Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been a mainstay of the F1 calendar for almost three decades now. It’s known mostly for the fact that it is the circuit at which the majority of Formula 1 teams’ testing takes place.
On occasion, there has even been a wet race at what is usually a warm and sunny venue. If you're going up against the rain in Barcelona, then this is the guide for you.
Aerodynamics
Wet conditions call for two things: more downforce and a planted rear end. The best way to achieve both of these things in F1 2020 is to adjust the wing settings on your car.
Running 3-9 yields the best results. Not only will you have faith in the rear of the car as you plant the throttle, you’ll have plenty of front-end grip to get you around the many long, sweeping corners at this track.
Transmission
The other most effective method of ensuring good rear grip in the traction zones is by running an on-throttle differential setting of 50%.
For the off-throttle, you’ll want a balance between stability during the longer corners at this circuit and outright performance. I’ve found that 65% gives be a solid car that doesn’t feel as though it’s trying to spin out.
Suspension Geometry
As this circuit has a plethora of fairly high-speed corners, there is plenty of reward to be had in running extra negative camber.
Too much negative camber, however, and you’ll compromise the drivability of the car. For this reason, I would suggest going for -3.00 and -1.50 for your camber settings.
The advantage of running a low toe is quite significant around here, as it helps you through longer corners such as turns 3 and 4. Therefore, 0.05 and 0.20 are the way to go.
Suspension
A softer suspension setup will help your car to cope with the wet conditions, as well as making it easier on you if you take a little too much kerb in the final sector of the lap.
I’ve found that 1-2 works the best in the wet in Spain.
For your anti-roll bars, I’ve gone for a slightly stiffer than usual 6-10. Roll can be a problem in Spain due to there being several long corners to contend with.
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Additionally, the wet conditions tend to produce understeer mid-corner. It is because of these factors that I have recommended fairly stiff anti-roll bars.
A high ride height yields a happy car in the wet. 9-11 will give you plenty of stability and confidence in your car.
Brakes
Once again, it’s 100% brake pressure and 50% brake bias for me. This is the setup that works by far the best for my personal driving style.
That being said, everybody is different. If you find yourself locking up constantly, lowering the brake pressure will give you better results.
Tyres
Lower tyre pressures are always helpful in the wet, and Spain is no exception.
I’ve gone for 22.2psi for the fronts along with 19.9psi for the rears. I would be hesitant to lower the front pressures much more than this, as you will need the responsiveness through the final sector.
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Spain can be a surprisingly tricky circuit in the wet. With this setup, you’ll be able to make sure that the conditions won’t be catching you out.