F1 25: 2026 Season Pack

A season pack that actually changes the grid

I went into F1 25: 2026 Season Pack expecting a tidy roster update, but in my sessions it became clear very quickly that this expansion does more than swap names and liveries. The arrival of Audi and Cadillac immediately changes the feel of the field, and the 2026 cars make it obvious that I was not just dealing with the same game in a new wrapper. What stood out to me most is that races ask for more adjustment now: I had to rethink my driving style, my energy usage, and the way I approached wheel-to-wheel fights.

That made the pack especially appealing to me as someone who enjoys reading a race, not just chasing lap times. In the opening laps I felt more pressure to manage battery usage carefully and pick my moments better. I also noticed that overtakes are less automatic; I could not rely on raw pace alone, but had to think about when to attack and when to hold back. As a result, a Grand Prix developed a more tactical rhythm than I expected from a season update.

Driving feel and the new pace of racing

The strongest thing about this pack is that the new rules and cars are not just present on paper. I could feel in my races that the balance has shifted toward smaller, more agile machines that respond differently to throttle, braking, and corner exit. That gives the cars a more direct personality, but also a slightly nervous edge. I liked that, because every mistake gets punished faster and every clean sequence of corners feels more rewarding. In my time with the pack, I found myself driving more deliberately and paying closer attention to every input.

At the same time, this is not an expansion that explains itself especially well. In my first hours I had to figure out several of the new systems on my own, and that occasionally interrupted the flow. Battery management and overtake usage in particular demand attention, and I would have preferred clearer in-game guidance. Once I understood the logic, I found it to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the pack: I was not just driving, I was constantly planning. That added tension to races, especially in the middle of a stint when tyres, energy, and track position all start to matter at once.

What I also appreciated is that the pack is not limited to time trials or a cosmetic refresh. I felt the changes in longer races and in the way I built strategy over a full event. That makes it more than a side dish to me; it is a meaningful shift that respects the foundation of F1 while forcing a new rhythm onto it. I came away from several races feeling like I had genuinely adapted to a different era of the sport rather than just a different menu screen.

Strategy gets more weight

The extra tactical layer is one of the main reasons this pack stuck with me. Instead of a race being mostly about perfect lap times, I often felt like I was making a chain of small decisions that together shaped the result. When should I deploy energy? When is it smart to pressure an opponent? When should I give up a little ground now to strike back later? I found that kind of thinking genuinely engaging, because it stretches the tension of a Grand Prix across the whole event.

That emphasis on strategy does come with a cost. The new systems ask more of your attention, and if you are mainly looking for a relaxed, accessible drive, this can feel a bit heavy. I regularly felt that I was not only controlling the car, but also keeping track of an extra management layer. For me, that usually worked in the pack’s favour because it made races feel more meaningful. But I can also see why some players would bounce off the added complexity, especially if they want F1 to stay closer to a pure driving experience.

What matters to me is that the pack changes the character of the races without losing the series’ core identity. I still recognised the familiar thrill of a good slipstream, a late braking move, and a clean exit out of a corner. The difference is that I now had to use my tools more carefully. That gave the races a more technical, almost calculated undercurrent, and I found that to be a successful evolution rather than a distraction.

MADRING gives the expansion its own identity

MADRING is one of the best additions in the pack for me. I expected a new badge on the calendar, but in practice the circuit felt like a genuinely fresh challenge that gives the expansion its own identity. I had to relearn lines, braking points, and rhythm, and that is exactly what I want from a new track: it should ask questions of my driving, not just exist as a novelty. MADRING does that well.

What I liked is that the circuit is not just a showcase piece; it also changes the race dynamic in a meaningful way. I found myself being more aggressive in some sections and more patient in others, which kept the track from feeling solved too quickly. That sense of discovery matters to me, because a new circuit should remain interesting beyond the first few laps. MADRING gives the pack a clear visual and sporting identity, and it helps the whole expansion feel less like a generic season update and more like a specific moment in F1 history.

The updated line-ups and new teams also help the world feel more current and more alive. I liked that the grid is not only statistically refreshed, but that the overall season fantasy changes with it. If you spend a lot of time in My Team or Career, these changes matter because they make the sport feel more believable and more immediate. I came away feeling like I had played a new chapter rather than a simple add-on, and that sense of occasion goes a long way.

Modes, limitations, and missed opportunities

That said, the pack does not feel equally complete in every mode. Some parts of the game benefit much more from the new content than others, and that is frustrating. In the modes where the cars, rules, and strategy are front and centre, the expansion really comes alive. Elsewhere, it feels less fully integrated, as if the new ideas do not have the same impact. It does not ruin the experience, but it keeps the pack from feeling uniformly essential.

Another issue I ran into is that the new systems are not explained well enough. The content is interesting, but the game sometimes leaves you to work out the details yourself. I wanted a bit more guidance, especially because the changes are substantial when you first encounter them. That makes the learning curve steeper than it needs to be. Once I had the systems under control, I appreciated them a lot more, but the first impression could have been smoother.

I also missed more flexibility in co-op-style career setups. That is the sort of mode where the new cars and regulations could have created even more memorable moments, and I think the pack would have benefited from broader support there. It is not a deal-breaker, but it is a missed opportunity in a package that otherwise leans so hard into meaningful change. I kept thinking about how much more fun some of these ideas could have been with a little extra mode support.

Presentation and final verdict

Visually and in terms of presentation, this expansion fits the series well. The new cars look convincing, the races still have that crisp broadcast-style presentation, and on Xbox Series X|S I found the performance stable enough that the focus stayed on the track. I do not think the pack is trying to win anyone over with flashy presentation tricks, but that is fine: the weight here comes from the gameplay changes. The visual side supports the experience without trying to overshadow it.

My biggest criticism remains the learning curve, which can feel steeper than it needs to be. I wanted a bit more hand-holding for the new systems, and I think it is a shame that not every mode evolves at the same pace. Even so, I came away with a strongly positive impression because the pack gives me a real reason to return. I got more out of this than I usually do from a standard update, precisely because the races feel different and I had to rethink my approach.

Overall, F1 25: 2026 Season Pack is a focused, smart expansion that works best if you enjoy the sport’s technical side and like your racing with a heavier tactical layer. It is not a radical reinvention, but it is a confident and often tense evolution that sharpens the series in meaningful ways. I finished my time with it feeling that the 2026 ruleset is not just represented, but meaningfully felt behind the wheel.