F1 25 COTA Car Setup: Full Setup & Guide

After the tricky street tracks of Baku and Singapore, heading to COTA is a big refresh. This fast and flowing track is still a big challenge, however, the focus is much more on rear stability and maximising performance through medium speed and fast corners.

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Watch our COTA car setup video below

Aero setup

Kicking off this COTA car setup, I have the aero set to 35 at both front and rear. This is designed to be competitive with the AI on the straights, which is very important here with the really long straight in the middle sector. It also prioritises the rear of the car by not having a front wing offset.

COTA really tests your rear stability. From turn 1 all the way through to turn 10, as well as the final sector, the rear of your car will want to get away from you as you throw it through the fast turns. Turn 9 in particular can make the rear of your car go really light, so the extra focus on rear downforce is important.

Transmission setup

With the differential, I have the on throttle set at just 65%. You’d think with a faster circuit, this could be higher. However, turns 1, 11 and the entire final sector all feature heavy traction zones. Setting the differential closer to 100%, can make these corners tricky to navigate.

Instead, the lower setup approach will make the car more consistent to drive throughout a race. Then, I’ve set the off throttle to 30%, primarily to accommodate the slower second half of the lap.

Suspension geometry setup

With the geometry, I have it all set to the left once again.

Suspension setup

For the suspension, I am running the front at the usual 41, and the rear at a pretty high 10. This will help the car rotate well and stay responsive. Then go with 17 and 21 on the anti-roll bars for added stability at high speed.

You’ll find this approach will stiffen the car up, and promote a little bit of understeer. If you’re aiming for fast time trial lap times, the rear suspension and front ARB can be lowered significantly. Round out the suspension with a ride height of 21 and 48.

Brake setup

For the brakes bias, I have opted for 53%. Most of the corners other than turns 11 and 12 will want some rotation during the braking phase. Moving the bias rearwards will help rotate the front of the car initially.

If you do experience any rear locking into the heavier braking zones, you can manage this mid-race from your MFD by adjusting it further forward. Then go with 100% brake pressure.

Tyre setup

For the tyre pressures, I have the fronts set at maximum, and the rears lower at just 25.5psi. This setup brings both front and rear into the operating window, and the lower than maximum rear pressures just helps with slightly better traction at slow speed.

Conclusion

That completes this United States car setup for F1 25. This is such a fun track with elements lifted from some of the best tracks in the world. The fast Silverstone-esque first sector, and slow Bahrain inspired last sector test your car in different ways. This race setup achieves a car that performs well through the entire lap, while also being easy to drive.

Let me know your thoughts on this setup and how you find it during a race. Remember, this isn’t a time trial setup, and is designed specifically for races, and has been created using a racing wheel.

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