Codemasters Racing has announced a cutesy official Formula 1 game entitled F1 Race Stars, clearly designed with a family audience in mind.

Described as an "arcade" racer as opposed to a hardcore simulation, F1 Race Stars will feature the official likenesses of  Lewis Hamilton, Jensen Button, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel; crunched into an adorable caricature style and loosed on a selection of fun tracks. Courses will feature loops, jumps and powerups: don't come in expecting authenticity beyond liveries and racing teams.

Championship racing, time trials and online multiplayer will be included alongside more traditional 4-player splitscreen.

Will F1 Race Stars basically be just another karting game? Well, yes, by the looks of things. But considering that Codemasters design some of the best racing games on the market, we can't wait to see if they can breathe new life into the much-maligned genre. We'll find out what it's like this November.