Imola has made a surprise return to the Formula 1 calendar over the past two seasons. Thanks to the Chinese GP dropping out as well, you can expect to see the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on the calendar and in the official F1 game moving forward too.
We had a wet race here in real life this year, so we're giving you our best wet setup to succeed in F1 2021!
Aerodynamics
Despite the lengthy start/finish pit straight, you'll need to opt for high downforce at Imola. This is because of the slippery track surface and harsh kerbs, both of which mean you need a planted rear end. We went with 10-10 as this really lets you put the pedal to metal out of the chicanes.
Transmission
Grip is at a premium in Imola, especially in the wet. However, you can't go for a locked differential here, as this makes spinning out onto the grass too common. We found that an on-throttle of 70% and off-throttle of 50% is ideal, as the car feels very steady with these settings.
Suspension Geometry
Tyre wear isn't a big concern at the Emilia-Romagna GP, so you can opt for low camber and toe values. For the Toe, we go all the way down to 0.05 on the front and 0.20 on the rear. For the Camber, though, it's best not to go as adventurous. We found -2.50 on the front and -1.60 on the rear to be ideal.
Suspension
Imola's harsh kerbs and narrow track surface necessitate a much softer suspension than usual. To prevent spinning out regularly, we found 1-3 for the springs to be best. For the anti-roll bar, we went with 1-5, as this allows decent turn-in while stopping the car from being snappy.
The ride height needs to be higher than usual for this circuit, again, due to the kerbs. We found 3-7 to allow the car to run over the kerbs while retaining good straight-line speed.
Brakes
There are some big stops around Imola, with the Tamburello chicane being the largest. You also have to be wary of lock-ups as well, so don't go too high with the brake pressure. We found that 96% brake pressure, with a bias of 55% towards the front is best.
This is definitely something that varies from player to player though, so play around with these values.
Tyres
As tyre wear isn't an issue in the wet, you can set your pressures to be almost max. In addition to this, the gaps between braking zones are generally long and you'll need high pressures to prevent the rubber from getting cold.
We found that 24.2 psi on the fronts and 23.5 psi on the rear is best but if you're struggling with tyre wear, turn these down. Beware of doing that though, as your grip won't be as good especially in traction zones.