At the halfway point of each championship, the player has the option of ending their development cycle and banking all future development points for the next championship.
Codemasters have introduced a wider range of free practice programs to the game in a bid to extend the game's longevity. Players develop their cars by spending 'development points', which are earned by meeting research and development targets during free practice sessions. This was simplified in F1 2018 as Codemasters' research demonstrated that players were losing interest in the game before completing the car's development cycle.
F1 2017 introduced a detailed progression system that allowed the player to focus on developing the engine, chassis and aerodynamics of their car. F1 2018 features substantial revisions to its 'Career Mode' compared to previous systems.
