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The Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir is a power track but requires good downforce to quickly get around its twisty middle sector.
Finding the balance between one lap pace and consistent racing laps is difficult, as the rear tyres take a beating through the traction zones.
Our setup guide gives you the best chance of coming out on top in the desert!
Aerodynamics
The aerodynamic settings you use around Bahrain are vital for a quick lap time. While you need low wing angles to be quick down the long straights, you've got to have them high enough to be fast through the corners.
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You can turn them lower, but 6 on the front and the rear provides great turn-in and rear-end stability through the middle sector.
Transmission
Transmission dictates how your traction is and around Sakhir, you've got to nail this to be quick. You need a more locked differential to aid overall traction, even if this costs you tyre life.
90% for the on-throttle differential is the highest you can get away with without the rear becoming too snappy. We found that the off-throttle diff is best at around 75%, as this aids stability.
Suspension Geometry
Tyre wear isn't a huge issue in Bahrain but you can't afford to be too adventurous with the toe and camber angles.
The higher the camber and the lower the toe the faster the car will generally be, as more of the wheel's surface will be in contact with the tarmac.
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We opted for the front camber to be -2.70, with the rear set at -1.20. The toe angles need be relatively low at 0.07 on the front and 0.26 on the rear.
Suspension
Suspension settings determine how your car will mechanically handle through corners and over the kerbs.
Your suspension springs need to be relatively stiff on the front while softer on the rear. 7 on the front allows the car to responsive on corner entry while being able to absorb the bumps from the kerbs.
2 on the rear is the best you can do, as the rear end loves to get away from you on-throttle while exiting corners.
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The anti-roll bars have to be firm to make the car responsive, especially through the high-speed chicanes in the middle sector.
10 on the front and 6 on the rear is as high as you can get away with without compromising the car's stability.
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Finally, the ride height needs to be low in order to aid acceleration and make the car stable up big ascents like Turn 11. We opted for 3 on both the front and rear.
Brakes
Brake failures are common in Bahrain thanks to the big stops into Turns 1, 4 and 14.
Normally the brake pressures would be set to over 80% for a circuit like this. However, the downhill braking zones of Turns 9 & 10 means that you can't go too high, or you'll be locking up every lap and ruining your rubber.
We opted for 75% brake pressure with the front brake bias set to 52% to prevent rear lock-ups.
Tyres
The only change to setups in F1 2020 is that you can now set the tyre pressures for each individual tyre of your car.
The front left takes a huge pounding around Bahrain, so to aid its life, the front left needs to be set to 23.0 psi, slightly lower than the front right's 23.4 psi.
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The rear tyres need to always be set a lower pressure than the fronts as they receive enough heat and energy when getting on the power. We opted for 21.5 psi on the rear right and 21.1 psi on the rear left.