If you want to play a Formula One game, you are going to have to pick up a copy of Codemasters’ latest release, seeing as they own the sole license for Formula One cars in video games. However, it appears that one online racing simulator may have thrown caution to the wind with their recent car release.
RaceRoom Racing Experience is a PC racing simulator game available free-to-play on Steam. The game, developed by Sector3 Studios in Sweden, boasts a wide collection of officially licensed cars from manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Chevy, Ford, Honda, McLaren, Mercedes, Nissan and Volve (just to name a few). The game also features fully licensed racing series including the ADAC GT Masters, DTM and WTCC.
The game’s most recent addition to the store: a car named the Formula RaceRoom X-17 (FRX-17 for short). It’s a V10 formula car, but it looks awfully familiar. That’s right, it’s a copy of a Formula One car. The aerodynamics are nearly identical to the 2017 renders that were being posted all over the internet until the actual 2017 F1 cars were revealed. The steering wheel is a nearly identical copy to the system used by Williams.
Not only does the actually design of the car look like a Formula One car, but so do many of the liveries. Some of the available liveries for the car were clearly designed to mimic the liveries of the actual teams. Similarities to teams like Ferrari, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Mercedes and the 2015 Lotus. The car even wears a set of Pirelli P Zero tyres.
The game also contains other formula cars, most notably the Formula RaceRoom 2 and the Formula RaceRoom 3. And you guessed it; the two cars are nearly identical copies of Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars. It appears that Sector3 was originally planning to name their new car Formula RaceRoom 1, as a folder could be found in the game files named “raceroom_fr1” up until shortly before the car’s release. However, their legal staff may have talked them out of what would have been certain death.
It’s understandable that the company would want to sneak around the tight licensing policy enforced by the Formula One rights holders, as a license for a Formula One car is expected to range in the mid-6-figures. To put it in perspective, Lamborghini once wanted roughly $400,000 from a video game company for a small range of their cars. Designing a “definitely not an F1” car would seem like a valid course of action.
However, the rights holders of the sport are not so open minded. In 2016, FOM attacked a website called RaceDepartment, for mods that provided unlicensed cars in games like F1 2013, F1 2014 and Reiza Studio’s Automobilista. But when dodging licenses, you have to know that you are eventually going to be taken down by the bigger company.
The Formula RaceRoom X-17 is available on the RaceRoom store for $4.46 with a single livery and $0.32 for every additional livery purchased. Or you can purchase all of the liveries and the car for just over $10.
