F1 2020 Setups: Best Car Setup for Every Track

The best F1 2020 setup changes with the track, but less than you think. In the 22 setups on this site the front suspension is at 1 everywhere, the brake pressure is at 100% everywhere, and the on throttle differential is at 50% on 18 tracks. What moves is the wings, the rear suspension and the anti-roll bars. The two tables below have the numbers for every track, and each track name links to its own page with the screenshots of the setup menu.

These setups were collected for this database in 2022 from fast time trial laps. I have not driven all 22 again since, so take them as a starting point. What I can add is how to read them and what to change when the car does not suit you.

F1 2020 setups for every track

Values are written front / rear. The differential column is on throttle / off throttle. In F1 2020 the wings, suspension, anti-roll bars and ride height all use a scale from 1 to 11, and the differential goes from 50% (unlocked) to 100% (locked).

The order is the calendar of the game. F1 2020 has the 22 races that were planned before the season was rewritten, so Hanoi and Zandvoort are both in it. Zandvoort came back to the real calendar in 2021. The Hanoi race never happened.

Brakes, tyres and geometry

Same order as above. Tyre pressures are in psi, front / rear. Camber and toe are front / rear too.

Brake pressure is 100% and fuel load is 10 kg in all 22 setups, so I left those two columns out.

I checked the numbers in these tables against the setup screenshots on the track pages where a value looked wrong. Two did: the rear anti-roll bar at Monza is 5, and the rear tyres at Austin are 19.5 psi.

Tracks by downforce level

If you only have time to change one thing before a session, change the wings. This is how the 22 tracks split by rear wing.

• Low (rear wing 5 to 6): Sochi, Baku, Red Bull Ring, Silverstone and Spa. Baku and Spa run the front at 1, the minimum.
• Medium (rear wing 7): Sakhir, Zandvoort, Paul Ricard, Monza, Suzuka and Yas Marina. Rear 7 is the most common value in the database.
• Higher (rear wing 8 to 9): Hanoi, Shanghai, Melbourne, Montreal, Mexico City and Interlagos. Low front wing, big rear wing.
• High (rear wing 10 to 11): Barcelona, Austin, Budapest, Monaco and Marina Bay. Monaco and Marina Bay run 9 and 11.

Two things stand out. The front wing is lower than the rear at every track, and on 19 of 22 it is between 1 and 4. Only Budapest, Monaco and Marina Bay go higher. And Monza sits at 1 and 7, which is a lot of rear wing for the fastest track of the year. If you want top speed there, I would try the rear at 4 or 5 and see if you can still hold the car in the Lesmos and the Parabolica.

What these setups have in common

Read the two tables side by side and the base is clear.

• Front suspension at 1, everywhere. The front is as soft as the game allows on all 22 tracks. The rear is at 8 or more on 19 of them, and at 11 on nine.
• The differential is open on throttle. 18 tracks have it at 50%, the minimum. The exceptions are Monza at 55%, Hanoi and Austin at 60% and Shanghai at 80%.
• Off throttle it stays low too. It goes from 50% to 57% on 21 tracks. Sochi at 65% is the only one above.
• Tyres at the minimum pressure. 18 tracks run 21.0 psi front and 19.5 psi rear, the bottom of both ranges. Sakhir and Monza are the two that raise the rears.
• Brakes do not change. Pressure is 100% on every track, and bias is 50% on 20. Sakhir is at 53% and the Red Bull Ring at 51%.
• Geometry barely moves. 17 tracks use -2.50 front camber and 18 use toe at 0.05 and 0.20. Rear camber is where they split: -2.00 on twelve tracks, -1.00 on four.
• Anti-roll bars are where the setups disagree. Most run a soft front and a stiff rear, like 1 and 11 at Hanoi and Shanghai. Sochi does the opposite with 11 and 8, and Suzuka runs 3 and 1.

One honest note. A soft front, a stiff rear, an open differential and the lowest tyre pressures is a time trial recipe. It makes the car turn, and it is fast over one lap with no fuel. It is also hard on the rear tyres. Keep that in mind before you take one of these into a 50% race.

