Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was the most selected driver in the EA SPORTS F1 24 sim racing game career mode, beating out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The F1 24 game saw a significant revision to the career mode, allowing players to compete as real-life drivers.
Previously, players were only allowed to create their own virtual characters to race alongside the real F1 stars.
It was recently revealed that Hamilton was the most selected driver in the career mode this year, beating out 2025 Ferrari team-mate Leclerc.
F1 24 players were most likely to select the seven-time world champion for several reasons, including the chance to win an eighth title.
Moreover, F1 24 gave gamers the last chance to pilot Hamilton as a Mercedes driver ahead of his much-talked-about move to Ferrari.
In addition, SportsPro named Hamilton as the most marketable athlete in motorsport in 2024 and it goes without saying he is one of the most recognizable faces in F1.
Fans were able to select drivers from the Formula 2 grid, as well as legends such as Ayrton Senna through the ‘icon pack’.
While Hamilton led the pack, drivers such as Max Verstappen were also highly sought-after, alongside rookie Oliver Bearman.
Change afoot in EA Sports’ F1 franchise
The shift towards driver-focused gaming is part of EA SPORTS’ new vision for their F1 games, set to focus on ‘live service’ offerings – this includes limited-time events in games like F1 World game mode.
EA SPORTS Senior Creative Director Lee Mather said (via Traxion): “Fans completed 2.21 billion miles, executed 23.62 million pit stops and demonstrated strong engagement with the game’s new features and live service content.
“We are grateful for our players and look forward to providing even more engaging experiences as the real-world drama of Formula 1 unfolds.”
The first three circuits (Bahrain International Circuit, Albert Park Circuit, and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit) on the 2024 F1 calendar were the most-played tracks in the game.
While classic circuits like Imola, Monza, and Spa-Francorchamps were less driven by users of the F1 24 game.
The next game, F1 25, is expected to be released on May 23, 2025, with several potential new features like the return of story mode.
Fans have been begging for the return of the story mode since it morphed into the ‘Braking Point’ narrative-based game mode three years ago.
With Hamilton switching to Ferrari, fans will jump at the chance to play the world champion in red.
So it would be no surprise if history repeats itself next year and the seven-time world champion is once again the most-selected player.
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