Skip to main content

Golden Lap is a wonderful reminder that motor racing’s about the perfect blend of terrifying thrills and mind-numbing math

You take your life in your own hands, all for a grasp at glory conveyed by tenths and hundredths.

The Circuit De Casino in Golden Lap.
Image credit: Funselektor Labs/VG247

Motor racing is just like any other sport.

Its heart beats to the dorky drum of things scribbled across chalkboards before the game has even really kicked off in the eyes of the spectator. There are always fifteen different front wing designs, 150 different ways of setting up your gears, and fifteen thousand different things that can go wrong with an engine, all thrown into a sordid equation that determines if you can win or lose - and often by less than one tenth of a second.

On the other side lies the Mr Hyde that emerges as soon as the tyres hit the tarmac or trail. The reason we all turn up or tune in is for the colourful human coating that gets splashed across the carbon fibre canvas once all of the engine covers have been slammed shut. For better or worse, on Sundays, it’s largely up to the person with their hands on the wheel to steer their clan of car connoisseurs to the promised land.

Even though its Steam Next Fest demo only offers a snippet of a season spent chasing these kinds of dreams, Golden Lap - the retro F1-inspired management sim from Funselektor Labs and Strelka Games - already feels like it’s treading the line between man and machine pretty well. While I’d enjoyed both of Funselektor’s previous titles, Absolute Drift and the equally wonderful Art of Rally, I wasn’t sure whether the developer’s trademark blend of chill humour and challenging-to-master racing action would be an ideal fit for a more sim-focused game.

It’s tough to relax or appreciate the beauty of something when someone’s on the radio moaning that their rubber’s about to hit the cliff, you know? However, Golden Lap keeps a lot of the endearing furniture, while also providing an experience beneath that which’ll appeal pretty solidly to the armchair strategian who reckons they could do a better job than Toto Wolff if given the chance. In the career mode, you’ll take the helm of a team lovingly designed to parody a real world racing enterprise and get a set budget to build it up by hiring drivers and staff, as well as building a car with a design you can dial into a winner.

You do this by turning up at a parody track - such as Silverstone’s bizarro world twin Muttonchop or the Circuit De Casino that winds through the harbour of what’s definitely not Monaco - for qualifying on Saturday. Having put on the right tyres for the weather, you’ve basically got to do as many runs - each of which contains one proper push lap - as possible in order to tune both of your cars up in terms of power, aerodynamics, and handling. How many tweaks you can make per trip to the pits depends on how many skill points your engineer has, with that and their unique traits being what makes them worth hiring, much like with drivers, whose talents are split into separate speed and aggression values.

The my team screen in Golden Lap's career mode.
The not quite McLaren squad, all primed to take on the seventies. | Image credit: Funselektor Labs

On Sunday, it’s all about picking the right tyre strategy for the conditions and amount of laps on the docket, and guiding your drivers through by telling them when to go hard, ease off, or maintain a measured pace in terms of tyre and fuel consumption. That said, don’t let me give you the impression that Golden Lap offers an experience that feels too robotic, as is often the danger with these kinds of sim-heavy racers. For example, before each race, a few random attribute modifiers are applied to some drivers on the grid, based on stuff like having a hangover. That one offers a negative effect, and obviously isn’t totally realistic or something you want to take inspiration from, no matter what James Hunt might have gotten up to back in the day.

Though, it isn’t too in your face with its attempts to inject some fun into what otherwise might be a pretty dry racing equation, and that allows for the occasional moment that really drives home just how serious this weird thing we petrolheads like watching can get, in an instant. Midway through one wet race I was doing at Muttonchop, one of the backmarkers in the race crashed suddenly. Unlike the other crashes I’d encountered prior to that point, there wasn’t a yellow flag, but instead a red one. Following the almighty smash that cut through the usual drone of engines, a message popped up, reading: “Uh oh, Gustavo Castro crashed! It looks bad!”. With the race halted, the game didn’t offer any more updates as an uncomfortable silence was filled by the gentle trickle of the rain continuing to pour, and the occasional rattle of thunder.

A race in progress in Golden Lap.
Look lads, we're not about that team orders life here. | Image credit: Funselektor Labs

Then, the green flag flew, and we were back going again. At the end of the race, another notification popped up. “Gustavo Castro didn’t recover from their crash. They died.” The driver was then replaced for the next race, with the game noting that it was a tragedy, but “this is a circus and the show must go on”. Others might think differently, but there was just enough humanity and cold, machine-like dissonance in the minimalistic chain of events that I felt it did the way motorsport, especially in the past, reacted to these kinds of once depressingly regular shocks an unnervingly perfect amount of justice.

Golden Lap’s that kind of game. Sure, those who’re really craving a hardcore sim might find its mechanics a bit simplistic, but that’s not what it’s really all about. As the minimalistic and unique art style in which it renders its track maps and weather effects conveys, it aims to keep things simple, which is usually what you have to do if you’re looking to capture the essence of something.

It cuts the bullshit, paints a really endearing picture of racing’s past, and, quite frankly, after playing the Next Fest demo, I can’t wait to play more of it once the full game drops.


Golden Lap is currently set for release in 2024 on PC.

Read this next

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top