F1 2022: PC graphics performance benchmark review - Article - Guide - Review

F1 2022 - Wretched Raytracing performance
PC graphics performance review and analysis

Update 16/1/2023; we added some FSR 2 results and replaced the default benchmarks with an updated set including RTX 4000 and RX 7900 results now included.

We take a look at F1 2022 from Codemasters, or EA these days, from the standpoint of PC graphics performance and PC gaming. We'll put the game through its paces on the PC platform, comparing graphics card performance with the newest AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards. A large number of graphics cards are being evaluated and benchmarked. In 2020 in a patch for the game incorporated DLSS to enhance speed even further; this year, raytracing has become the norm. Unfortunately, as the article will learn, Raytracing's performance offers up to 5x worse performance than just using that good old rasterizer engine. Ergo, DLSS or FSR become mandatory real fast. So, what will it be? Mercedes-Benz, Red Bull, or Ferrari? We take a look at Codemasters F1 2022 from the standpoint of PC graphics performance and PC gaming. We'll put the game through its paces on the PC platform, comparing graphics card performance with the newest AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards. A sizable number of graphics cards are being evaluated and benchmarked. F1 2022 is a racing video game series created and released by Codemasters/EA. Yes, the British racing game specialists (Codemasters) have been absorbed by the massive publisher EA, but we can cheerfully report that the team still sticks to the original line of the game. 

Raytracing slowly becomes a default with DLSS / FSR as optional but needed features

F1 2022 is built on Codemasters' in-house engine, EGO, which has been upgraded. The Game Engine has became DirectX 11 and DX12 compatible ever since Grid (2019) was released. The game only uses DirectX 12 to make future technological developments more pleasant and smooth. Apart from the Windows 10/11 requirement, the system requirements remain reasonable. Only those who want to view all of the visual effects in their full glory will require a current PC and, more importantly, a graphics card capable of ray tracing, such as the GeForce RTX series or a Radeon Series 6000 or newer graphics card. With the release, you will be able to drive on almost 25 official Formula 1 racetracks. Missing tracks will be added in a subsequent version. To avoid running out of breath throughout the season, you decide on the length of the races and the number of routes before the season begins.

An EA Title - Hardware DRM is in effect bigtime!

While not many end-users are bothered by it, EA implemented its Hardware verification DRM into the game. The DRM now has become so annoying that this probably will be our last F1 PC performance review; each two or three graphics cards that we swap out of the PC, will trigger the DRM. We'll had to wait 24 hours per graphics card change to be able to test this title. Ergo, we've been restricted to two, sometimes three graphics card tests daily. Massively restricting this review process.