A lot of players just skip it, but if you want to really test yourself you'll need this F1 23 Monaco setup. The crown jewel of Formula 1, Monaco sees all the stars pay a visit to the F1 grid.
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While you don't quite get the glitz and glamour in the game that you do in real life, you do get the incredible challenge that Monaco presents in F1 23.
F1 23 Monaco setup
Monaco is perhaps the biggest challenge in the F1 game. The narrow streets of the principality wind up and down the hills with barriers there to catch any mistake.
It's a circuit that is all about confidence and daring. With overtaking nearly impossible at this track you need a car that can qualify well and then look after its tyres. Our F1 23 Monaco setup does just that. All you need to do is bring your A-game!
Aerodynamics
With its rapid-fire corners and lack of straights, you can pile on the downforce at Monaco.
click to enlarge
+ 6As usual, we've gone for a 50-50 wing setting here, the most downforce you can get. This will make the car a little easier to dive into corners and hold it's rear, but Monaco isn't really designed for modern F1 cars so it's still tricky!
Transmission
This part of the setup dictates how the rear wheels rotate in relation to each other. A more unlocked differential allows for the two tyres to rotate more independently from one another, while a more locked one will greatly limit the amount of difference between them.
click to enlarge + 6For F1 23 an early “meta” is becoming apparent, so we have gone with 55% on-throttle differential, which allows for good control coming onto the throttle out of corners.
The 55% off-throttle differential is a little different from other setups, as we need a bit more rear stability as we generate additional rotation elsewhere in the setup. As a result, we don't want the rears to get too far apart. If it's still a little loose at the rear then add another click or two of off-throttle diff.
Suspension geometry
Despite the changes to handling, the meta for suspension geometry hasn’t changed for F1 23, so why would we change our settings?!
click to enlarge + 6Got fully to the right for the camber values and fully to the left for toe values. That's -2.50, -1.00, 0.00, and 0.10.
Suspension
This part of the setup has had the unlocking treatment that the aerodynamics got last year. There is a wide range of settings to pick from, but the overall principle of the setup is similar to last year.
click to enlarge + 6Monaco is all about rotation, so with that in mind we've gone for 41-11 on the suspension and 7-5 with the anti-roll bars. This stiff front-end will let the car dive into corners. It can produce a little too much rotation for some though, so loosen it a little if you are stuggling.
Ride height is set to 35-42. This is to let us ride all the kerb we can in order to maximise corner angles. The rake also helps add more front-end to the overall setup.
Brakes
Braking has changed a lot in F1 23, but the ideal settings haven’t. 100% brake pressure is still ideal, while 57% brake bias is a good spot for Monaco.
click to enlarge + 6It is much easier to lock the brakes in F1 23, so if you aren’t using the ABS assist and find this too much then do drop the brake pressure, but just appreciate you’ll need to move your braking point back a little.
Tyres
The Pirelli rubber hasn’t changed too much for F1 23, though the PSI settings are broader this year.
click to enlarge + 6We've gone with 22.2 PSI on the front tyres and 20.0 PSI on the rears. This will provide good mechanical grip and let you push the car hard in qualifying.
Adjustments
These setups are intended for intermediate players who may still be using assists like traction control and ABS. However, if you are looking for an extra edge then you can try a few of these adjustments:
- Decrease the wing levels by 1-3 clicks to improve top speed
- This will make the car less capable on turn-in and less stable in high-speed direction changes
- If the car doesn't feel like it is doing what you want on turn-in then raise the front wing a click or two
- If the car is too loose at low speeds try moving the off-throttle differential up a few clicks for more stability
- For a more "pointy" car stiffen the front suspension & anti-roll bar
- This will make getting traction trickier
- The opposite is true, so you can soften the front suspension to remove "pointy" characteristics
- Don't be afraid to move brake bias during the lap. More frontward will give better performance in heavy braking zones, and a rearward for lighter braking zones
- Lockups are easier to achieve in F1 23 than previous games. Front locking is less catastrophic than rear locking, and which way you go from our mark will increase your chances of a lockup in that direction
- Add a click of tyre pressure for short online races to improve tyre warm-up!
For more articles like this, take a look at our F1 page.