F1 2016 Nyyyyyyyommming By On August 19th

F1 2016 [official site] will arrive on August 19th, smack bang in the middle of the current Formula 1 racing season, Codemasters announced today. That means you could play along with a fair few races while watching them on television, I suppose. You'd get to tell your mates "Well, actually, I had the fastest time in the Japanese Grand Prix but due to a minor technicality..." then trail off as you turn away to sip your drink.

For now, you can check out two new gameplay videos with professional racers taking a flying lap round F1 2016's recreation of the European Grand Prix's Baku street circuit:

Here's Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing having a crack, talking about which bits of the new circuit in Azerbaijan look fun:

While Jolyon Palmer of Renault Sport is a bit more practical:

So what's new in this year's instalment? Beyond new cars, circuits, teams and whatnot, F1 2016 is introducing a new career mode and bringing back the safety car (the 'racedad', if you want to get technical) and virtual safety car (disappointingly just a dashboard display).

"Flying lap" sounds like a cracking way to swear politely. Hey kids: tell your headteacher you don't give a flying lap what they think, then smugly insist they can't punish you because actually it was a compliment - you were saying they're so good at driving they could be a professional racer. Just remember that this dangerous game means you can't object if they call you a right little James Hunt.