Hungarian Setups F1 2020

F1 2020 setup guide overview – Hungary

Many say Hungary is similar to Monaco but without walls. The track itself may be much wider, but the style of corners and the technicality of the circuit does mimic a street style circuit. It rewards a car setup that prioritises rear aerodynamics and great traction. Below we run through our F1 2020 Hungary setup guide.

Starting with the aerodynamics, as mentioned Hungary requires a higher downforce setup. You should look to have more rear downforce that front. This will keep your car planted during the long 180 degree turns. It will also help with traction when accelerating out of each corner which is crucial for a Hungary setup.

Keep the front aerodynamics around average, as this will give good turn in whilst still allowing good top speed down the pit straight. If you are dealing with a wet track, which is common around Hungary, you should look to increase your front downforce. Bring this in line with your rear downforce to provide as much grip as possible entering and exiting corners in the wet.

To help with traction when exiting corners, lower your on-throttle differential as much as you can. The lower this setting, the more open your differential, meaning the easier and earlier you will be able to apply the throttle.

Due to the lower speeds of the Hungarian track, we can run more aggressive camber and toe. This will negatively affect tyre wear, but tyre wear shouldn’t really be a problem around Hungary. You will be able to run a full race with minimal tyre management with this style setup.

Hungary has quite a few undulations and high kerbs which you will want to attack for a fast lap time. This means our Hungary setup in F1 2020 should be focused around a soft suspension setup. The softer setup will allow your car to adjust when you do hit some of these larger kerbs. It will also keep your car more stable throughout a race.

The anti-roll bars should also be relatively soft. However the middle sector does feature some quicker direction changes. To keep your car responsive through this sector, keep your front anti-roll bar around average, while lowering your rear. The stiffer front roll bar will keep responsiveness at the front of the car.

Lower your ride height to create maximum downforce throughout the lap. This will also help with speed down the long pit straight and in to the only real overtaking zone.

Most braking zones around Hungary are fairly traditional in that you brake in a completely straight line before the corner apex. This means you can increase your brake pressure for your Hungary setup without risking lock ups. Keep your brake pressure fairly balanced around 54-56 to maximise your braking performance.

Because we have managed our car’s traction with the differential and downforce setup, we can increase our tyre pressure. This will put a little more heat in to them, and also bring out a little more responsiveness.

How To Best Drive The Hungarian Grand Prix Circuit in F1 2020

Hungary is made up of a selection of slow corners. The first and last sector is characterised by longer 180 degree corners which require a solid rear end. The middle sector requires a much quicker, responsive car to handle the quick direction changes. The setup above should cover both of these characteristics.

In terms of driving Hungary, you should look to avoid the kerbs around the longer 180 degree corners. These will just upset the car mid corner. However you should actively attack the kerbs through the chicane and the whole of the middle sector.

There is only really one overtaking zone around Hungary, and that is in to the first corner. This is at the end of the longest straight on the circuit, and features a heavy braking zone. There is a late apex in to the first corner, meaning you can take a few racing lines through turn 1.

If you can’t quite make an overtake in to turn 1, you have another chance in to turn 2, as long as you get a good exit from the first turn. If you want to pull a turn 2 overtake, try and take a wider line through the first corner. This will allow you to straighten up your car sooner and give you better acceleration towards the second corner.

If you want to try and force an overtake through the first or second corners at Hungary, you should adjust your brake bias before the turn. Adjust it forward by a couple of points to put more braking force through the front of the car. This will result in shorter braking distance, but will make the car more prone to locking a wheel. As soon as you make the overtake move, adjust the brake bias back to its normal setup.