Alright, so I wanted to get my car dialed in for Azerbaijan in F1 23. This track is crazy, right? Super long straights, but then that tight castle section where you’re basically threading a needle. I knew I needed a setup that could handle both.
Getting Started: Initial Laps
First thing I did was just jump in and do some laps with the default setup. No surprise, it felt… okay, but definitely not great. I was losing so much time in the last sector, and the car felt super twitchy under braking. I’m not an expert or anything, but it was clear I have to do some changes.
Tweaking the Setup: Finding the Balance
I started messing with the aerodynamics first. I figured less downforce would help on the straights, but I didn’t want to make the car undrivable in the corners.
- Front Wing Aero: I lowered this a bit, I went down a few clicks from the default.
- Rear Wing Aero: I went a bit lower in rear wing.
Then I messed with the transmission.
- Differential Adjustment On Throttle: Keep it not too high, I guess.
- Differential Adjustment Off Throttle: Same as on throttle, I guess.
Next up was the suspension geometry. This part always confuses me a little, but I’ve learned a few basic things over time.
- Front Camber: I set up a lower front camber.
- Rear Camber: I did the same for the rear camber.
- Front Toe-Out: I chose a slightly lower number.
- Rear Toe-In: Same as the front, I chose a slightly lower number.
Then I jumped to the suspension part.
- Front Suspension: I set up a soft front suspension.
- Rear Suspension: I did the same for the rear suspension.
- Front Anti-Roll Bar: I did a soft setting on this one.
- Rear Anti-Roll Bar: Same as front, softer.
- Front Ride Height: A little lower ride height.
- Rear Ride Height: Same, a little lower, but not too much.
Now, the brakes! I always struggle a bit with locking up, so I usually do this:
- Brake Pressure: I always set this to 100%.
- Front Brake Bias: I moved this forward a bit.
Finally, the tyres.
I set up my tyres to have a little lower pressure than the default.
Testing and Refining: Lap After Lap
After each change, I did a few more laps. I wasn’t really timing myself at first, I was just trying to feel the difference. Did the car feel more stable? Was I able to take the corners faster? Was I still losing a ton of time on the straights? I started noticing the biggest improvement when I softened the suspension and lowered the ride height a bit. The car felt way more planted through those tricky corners.
The Final Result: Good Enough!
Honestly, I probably spent a good hour or two just going back and forth, making tiny adjustments, and testing. I’m sure a pro could have done it way faster, but I was learning as I went. In the end, I got a setup that felt pretty good. I wasn’t setting any world records, but I was able to consistently put in decent lap times, and I wasn’t constantly crashing, which is always a plus! It’s all about finding that balance, you know?
