Formula 1 is returning to the world of video games after an absence of several years, and IGN has extracted the first real details from publisher Codemasters.

The key facts are that Formula 1 2009 will come out for Wii and PSP in the autumn, and Formula 1 2010 will follow for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next year. I’ve written more about the games specifically elsewhere.

But the developers face some serious challenges: creating the new tracks, including Abu Dhabi which isn’t finished; and the Brawn GP car appearing at the last minute hasn’t helped matters I’m sure.

The trickiest thing, to my mind, is how the cars are going to perform relative to each other. In past years it would have been fairly straight forward: the McLaren and Ferrari cars fastest, followed by BMW and back from there.

But it’s pretty much accepted that the current pecking order, headed by Brawn GP, isn’t going to be maintained for the whole season. It’s such an unpredictable season, the developers have an unenviable task to make the computer-controlled opponents believable.

Do they have to take a punt on Ferrari coming good, and risk looking stupid if the Ferrari remains a dog of a car in reality, yet flies in the game?

Presumably such matters will be dealt with via an online update in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 titles, but I don’t think they’ll have any such luxury on Wii and PSP. It’s an intriguing problem.