Following the news last month that Codemasters has secured the exclusive video game rights to FORMULA 1, the first details of the new game have began to emerge.

In an interview with the official F1 website, Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens has said that F1 will utilise the EGO engine, which is currently used in Colin McRae's DiRT and Race Drive :: Grid. He says that as a result the development process will be sped up as they already have much of the handling and car dynamics in place.

Cousens says that the company will be "targeting formats where there’s been no Formula One experience for a number of years". As well as the Xbox 360 and PS3, this will also include the Nintendo Wii, which wil of course mean we'll be able to use the Wii steering wheel.

Codemasters is also planning to bring the superb car damage model from DIRT into the F1 experience, so we can expect to see big-impact crashes with parts flying across the track.

So what innovation can we expect to see in the F1 series?

Well, speaking of the online component, Cousens says that "in theory the game could almost become quasi-TV. For example, you could speak to drivers during practice and ask them, ‘how are the tyres, how is the suspension?’ They may not give much away, as they have to race, but it’s all part of the compelling experience that you could replicate in the game - and with every extra piece of information the player can adjust his or her racing experience accordingly. Virtual F1!"

Wicked!

You can read the full interview at the official Formula One site.