With the excitement of Silverstone less than a day away and Formula One fans preparing themselves for a busy weekend of racing, Codemasters has gone and thrown a heap of new F1 2011 pictures and details into the mix.

Eurogamer is reporting that the new game will feature a revamped multiplayer experience, including a much missed split screen two player mode. 16 player online mode will be order of the day, with the remaining 8 being computer controlled. 

Codemasters has also given the online presentation a refresh. F1 2010, whilst being a great game, featured a relatively sparse online setup. The new revamped online interface allows you to spectate races if you are waiting to get involved.

Perhaps most exciting is the chance to take on a season cooperatively either online or locally. That means in theory you and a friend could replace Button and crash him into Hamilton for once. 

The new F1 2011 has also been given a substantial boost in the visual department. The previous game was no slouch, but judging from the screens it looks like Codemasters has worked some programming magic. A race director mode is now also included which will give you a total breakdown of events so far. You can see car positions and incidents that have taken place during the race. All part of Codemasters attempt to build a complete racing package.

Expect the game to be zooming onto store shelves on 23 September this year on all the usual gaming suspects; Xbox, PS3 and PC. There are also plans for 3DS and even Vita versions to follow!

Update: Codemasters has now released a gameplay trailer to go with the earlier announcements. Hot damn it looks good, almost as tasty as the real thing, better even as you get to give driving the cars a go yourself...

Formula One? Gran Turismo? Forza?