Progress. I was finally able to launch the game for the first time with EA Play. I finally closed/ended task on every single background process and app possible and success. It doesn't seem to be anything obvious like anti virus or VPN software. So it may take me a while to figure out what program is causing the issue. I will report back as soon as I can.
I have my answer. It was Windhawk- just a program that I was using to resize the Windows 11 taskbar buttons on my large display.
I can only find one reference to Windhawk causing a game not to launch, but it was an EA game with the same symptoms as I've been having with F1:
I suspect there are a lot of programs interfering with launching F1 24 and the permanent fix needs to come from EAs side. Having to rely on users to figure out the problem is ridiculous. Not being able to play a game for 5 days when I have paid for EA Pro monthly since it started is not acceptable.
So I highly suggest closing every program you can and you will probably figure out what's causing it.
After 10 months I confirm that this problem persists...
