release, holding an aggregate score of 67.20% on

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

. Kristan Reed of ''

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

'' praised the controls and the graphics, stating that "every track is packed with detail, down to the individual trackside adverts, yet there is never any hint of pop up or the kind of draw distance issues that have blighted just about every F1 game ever made". He did however have reservations about the game's car damage and crash physics. He gave the game 8 out of 10. Brodie Gibbons of ''Futuregamez'' also praised the graphics but criticised the sound and replay value, scoring the game 77%. Writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Jack Schofield noted that the game did not offer a large improvement over its predecessor outside the rule changes, but concluded that it "offers more than enough to keep casual gamers happy".

References

External links