The Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring tends to be a rather warm affair. However, occasionally the race is affected by the rain. In such conditions, an already tricky circuit becomes very tough indeed.
In order to cope with the rain, a good setup is required. These settings aim to provide you with a car which you can trust, even in extreme wet conditions.
Aerodynamics
These wing settings are designed to reach a balance between the stability of a low front to rear wing ratio and the cornering speeds that a higher front wing brings at the Hungaroring.
To manage this balance, I’ve gone for 6-11 on the wings. A higher front wing setting may be faster over one lap, but you’ll have to fight your car more than you would like.
Transmission
An on-throttle setting of 50% is a must as it helps the car with stability.
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For the off-throttle, 60% is my recommendation. This setting gives you plenty of rotation through the low speed corners such as turn 5, turn 13 and turn 14.
Suspension Geometry
I find that running the camber to the right helps to ensure the drivability of the car in the wet.
Therefore, -2.50 and -1.00 are the right camber settings for this circuit in the rain.
For toe, running 0.05 and 0.20 helps with grip in the longer corners. Running a low toe also helps with tyre wear, though this is not a major factor at a wet Hungaroring.
Suspension
Riding the kerbs is integral to managing a quick time in sector two of this circuit.
To help with this, a soft suspension setup is needed. 1-4 works the best for me, as the slightly stiffer rear gives the car a bit more overall balance.
Anti-roll bar settings can be adjusted to each driver’s personal preference, especially in the wet. I would personally suggest 4-10, as I have found this works well for me.
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However, if you don’t like the way the car feels with this setup, this is the first place to look to change it up.
Ride height settings of 11-11 are a must in the wet in Hungary. Not only will this help you with the kerb riding but the car will feel very stable over the wet surface.
Brakes
For me, as per usual, running a brake pressure of 100% with a bias of 50% gives the best overall result. The rearward bias is useful here for both preventing front locking and for rotating the rear of the car through the slower corners.
Tyres
As ever, you will need to take some air out of the tyres for the wet conditions.
I’ve found that 21.8psi for the fronts along with 19.9psi for the rears gives me a car which I feel comfortable driving. Lower pressures will also help you to manage tyre temperatures in drying conditions.
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With this setup, I found myself absolutely blitzing the AI in both wet and intermediate conditions around the Hungaroring. The car feels totally stable in all conditions, without sacrificing almost anything in the way of outright speed.