Formula 1. First you take part in the qualifying race, then the actual race begins.
Yes, rounded cars look more realistic, but the gameplay of Pole Position II is no different from the antique-ancient arcade original, except that it is less dynamic! Before each race, you have to spend time on qualifying races (Atari 7800). The racing process itself is decent, but the animation is not very good and the car behaves unnaturally on the track. The sound of the engine is another stone in the developer's garden. From the environment only Atari billboards every 150 meters. Not serious...
Atari 7800: Pole Position II came with every Atari 7800, but it could also be purchased separately. A stupid business move, really, considering that Nintendo bundled every one of their Super Mario Bros! According to one of the sources, it was planned to build the game into the console at all.
Pole Position II was written in 1984.