Every year, the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore features one of the most dramatic backdrops in Formula 1. The under-the-lights spectacle can only have its visual drama further emphasised by one thing – the rain.
The Singapore Grand Prix has gone ahead in wet conditions before, most notably at the infamous 2017 race, and it is one of the circuits in F1 2020 that is most likely to see rain.
As such, it’s important to be prepared, and having the right setup is the best way to do this.
Aerodynamics
Even in the dry, Singapore is one of the circuits with the highest downforce requirements. In the wet, this is exacerbated further.
Therefore, to cope with the conditions, I recommend running 8-11 wings. Even with the high front setting, the rear end of the car will still be nice and compliant when you lay down the power.
Transmission
Part of the reason that the rear end will behave itself is down to the on-throttle differential setting. This should be run at 50%, as this gives you great stability in the traction zones.
For the off-throttle setting, I’ve gone for 65%. This yields a good degree of mid-corner stability while still allowing the car plenty of rotation to help it through the tighter corners.
Suspension Geometry
Due to the high levels of downforce, your car shouldn’t struggle too much with twitchiness mid-corner.
As a result of this, you can get away with running slightly more camber than you would usually be able to do in the wet conditions. -2.80 and -1.30 work really nicely around here.
I tend to find that running the minimum toe settings is very effective at most circuits, and the Marina Bay is no different. 0.05 and 0.20 will give your car great performance in sustained cornering situations.
Suspension
Other than your wings, this is the most important part of your setup.
For the suspension itself, going for a very soft 1-2 setup is the way to go. This prevents the car from becoming too twitchy and also helps you to ride the kerbs.
It’s usually a good idea to run stiffer anti-roll bars in the wet than you would in the dry, as roll is more of a factor in wet conditions. For me, 5-9 gives me a car which won’t lose its way mid corner.
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When it comes to ride height, it’s always a good idea to run it pretty high in the wet. This will make the biggest difference to the car’s stability in these conditions. Therefore, 9-11 is what I would suggest you use.
Brakes
Brakes are always about personal preference. Some people prefer lower brake pressure settings to help them ease the car into the braking zones.
For me, 100% brake pressure along with 50% brake bias give me the most confidence in my car. However, these settings can be quite tough to make work so be sure to lower the brake pressure if you’re having trouble.
Tyres
Tyre pressures should be run very low in the wet, as this will also help prevent your car from becoming squirrely on the wet surface.
Specifically, I run 21.8psi on the fronts with 19.5psi on the rears.
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Not only is a wet Marina Bay Circuit a dramatic spectacle, it’s also a whole lot of fun. That is, of course, as long as you are running the right setup to help you manage the conditions.