F1 24 Netherlands Setups

Zandvoort returned to the Formula 1 calendar a few years ago and has provided a few very good races since its return. The track utilises the original layout with some changes to accommodate the speed of Formula 1 cars.

Most notably, the last corner has been reprofiled to include steep banking to allow cars to drive at full throttle and hit incredibly high speeds down the following straight. In F1 24, you can hit around 320km/h at the end of the straight if your car is setup to maximise its top speed and minimise drag.

Even though the last corner and long straight present an opportunity for overtakes, the rest of the circuit is incredibly technical. There are a good number of slower and medium speed corners, and these sequences require a lot of downforce to maximise performance.

How to setup a car for Zandvoort in F1 24

I would certainly recommend a high-downforce car setup for the Dutch track. Almost every corner will really test your car’s reliance on its aerodynamic setup, and the fastest way to put in the best lap time is to use a high front and rear wing setup.

You will certainly require much more front aero than rear. This will reduce the amount of understeer you face, which can really improve your lap times. The lower rear wing angle can also help reduce drag along the pit straight, making overtaking and defending still possible.

Slower corners such as turn 1, 3, 9 and 12 are all high traction zones, which can cause your rear tyres to wheelspin while accelerating on the exit. I recommend lowering your on-throttle differential to help combat this and improve your chances for a good exit out of each turn.

Thanks to the fast direction changes, there are many weight balance changes throughout a lap of Zandvoort. I recommend a stiffer front suspension and anti-roll bar setup to help keep your car on its toes. A stiffer suspension setup will result in a much more responsive car.

Best race strategy for Zandvoort

Zandvoort is a circuit where the ideal race strategy can be much more varied. It is a very technical circuit with many different corner types. Due to its front-limited nature, Zandvoort generally punishes the front tyres more than the rear tyres throughout a race.

This can lead to high tyre wear around Zandvoort during an F1 24 race. I recommend opting for a two-stop race strategy to ensure you aren’t managing your tyres too much. If you are competing in a half-distance race or shorter, you could opt for a one-stop strategy utilising the hard tyres for most of the race.

It can be tricky to overtake around Zandvoort, with the start/finish straight providing the best opportunity for overtakes during a race. I would recommend starting a race on soft tyres to try and maximise the number of positions you can gain at the start of the race before switching to the hard and medium tyres for the remainder of the race.