The British Grand Prix is the oldest event on the Formula 1 calendar, and the majority of the races have taken place at Silverstone.
You don’t need to be a meteorologist to know that a wet race at Silverstone is distinctly likely. It’s important to make sure that you’re prepared for such an outcome, and having the right setup is the best way to ensure that you’re ready.
Aerodynamics
Wet conditions call for higher levels of downforce than usual. However, it’s important not to go overboard at Silverstone, as you will lose far too much time on the straights.
In order to create a car that can handle the rain without being a sitting duck at high speeds, 3-9 is the way to go.
The large difference between the front and rear wings will give you plenty of stability under acceleration, something you desperately need at a wet British Grand Prix.
Transmission
Another aspect of the setup which helps with stability during traction is your on-throttle differential.
A wet Silverstone is no different to everywhere else when it comes to this setting; 50% is the best option.
For your off-throttle setting, I find that anything below 70% makes the car difficult to handle in Maggots and Becketts in the wet conditions.
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You won’t want to go too far in the other direction though, as then the car will struggle to rotate through the slower corners.
Suspension Geometry
Running camber settings as close to zero as you can is generally very helpful in the rain.
Therefore, -2.50 and -1.00 are my recommendations for this setup.
For toe, running 0.05 at the front will help you to manage the car in the high-speed corners, while a rear setting of 0.44 will give better stability and traction through the long final corner of the lap.
Suspension
A soft front suspension is generally preferable in wet conditions. This is because an overly responsive car can be tough to handle when the track is slippery.
2-6 for the front and rear suspension respectively gives great balance and grip.
For your anti-roll bars, running them slightly higher front stiffness than usual in the wet conditions also helps with stability. 6-10 is what I’ve found works best.
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High ride heights are a must on all wet circuits. In my experience, running anything lower than 9-11 results in a car which is very difficult to drive. If you’re still struggling, try raising this even higher.
Brakes
For your brakes, my usual recommendation of 100% pressure with 50% bias holds true.
You’ll need plenty of stopping power for the hard braking zones at Silverstone, and locking the fronts can be prevented by having a rearward brake bias.
Tyres
Lower tyre pressures are always the way to go in the wet. Furthermore, they are always the way to go in Silverstone more generally.
Therefore, 21.4psi for your fronts and 19.5psi for the rears is what you should be running. This will help to keep tyre temperatures down if the track starts to dry, and you’ll have smoother traction as well.
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A wet Grand Prix at Silverstone is perhaps the single most British experience you can have, at least within F1 2020. This setup will make sure that your experience is a positive one.