F2 Career Overhaul: Academy System & Dynamic F1 Promotion

I would like to propose a new F2 career system for F1 games that would more realistically reflect the real motorsport career path and better match the F1 career (HQ / My Team) experience.

The current F2 mode is more of a quick entry-level content, but it would be much better if there was a deeper F1 career-like system attached to it.

My proposal is an F2 career mode that would introduce an F1 academy system. The player can be enrolled in an F1 team's academy, but this would not automatically mean an F1 seat. The academy would be more of a continuous evaluation and support system that monitors the player's performance.

This evaluation would be based on several factors, such as race pace, qualifying results, number of mistakes, progress and the quality of the relationship with the team. This would create a kind of "trust or reputation" system.

The F2 season in this system would not just be about racing, but a real opportunity to prove yourself. Every race would count towards the player's future, and there would be no automatic promotion to F1.

An important element would also be that not every player would receive an F1 contract. If the performance is not good enough, the player could stay in F2, drop back to another series, or even lose their academy place.

In addition, a realistic reserve driver system could be included in the game, where drivers would be given the opportunity to step in during FP1 free practice, and if necessary - for example, in the event of an F1 driver's illness, injury, or other absence - they could even replace the regular driver in a race. This would create a more realistic, livelier paddock system for both players and AI drivers.

Furthermore, a mid-season driver swap system could be included, where outstanding F2 drivers could take the place of a weaker F1 driver even during the season. In this case, the F1 driver concerned could be relegated to a reserve role, lose his seat, or move to another team at a later date. This would make the field much more dynamic and the career progression more realistic.

In addition, the driver's identity and development could be visually tracked, for example, the logo of the team he is currently racing for would always appear on the custom driver's helmet. In F2, the logo of the F2 team, at F1 academy level the logo of the given F1 team, and then in the case of an F1 contract the identity of the entire team. This would also visually reflect the career development.

The F2 career mode could even be a simplified but similar version of the F1 career, where there is a smaller HQ system, statistics, development tracking and contract management.

Getting into F1 would thus be conditional: outstanding F2 performance, an empty F1 seat and the support of the academy are required.

I think this system would make the career much more exciting and realistic because it would give F2 a higher stakes and better reflect the real world of motorsport, where getting into F1 is not guaranteed.