F1 2021 Setups: Best Car Setup for Every Track

The best F1 2021 setup changes with the track, but the base is the same almost everywhere: front suspension as soft as it goes, more ride height at the rear than at the front, and a lot of front wing. The table below has the numbers for all 21 tracks in the game, and every track name links to its own page with the full setup menu and, for every track except Jeddah, an onboard lap.

These setups were collected for this database in 2022 from fast time trial laps. I have not driven all 21 of them again since, so use them as a starting point and not as the last word. What I can add is how to read them, where I think they are too extreme, and what to change when the car does not suit your hands.

F1 2021 setups for every track

Values are written front / rear. The differential column is on throttle / off throttle. In F1 2021 the wings, suspension, anti-roll bars and ride height all use a scale from 1 to 11.

Brakes, tyres and geometry

Same order as above. Tyre pressures are in psi, front / rear, and the left and right side are equal in every setup. Camber and toe are front / rear too.

Fuel load is 10 kg in every one of these setups.

Tracks by downforce level

If you only have time to change one thing before a session, change the wings. This is how the 21 tracks split by rear wing.

• Low downforce (rear wing 1 to 5): Baku, Red Bull Ring, Spa, Monza and Jeddah. Baku and Spa have the lowest rear wing in the database at 3. Monza runs 5 and 5.
• Medium downforce (rear wing 6 to 8): Portimao, Melbourne, Silverstone and Sochi. All of them run more front wing than rear.
• High downforce (rear wing 9 to 10): Imola, Barcelona, Budapest, Austin and Yas Marina.
• Maximum (rear wing 11): Sakhir, Monaco, Paul Ricard, Zandvoort, Montreal, Mexico City and Interlagos.

Look at the front wing column too. 10 of the 21 setups have the front wing higher than the rear, and Jeddah is the extreme with 11 and 4. The F1 2021 car understeers in the middle of the corner, and the fast time trial drivers fixed it with front wing and accepted a loose rear. If you are not comfortable with a car that rotates that much, this is the first thing to calm down.

What these setups have in common

Read the two tables side by side and a pattern comes out.

• Soft front suspension. 18 of 21 tracks run the front suspension at 1. The other 3 run it at 2. A soft front gives you mechanical grip on turn in and lets the car ride the kerbs.
• Rake on every track. The rear ride height is higher than the front in all 21 setups, usually 2 at the front and 6 or 7 at the rear.
• Brake pressure is high. 14 tracks run 100% and the other 7 run 95%. Front brake bias moves between 50% and 57%.
• The differential moves a lot. On throttle it goes from 55% (Monaco, Paul Ricard, Silverstone, Zandvoort, Montreal, Mexico City and Interlagos) to 100% (Jeddah). Off throttle stays between 50% and 60%.
• Camber and toe change less. Front camber is -2.50 on 11 tracks and never goes past -3.00. Rear toe is 0.20 on 10 tracks.
• Tyre pressures follow the track. Fronts go from 21.8 to 25.0 psi and rears from 22.7 to 25.0 psi. Spa is the highest at 25.0 and 25.0.

One honest note about six of these setups

Monaco, Paul Ricard, Zandvoort, Montreal, Mexico City and Interlagos have exactly the same setup: wings at 11 and 11, differential at 55% and 55%, camber -3.00 and -1.70. It is a maximum downforce base that is very easy to drive, and at Monaco and Zandvoort it is what I would run too.

At Montreal, Mexico City and Paul Ricard I would not race with it. Those three have long straights, and with both wings at 11 you are slow at the end of every one of them. Keep the rest of the setup and take three or four clicks off both wings as a first step, then check your top speed against the cars around you.

How to adjust a setup to your driving

A setup from somebody else's fast lap is built around their style. When I worked with engineers in F3 and F2 we never changed five things at once, and the same rule works in the game. One change, three laps, then decide.

1. The rear steps out in fast corners. Add one or two clicks of rear wing, or take one off the front. You lose a little rotation and gain confidence everywhere else.
2. The car will not turn in. Add a click of front wing, or soften the front anti-roll bar by one.
3. You spin on the exit of slow corners. Lower the on throttle differential by 10%. The rear wheels can then turn at different speeds and the car puts the power down more gently.
4. The car is nervous when you lift or brake into a corner. Raise the off throttle differential by 5%. A more locked differential on entry keeps the rear in line.
5. You lock the front tyres. Take 3 to 5% off the brake pressure before you touch the bias.
6. The car bottoms out or jumps on the kerbs. Raise the ride height by one click at both ends.
7. The rear tyres overheat in a race. Lower the on throttle differential and take a little rear toe off. My F1 2021 tyre temperature guide has the window you are aiming for.

If you are on a pad, start with points 3 and 5. A trigger gives you less travel than a pedal, so a more open differential and a little less brake pressure make the car far easier to control. The rest of the pad setup is in my F1 2021 controller settings, and the wheel side is in the F1 2021 wheel settings.

From time trial setup to race setup

All 21 setups are saved with 10 kg of fuel. In a race you start much heavier and the tyres have to last, so I change three things before a Grand Prix:

• One or two clicks more rear wing. A heavy car slides more at the rear, and a sliding rear tyre overheats.
• On throttle differential down by 5 to 10%. It saves the rear tyres over a stint.
• Brake pressure down to 95% if you race without ABS. With a full tank the fronts lock more easily into slow corners.

Then do five laps on race fuel and look at the tyre wear and temperatures before you change anything else. If you are still learning the game, my F1 2021 tips and the assists and AI difficulty settings are the place to start, and the F1 2021 tracks list has every circuit in the game.

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 2020 setups
• F1 2019 setups
• F1 2018 setups
• F1 2017 setups

FAQ

What is the best setup in F1 2021?

There is no single one. The base that works at most tracks is front suspension at 1, ride height around 2 at the front and 6 or 7 at the rear, front camber -2.50 and brake pressure at 100%. Then set the wings for the track from the table above.

Which F1 2021 tracks need the most downforce?

Sakhir, Monaco, Paul Ricard, Zandvoort, Montreal, Mexico City and Interlagos run the rear wing at 11 in this database. Of those, Monaco and Zandvoort are the two where I would keep it there in a race.

Which F1 2021 tracks need the least downforce?

Baku, Red Bull Ring, Spa, Monza and Jeddah run a rear wing of 5 or lower. Baku and Spa are the lowest at 3.

Do these F1 2021 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 on throttle differential by 10% and take a few percent off the brake pressure, because triggers are harder to modulate than pedals.

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. With race fuel the car is heavier and the rear tyres work harder, so add one or two clicks of rear wing and check your tyre wear after five laps.

Do F1 2021 setups work in F1 22 or later games?

No. The cars changed completely in 2022 and every game has its own handling model. Use the page for your game from the list above.

Where do I change the setup in F1 2021?

In the garage, before you leave the pits. Open the car setup screen, pick a preset or build a custom setup, and save it so you can load it again at that track.