F1 2020 Canadian GP Setup - Dry: Qualifying & race setup for Circuit Gilles Villeneuve


Canada is a track that hasn't changed much over the years. It's one most F1 gamers know pretty well, but being fast here is trickier than you think.

With plenty of overtaking chances and a lot of walls, it's a high-speed game of chicken. Overstep the line and the Wall of Champions awaits, but nail it and you can quickly race away to victory.

Canadian Grand Prix Setup guide

Traction is king here thanks to long straights and plenty of slow chicanes.

Your setup needs to protect the rear tyres and balance responsiveness with top speed.

Unfortunately, that is practically impossible, so it becomes about what you are willing to compromise.

If you are confident on the brakes and making overtakes then you can go a little more aggressive and really chew up those rears. It might make you a little slower at the end of your stint and could even require an extra pitstop at 50 & 100% distance, but it's more fun!

Aerodynamics

While the long back straight and trio of DRS zones suggests you want a Monza-level of wing angle, don't be tempted by it.

F1 2020 Canada Aero
expand image

For one thing, it will stress your tyres far too much, but for another you can carry a lot more speed through the chicanes here than you can at Monza, which means a bit more wing is needed to keep the car planted.

Our 4-7 wings should keep you flying around a lap here and keep you competitive on the straights.

Transmission

On-Throttle differential is one of the things you can adjust during a race, and Canada is perhaps the best place to do in-lap changes.

If you aren't comfortable with that though, then use this setting.

F1 2020 Canada Transmission
expand image

50% On-Throttle will help protect your rears, while the 70% Off-Throttle should keep you stable through the corners.

Suspension Geometry

A key part to the setup, but one that should be kept the same for every track thanks to it's OP nature.

F1 2020 Canada Suspension Geometry
expand image

The classic -2.50, -1.00 Camber settings and 0.05, 0.20 Toe settings are still the ones you should use where possible.

It does extract the most from your tyres, but it's worth it for lap time.

Suspension

Suspension is the most track-specific and driver-specific part of the setup.

Do you like a stiff car, or perhaps a looser rear? It gets set here and can make or break your weekend.

F1 2020 Canada Suspension
expand image

Our 1-3 suspension setting lets the car lunge forward and back under braking and acceleration. This helps with traction a little and helps the tyres, just beware that getting on the power early can pivot the car.

The 7-8 anti-roll bars keep the car rigid through the constant chicanes and helps you get through them without understeering into the wall. Any stiff though, and you risk the tyres getting stressed.

The 3-4 ride height seems a bit high for a track with lots of straights, but you will be using a lot of kerb to carry speed through the chicanes. This setting is something of a compromise, but it works!

Brakes

The brakes are aggressively set thanks to some of the big stops into the hairpin and turn 1.

F1 2020 Canada Brakes
expand image

We have gone with 100% brake pressure and 50% rearward bias.

The massive bias backward helps prevent lockups, while the pressure adds stopping power but does increase the risk of lockups.

If you aren't confident balancing your brake pedal then take the pressure down until you aren't locking up.

Tyres

Again, these tyres are similar to other setups.

F1 2020 Canada Tyres
expand image

We've taken as much air out as possible. Going to 21.0 psi on both fronts and 19.5 psi on both rears.

This helps create more surface area and lower temperatures while increasing traction. It just makes for a better ride in F1 2020 in our experience.

This Article's Topics

Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!

F1