The Dutch Grand Prix will make a very welcome comeback to the Formula 1 calendar this year. F1 gamers have been able to race around the Zandvoort circuit since last year though, and it's already becoming a fan-favourite.
Rain isn't uncommon in Holland though, and you'll have to adapt your dry setup when the heavens open. Here's the best setup we found in F1 2021!
Aerodynamics
Zandvoort is made up of a lot of medium to high-speed corners, but it is lacking in long straights. In the wet especially, you need a lot of front-end bite and rear stability. Therefore, we went with 8 wing angle on the front and rear of the car.
Transmission
As usual in rainy conditions, your transmission will have to be configured to be more open than usual. This is to allow for a smooth application of power, rather than overall grip. You can go for a more locked setup, but this will increase the risk of spinning out and wear your rear tyres out faster.
70% for the on-throttle differential and 50% for the off-throttle is what we found to be ideal in Zandvoort.
Suspension Geometry
The suspension geometry has to be weighted towards grip rather than tyre life. This is partly to increase the grip of the tyres, but mainly because the wet tyres are so durable in F1 2021. You can therefore afford to be liberal with your camber and toe values.
We found that full left toe values of 0.05 on the front and 0.20 on the rear is best. For the camber, you need to more towards the right to increase the size of the contact patch. We opted for -2.50 on the front and -1.70 on the rear.
Suspension
The springs and anti-roll bar need to be on the soft side for Zandvoort to allow for a smoother ride. This is at the cost of potential performance in qualifying, but it will allow for consistent and solid running during the race. We found that the front suspension is best at 2, with the rear at 4.
The anti-roll bar is ideal at around 7 for both the front and the rear. You still need strong turn-in for the final corner and Turn 7 but this will also allow for a smooth ride.
In addition to the soft suspension, you'll also have to set the ride height to a higher setting than normal too. We went with 6 on the front and 8 on the rear. This allows you to use the kerbs and at the very least, be able to catch the car before you spin out.
Brakes
There aren't many big stops in the Netherlands, but Turn 1 alone means you need strong brake pressure. 92% is around the highest you can get away with without locking up regularly in the wet. As for the brake bias, we found 59% towards the front as being right for this circuit.
Tyres
With how many corners come at you thick and fast in the Netherlands, you'll actually need to keep the fronts cool, even in the wet. We went with 22.2 psi on the front tyres, as this allows for good grip without burning your rubber out.
The rears are a different story. There aren't many big traction areas in Holland, so you'll have to crank the pressure all the way up to 23.5 psi.