How to adjust a setup to your driving

A setup from somebody else's fast lap is built around their style. The rule I took from working with engineers in single seaters is to never change five things at once, and it works in the game too. One change, three laps, then decide.

1. The rear steps out in fast corners. Add one or two clicks of rear wing, or soften the rear anti-roll bar by two. You lose a little rotation and gain confidence.
2. The car will not turn in. Add a click of front wing. With the front at 1 to 4 on most tracks, there is room.
3. You spin on the exit of slow corners. The differential is already at 50%, so it is not that. Soften the rear suspension by two or three clicks and be more patient with the throttle.
4. The car is nervous on the brakes. 100% pressure asks a lot of your foot. Take it down to 90 or 95%, and move the bias forward to 54 or 55%.
5. You lock the rears into hairpins. That is the 50% bias. Go to 52 or 53% before you touch anything else.
6. You hit the kerbs and the car jumps. Raise the ride height by one click at both ends. Many of these setups run 1 or 2 at the front, which is very low.

On a pad, start with point 4. A trigger gives you less travel than a pedal, and full brake pressure with the bias at 50% is the first thing that will catch you. My F1 2020 controller settings cover the rest, and if you still drive with assists, set them with my F1 2020 assists and AI difficulty guide.

From time trial to race setup

Every setup here is saved with 10 kg of fuel. With race fuel the car is heavier and the rear tyres work harder, so I would make these changes before a race:

• Rear anti-roll bar down by two or three clicks. A 10 or 11 at the rear is a one lap choice. Over a stint it overheats the rear tyres.
• One or two clicks more rear wing. A heavy car slides more at the rear, and a sliding tyre wears.
• Tyre pressures up by one or two steps. The minimum gives grip on a hot lap. In a race the tyre gets hotter, and a little more pressure keeps the temperature under control.
• Ride height up by one click where the setup runs 1 at the front. The car sits lower on full tanks.

Then do five laps on race fuel and look at the tyre wear before you change anything else. More on race craft in my F1 2020 tips.

Setups for the other F1 games

A setup does not carry over from one game to the next, because the handling and the setup menu change every year. Each game has its own page:

• F1 25 setups
• F1 23 setups
• F1 22 setups
• F1 2021 setups
• F1 2019 setups
• F1 2018 setups
• F1 2017 setups

FAQ

What is the best setup in F1 2020?

There is no single one. The base that works at most tracks is front suspension at 1, on throttle differential at 50%, brake pressure at 100% with 50% bias, and tyres at 21.0 and 19.5 psi. Then set the wings for the track from the table above.

Which F1 2020 tracks need the most downforce?

Monaco and Marina Bay, with wings at 9 and 11. Budapest runs 7 and 11, Austin 3 and 11, Barcelona 3 and 10. The lowest rear wing in the database is 5 at Sochi.

Do these F1 2020 setups work with a controller?

Yes. The setup menu is the same on a pad and on a wheel. On a pad I would lower the brake pressure to 90 or 95% and move the bias a few percent forward, because a trigger is harder to modulate than a pedal.

Can I use these setups in a race?

You can, but they are saved with 10 kg of fuel, which is a time trial load. For a race, soften the rear anti-roll bar, add a click or two of rear wing and raise the tyre pressures a little.

Why is the on throttle differential at 50%?

At 50% the rear wheels are free to turn at different speeds, so the car puts the power down more gently out of slow corners. In these setups it is at 50% on 18 of the 22 tracks.

Does F1 2020 have Vietnam and Zandvoort?

Yes. The game has the 22 race calendar that was planned for 2020, so the Hanoi street circuit and Zandvoort are both there. There is a setup for each in the table.

Do F1 2020 setups work in F1 2021?

No. Every game has its own handling model, so a setup that is fast in F1 2020 will not behave the same way in another year. Use the F1 2021 setups page for that game.

Header photos: Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo by Artes Max, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons.