Formula Next Manager

About The Game

Choose your team, sign two drivers and guide them through a 16-race season. Success depends on balancing speed, reliability, race strategy and money: a quick driver needs a well-prepared car, and every repair or upgrade comes out of your budget.

The game includes

• 10 teams and 40 drivers from the 1980s and early 1990s, including Johnny Herbert.
• A 20-car field, with two drivers per team.
• Five difficulty levels, from Novice to Expert.
• Three qualifying attempts per driver, with animated laps and timing feedback.
• Changeable race weather, five tyre compounds and individual driving styles.
• Team radio, pit requests and interactive pit service.
• Sponsor objectives, financial reports and repair planning.
• Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, between-season upgrades, and save/load.

Build And Maintain Your Team

Drivers have different speed, control and risk ratings, signing fees and salaries. Teams have different engine, chassis and tyre levels, while pit crew ability and condition influence service performance. In the garage, plan engine and chassis repairs separately, combine them before paying, or repair everything at once. You can also restore your pit crew’s condition.

Qualifying

Choose tyres for the conditions before qualifying. The AI drivers’ times are calculated first, then you follow each of your drivers through three flying laps. A moving car and a red, yellow or green timing trail show how the lap compares with the leader. The screen keeps the top six and both of your drivers visible, showing lap times to hundredths of a second. Space finishes the current lap; R skips to the final grid.

Race Weekends

Choose tyres and a Safe, Normal or Attack driving style for each car before the start. Follow the lap-by-lap race, changing weather and race highlights, then use team radio to adjust your drivers’ approach. Attack can improve pace at the cost of extra wear and risk; Safe sacrifices speed to help preserve the car.

Call either driver into the pits, with an on-screen confirmation that the request has been received. Punctures and certain mechanical problems can also force a stop. Choose replacement tyres and any engine or chassis work, then take part in the service: time your inputs to hit the target zone. Good timing saves time; missed targets add to the stop. Crew ability, condition and difficulty affect the challenge.

Sponsors And Finances

Before qualifying, choose from three sponsor objectives with different rewards and challenges. Targets can involve finishing positions, points, both cars finishing or beating a rival team. Meeting a goal earns a bonus and improves sponsor trust, which affects future rewards. The financial overview tracks your balance, income, costs and sponsor progress. After each race, review the results, championship standings and a breakdown of earnings and expenses.

End Of Season

Review the final championship standings, every Grand Prix winner and your team’s results across the year. Then decide whether to increase the difficulty and invest in engine, chassis, tyre or pit crew upgrades before starting the next season.

Built For ZX Spectrum Next

Dark navy screens, crisp pixel graphics, team-coloured cars and classic AY sound give Formula Next Manager its Spectrum identity. Clear keyboard controls and quick access to team information keep the focus on decisions, season progression and that “just one more race” feeling.