With Formula One being the most popular motorsport series in most parts of the world, F1 rFactor mods are quite often surrounded by controversy on how, when and how quick to work on them. I´ve got the chance to test a development version of CTDP’s F1 2006 mod which gears up to be rFactors next best thing.

While many rFactor players are happy about mods simulating both old and new cars, the typical Formula One fan seems to be especially keen in getting his hand on mods simulating the current season. Most of the time, the first mods already surface during pre-season testing of every new season. The quality of these mods is not their selling point as it has been sacrificed for being up to date.

CTDP has a different approach on things. Rather than rushing into stuff to get their mod’s out qucikly, the Car and Track Development Project has earned a reputation for releasing quality work. The team is only releasing stuff that meets their own standards - And let me tell you, their standards are pretty high..

CTDP’s 2005 season mod is one of both rFactor’s first and most important mods. Back in 2006, the group started working on a successor based on the 2006 season. Two years later, the 2006 season has made its way into the history books not just for being Michael Schumachers last season but for its exciting championship battle until the very last round.

F1 2006 comes with all cars of the 2006 Formula One season. That does not sound too spectacular as you would expect a season mod to do just that. But when CTDP says all cars, they literally mean all cars! The mod includes every single car as it raced at every single round. An immense amount of work has been put into every single chassis modification.

McLaren used a new rear-wing at Magny Cours? It can be found in the mod. A flap has changed on the Toyota for the Nürburgring Grand Prix? The mod has it covered. All teams run special aero packages at the high speed Monza race? F1 2006 incorporates it! But the details won’t end with aero modifications as all cars sport individual liveries too. If it’s non-tobacco liveries for European Grand Prix or special schemes like Red Bull’s Superman design - All can be found in the mod.

If a detail of the 2006 season is not included, you can be sure that there was no way to do it. While you´re free to switch between Midland F1 and Spyker F1 as it was called for the later GP’s, two charismatic guys can’t be part of the mod. Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve lost their drives during the 2006 season and CTDP opted to include their replacements in the mod. Adding the two drivers in would have caused online miss-matches which would have caused upsets during online racing.

This depth of details create a tremendous atmosphere as F1 2006 gives you the feeling of racing a complete 2006 season rather than using an individual mod on individual tracks. The mod rewards you for using tracks of the 2006 F1 schedule as your opponent physics will change accordingly to the real life season. If you run a complete season, you can witness Ferrari getting stronger during Mid Season while Fernando Alonso struggles to keep his championship lead.

But the mod is not just about the cars, it comes with a track too. The popular (and often copied) CTDP Bahrain track has gotten a major overhaul and looks better than ever before. You can almost feel the sand as you rocket through the Bahrainian desert, the mod also includes the 24h race and V8 Supercar layout of the track.

Besides cars and track, the mod includes plenty of details and tools that make such a package complete. A self-created launcher will enable you to switch cameras, change player profiles, plugins, music and other stuff. Also included is a custom TV style for the popular plugin by the Dinix Project.

Conclusion

Yes, it can be painful to wait more than two years for a mod. Yes, the 2006 season is not the most recent one. But I guarantee you that all this will be forgotten once you get your hands on F1 2006. To be honest, I`m not a big F1 fan myself but even I appreciate the atmosphere this mod creates. True Formula One maniacs will be in heaven with all the big and small details the team has put in.

This mod breathes and smells Formula One and will blow every commercial F1 game out of the water. Will CTDP F1 2006 be the new benchmark for rFactor mods? You bet it will be! And for those who can’t stand the waiting time, remember: Good mods are like wine - They need time to become a real treat.

Screenshots

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