Formula One: Built to Win is a racing video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that is centered around its career mode. Once the player enters in his or her user name (one letter initial for given name and a family name), the player has to start out driving a Mini Cooper (from the British Motor Corporation) without an international racing license. From there, he or she must earn the rankings needed to get better performing vehicles and automobile parts. These cars consist of the Vector W2 (from Vector Motors) and the Ferrari F40 (from Ferrari); most of the game is driven with these vehicles. Races start out as single-lap events but become double-lap events as the player starts racing against more experienced competition in places like Las Vegas, Nevada and Hawaii. Formula One: Built to Win is also considered to be one of the first racing games with races that contain multiple stages. With gameplay similar to Rad Racer and Pole Position, the driver races towards the back of the screen. Drivers must also be prepared to negotiate their way through civilian traffic.
Despite the American setting (which was unusual for a game made by a Japanese-based company at the time), Vector Motors is the only American name brand for automobiles used in the game. The more familiar name brands of Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Pontiac (which also have dominant legacies in the automobile racing world) are absent because of licensing issues. European name brand vehicles are dominant (the British Motor Corporation is considered to be a British company while Ferrari is an Italian company). 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.
Source: Wikipedia, "Formula One: Built to Win", available under the CC-BY-SA License.