Retirements - This needs to CHANGE!
Hi guys,
it's been a long time since I wrote something here, but this is actually noteworthy.
I finally fired up F1 23 again and finished up my race weekend in Spa. And here's the thing.
My initial plan was to hire Lewis Hamilton as a teammate for Season 3. And prior to Spa, where we had the contract renewal, I looked into the driver market to see how much cash I have to save to make it happen, only to realize that Lewis Hamilton was missing from this list. But here's the thing: HE DID NOT ANNOUNCE HIS RETIREMENT.
I checked the mailbox during Spa, after Spa, now in Zandvoort, but there's nothing that says that Lewis Hamilton will leave F1. And while I understand that surprise retirements can happen, it should retire them on the spot and not after the season.
So that is why I say that the retirement system needs to change. And here's how:
- For one, Lewis Hamilton needs a retirement immunity. He publicly said that he's going to continue racing for a few more years, at least until he gets his hands on his 9th (or 8th if you guys prefer it) championship title. He would even go into the late 40s.
- Max Verstappen should get a chance to retire. He said that if he gets his own GT3 team by the end of 2025, he's going to leave F1. And since 2025 would be Season 3 in-game, the chance of Verstappen retiring should be much higher than Lewis Hamilton.
- For other oldies like Alonso, Pérez or Hulkenberg, there is no information or reason why they should retire from F1. So I'd say that they should and can retire within at the very most 6 seasons.
- Regardless of all these suggested changes, one thing must absolutely make its way to My Team. Once a driver retired from F1, they should still be available in the driver market, marked with a symbol that signifies them as a retiree, but they should still be available for the player to hire them. Those drivers cannot be hired by AI teams and can stay in your team for as long until you get a new teammate.
If these things change for F1 23 and future titles, it would add to the realism much more than anything else.
EA, if you're reading this, consider this idea, because My Team without having Lewis Hamilton as my teammate at least one season is not fun.
Good day,
Nico
