The long wait is finally over as F1 2020 was released last week! We've already reviewed this year's official Formula 1 game and we love it!
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a popular testing track for F1 and has hosted the Spanish GP since 1991.
Setups are tricky to nail around here, as there is a real mix of long straights and both high and low speed corners.
We're here to help though and our setup guide gives you the best opportunity to reach the top step of the podium in My Team and Career Mode.
Aerodynamics
Your aerodynamics need to be different in Barcelona than most circuits on the calendar. You need a low front wing angle of 4 to aid straight line speed, this will also be high enough to aid turn-in and be flat through T3.
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The rear wing has to be set to a high angle of around 9 to plant the rear end to the tarmac. You'll find the rear axle is always trying to get away from you if you go any lower, especially through the final sector.
Transmission
Transmission sets how your traction behaves in Spain, you've got to nail this to be quick. You need a middle of the road differential to aid overall traction but save your rear tyres.
With how many long corners there are in Spain, your car will be more front limited than rear, so you can afford to be adventurous with the diff settings.
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You need to go as close to 100% for the on-throttle differential as you can to make the car shoot out of the slow corners. We found that the off-throttle diff is best at around 75%, as this aids stability.
Suspension Geometry
Tyre wear can be a problem in Spain and the 1-stop is significantly quicker than the 2-stop around here. To be able to get away with one pit-stop, you'll need to hit the sweet spot for the camber and toe angles.
The higher the camber and the lower the toe the faster the car will generally be. This is because 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 -2.60, with the rear set at -1.10. The toe angles need be relatively low at 0.06 on the front and 0.23 on the rear.
Suspension
Suspension settings determine how your car will mechanically handle through corners and over the kerbs.
Your suspension springs have to be very soft in order to survive the harsh kerbs of the final sector. These will spit you out and spin you around if you aren't careful.
We opted for 2 on both the front and the rear axles, any higher and you'll regularly be facing the wrong way at the final chicane.
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The anti-roll bars have to be firm to make the car responsive. This is especially important through the high-speed right-hander of Turn 9 and chicanes in the middle sector.
11 on the front and 9 on the rear is as low as you can get away with without compromising stability.
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Finally, the ride height needs to be low in order to aid acceleration and make the car stable for big ascents like Turns 3 and 12. We opted for 3 on both the front and rear.
Brakes
Brake aren't as crucial in Spain as they are for other races, but you need to get this right to be able to overtake.
There are some big stops around Catalunya but lock-ups aren't common, so you can push the limits with 89% brake pressure. If you are suffering with lock-ups though, lower this value, you can still be competitive with 85%.
The front brake bias should be set to 52% to prevent rear lock-ups. Again, if you're locking the tyres, change this value to accommodate.
Tyres
The only change to setups in F1 2020 is that you can now set the tyre pressures for each individual tyre.
The front tyres take a lot of punishment in Catalunya. So, the tyre pressures need to be around middle of the park to get the bite you need to be fast. Set both to 23.0 psi but consider making the front left slightly higher.
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The rears need to be set a little lower than default to preserve them out of the traction zone. 21.1 psi on the left and right is ideal but this could be set to higher if you're experiencing wheelspin.