Formula One: Built to Win

Formula One: Built to Win
Cover art of Formula One: Built to Win
Developer(s)Winkysoft
Publisher(s)SETA Corporation
Director(s)Banjyo Tadano
Producer(s)Toru Ishikawa
Artist(s)Hiroyuki Chiken
Composer(s)Masa Konishi
Platform(s)NES
Release
  • NA: November 1990
Genre(s)Formula One racing
Mode(s)Single-player

Formula One: Built to Win is a 1990 racing video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Winkysoft and published by SETA Corporation.

It was one of the first racing games to feature a career mode, multiple vehicles and an opportunity for the player to increase the performance of their in-game car through car tuning. These were unique elements for a racer of the NES era and a genre only truly revisited during the fifth generation of game consoles where games such as Gran Turismo became popular.

Races start out as single-lap events, but become double-lap events as the player begins racing against more experienced competition in places like Las Vegas, Nevada and Hawaii. With gameplay similar to Rad Racer and Pole Position, the driver races towards the back of the screen.

The names of the opponents are chosen partially at random; they can also vary because of the ranking level of the course and the type of vehicle used. Like in Rad Racer, the player can supercharge an automobile to go up to 255 miles per hour or 410 kilometres per hour.